WHEN: Friday, October 24th 2025 – 6:30PM – Registration

Wicked Walk begins promptly at 6:45PM – ends at 8:00PM

WHERE: Barnum Museum Outdoor Plaza, 820 Main Street, Bridgeport, CT 06604

Join the Barnum Museum and acclaimed author, Michael J. Bielawa during this hour-long tour as he brings to light some of New England’s strangest and eeriest tales!

Paranormal author and award-winning journalist Michael J. Bielawa will once again lead another fascinating lantern stroll of historic downtown Bridgeport, Connecticut. October provides the perfect time to visit scenes of suspected hauntings, Victorian era murders, “Men In Black” sightings and other unexplained phenomena. Remarkably, this wide variety of mysteries is centrally located within easy walking distance of the Barnum Museum.

Doors will open at 6:30 PM for Registration.

The TOURS WILL BEGIN PROMPTLY AT 6:45 PM.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2025-wicked-bridgeport-walking-tour-tickets-1777818144929?aff=oddtdtcreator

Tickets are $10 per person for Barnum Museum members and $20 for others.

• Tour size is limited to 25, so early reservations are suggested.
• Please note that this program is not recommended for children under 12 years of age.

An award-winning journalist and historian, Bielawa is well versed in the paranormal and New England history. His explorations have taken him to the Northeast’s most exotic and mysterious places. Bielawa’s newest book, Haunted Waterbury & the Naugatuck Valley, released in the summer of 2025, examines supernatural incidents occurring in the towns and hills along the banks of the Naugatuck River. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including Wicked Bridgeport (which received the first-ever New England Paranormal Literary Award) and Wicked New Haven. Bielawa has discussed Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein on NPR and brought Connecticut’s unique folklore to light on popular WTNH-TV programs Good Morning Connecticut and Connecticut Style. Bielawa’s article, “Submarine Down!” about the ill-fated Bridgeport-built S-48 sub, appeared in Connecticut Magazine, and was awarded first place by the Society of Professional Journalists for In-Depth Magazine Reporting. His essays on legends and the supernatural have appeared in FATE Magazine, The Connecticut Post, Major League

Baseball’s All-Star Game Program (about abandoned 19th century ballparks), London’s Fortean Times, Lovecraft Proceedings, and The Edgar Allan Poe Review. The Bridgeport Public Library’s History Center webpage posts Bielawa’s essays on such diverse subjects as Jack the Ripper and early encounters with “Men In Black.”

Bielawa has shared his research with radio audiences on WCBS, WABC, WICC and WPLR, and Michael celebrated New Haven’s 17th century “Phantom Ship” when he created the 4-story-tall, illuminated art installation “The Persistence of Legend.” His dedication to preserving New England history has been covered by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post.

Bielawa’s Bridgeport tales are based on research conducted at local and state libraries, historical societies, and through personal interviews. During these downtown Wicked Walks, Bielawa encourages participants to take photographs, and bring handheld EMF and EVP devises in order to help document the area’s paranormal activity.

Please contact the Barnum Museum at info@barnum-museum.org or call 203-331-1104 for more information.