The eighth annual Sunshine Coast Zombie Walk is taking place this Saturday, Oct. 17, and it looks like something out of a George A. Romero movie, with both participants and volunteer staff looking like the undead or a survivor of the zombie apocalypse.
These events are a touch of spooky fun for all ages where even families can participate. Halloween can be more focused on kids, with trick or treating, or teens and adults with Halloween parties, not so much on the family as a whole. So with organized zombie walks, the creation of which is credited to Thea Munster, organizer of the Toronto Zombie Walk originally from Victoria, a new spooktacular event for all ages was begun.
The Sunshine Coast has put its own twist on the Zombie Walk (aka Day of the Z), with organizers going by names like Exploding Haggis (past) or Soylent Green (current). We’ve seen zombies on stilts or in wheelchairs, or talking with local politicians. We’ve gotten a community grant from the Town of Gibsons and have put on a midnight showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
As a group of volunteers, we do this with the support of local businesses for prizes and donations, as we raise supplies and funds for local food banks. We get to enjoy seeing the costumes and hearing from the witnesses who pop up.
The favourite witness quote from past years was, “I thought things like this only happened in the city.” The favourite costume was a zombie mom and zombie baby in a stroller.
Come help us fill a body bag for the food bank. Meet at 2:30 p.m. at the Gibsons and Area Community Centre. The walk begins at 3 p.m., and the route will be marked.
