They’re back again among the living.
Thousands of zombies will stagger into Asbury Park again on Sat., Oct. 1 for the annual Asbury Park Zombie Walk.
The walk, which attracts thousands of the undead, was originally conceived, organized and produced by Jason Meehan in the fall of 2008. Hearing stories from friends about zombie walks in other cities around the world, and finding no zombie walk within the Garden State, he was inspired to create one himself – right in his own backyard.
The event grew from a small gathering to a genuine zombie horde and has earned the Guinness World Record for Largest Zombie Walk twice along the way. In 2015, the event was initially cancelled due to the difficulty of coordinating everything needed to host tens of thousands of zombies but, like any good zombie, it couldn’t be killed that easily. The Zombie Walk clawed its way out of the grave with the help of another local institution: John McGillion of Johnny Mac’s House of Spirits. He did not want to see the Asbury Park tradition die, so he purchased the event and pitched in to help run it alongside founder Jason Meehan and the Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce.
The Asbury Park Zombie Walk is one of the Garden State’s largest Halloween gatherings. Zombies of all ages participate in this family-friendly event. Best of all, the Zombie Walk is free.
Beginning at 10 a.m. the official Zombie Walk Info Booth and Merchandise Stand will open outside of the Paramount Theatre. In addition, the Zombie Makeover time will take place with the Pro Makeup Artist Alley to create some spooky magic inside Convention Hall. Walk participants are invited to attend in their own makeup or visit the Convention Hall makeup artists for a fee.
All day long, zombies will gather on the Asbury Park Boardwalk in full costume and then, at 4 p.m. the Zombie Walk begins! From the front of the Convention Hall, zombies will lurch down the Boardwalk towards the Carousel House, where they will turn and invade the downtown. When the walk is over, zombies are turned loose to enjoy the live music and festivities downtown. Johnny Mac’s House of Spirits will be hosting the official after party – with special guests Big Bang Baby and DJs Rob Busch and Kirk Lopez.
The Zombie Walk’s signature Thriller Dance will take place three times throughout the event. The first performance will happen at 3:30 p.m. in front of the Convention Hall. After that, they’ll be performing twice downtown.
Zombies are also asked to lend a severed hand to a good cause. The Central Jersey Blood Center will once again be hosting their Zombie Blood Drive. They’ll be parked on the circle outside the Paramount Theatre, ready for the undead donate their blood (before it coagulates).
