Dozens of zombies hungering for human brains and flesh invaded Raleigh’s Moore Square Saturday evening.
They were all Raleigh citizens gathering together to participate in the city’s fourth annual Zombie Walk.
A zombie walk is an event where people dress up as either a member of the walking dead or a zombie hunter and travel a closed circuit acting in character. The complexity of the rules varies from event to event, often including the ability for zombies to catch and turn other participants into zombies.
Courtney Holland, a sophomore in creative writing, was intrigued by the concept.
“I’ve never been in a zombie walk, but it seems like a really cool idea for fans of both classic horror and things like zombie games and movies,” Holland said.
The first Zombie Walk took place on Aug. 19, 2001, in Sacramento, Calif. Since then, it has gained international popularity, with events held in countries such as Canada and Australia. In 2007, Raleigh hosted its own zombie walk and has continued to return every year since.
Now in its fourth year, the event has grown to have more than 100 participants. This year was no different.
Richard Livingston, event organizer for the Raleigh Zombie Walk, was happy to see the turnout.
“We’ve got a good number of people so far and more show up as things get going,” Livingston said. “Based on the numbers on Facebook, we’ll probably see at least 200 people.”
Early arrivers found a lot to do standing around before the walk started. Groups posed for pictures together, complimented other participants on their looks and put the finishing touches on their costumes.
“Seeing what other people look like is one of the most entertaining parts,” Matthew Kershaw, one of the participators, said. “The creativity and style that goes into some of the costumes can be really impressive.”
Rules designed to allow the continuation of the event annually kept participants orderly. Zombies and humans alike had to stay on the sidewalks and keep fake blood from dripping on any public property. Also, zombies were only allowed to attack designated victims.
The event was also family-friendly and there were numerous children in attendance. Kids weren’t the only age group on site though, as people of all age groups showed up to take part in the walk.
Allison Casey, another participant dressed as a protestor for zombie rights, saw the event as something anyone can enjoy.
“This whole thing is just really fun,” Casey said. “It brings the community together in a silly, but great way.”
Overall, participants said the night was simply about getting together with like-minded individuals and celebrating the undead.
“There’s an ancient part of our brain that makes us want to flee from danger,” Livingston said. “Zombies represent the ultimate merciless predator and give us a chance to use that part of our brain, which is nice.”
