The undead will once again descend upon the downtown area of Lansdale this November, as part of Discover Lansdale’s Sixth Annual Zombie Walk.
This year’s event sees the return of many fan-favorite festivities, including costume contests, group Thriller dance, a brain eating contest and more. New features this year include ax throwing, a zombie bull riding contest, and a merger with staples of the 2019 First Friday season including live music, the First Friday Beer Garden, food trucks, a kid’s zone and more.
Check out the details below, and be sure to follow the Facebook event page for updates.
STAGING AREA / FREE MAKEUP / FOOD DRIVE FOR MANNA
The staging area will be located at Century Plaza (100 West Main Street), and free makeup services will be offered from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Anyone who has not been provided makeup by the start time of the event will be given fake blood and turned into a survivor.
For the first time this year, the free makeup and staging area will serve as a drop-off point for donations to Manna on Main Street. Guests who are receiving free makeup are asked to bring at least one non-perishable donation for the food drive, and other guests are welcomed to bring donations as well.
Prior to the start of the walk at 6:30 p.m., guests in the staging area will once again be given handfuls of blood to place handprints on the emergency vehicles.
ZOMBIE WALK / HEARSE PARADE
After the hearses and emergency vehicles have engaged in the parade, the horde of zombies will be released upon the town.
This year’s route is slightly different, as it will pass each First Friday location and allow participants to get a feel for where they would like to go at the conclusion of the walk period. Zombies will cross West Main Street onto Madison Street, and then follow Madison Street to Wood Street. Zombies will then make a left onto Wood Street, and another left back onto West Main Street.
They will then return to Railroad Plaza.
THRILLER DANCE / LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
Upon the completion of the walk portion of the evening, DJ Chris Evans and choreographer Miranda Trejo will jump right into the group Thriller Dance at Railroad Plaza. The dance portion is tentatively scheduled for 7 p.m.
Additional live entertainment includes DJ Tone-Arm in the First Friday Beer Garden at the intersection of West Main Street and Susquehanna Avenue, and a to-be-determined cover band performing on South Wood Street.
AX THROWING / ZOMBIE BULL RIDING / BRAIN EATING CONTEST
Ax throwing will be located on Susquehanna Avenue, outside of the beer garden in the street area. The mechanical bull, dubbed “El Toro,” and the brain eating contest will be located on South Wood Street.
The zombie bull riding contest will begin at 7:15 p.m., and will feature three rounds of elimination to determine the winner. Before, after, and in-between rounds, non-contestants will be able to ride the mechanical bull, as well.
FOOD TRUCKS / BEER GARDEN LINEUP
Organizers expect to have more than six food trucks, with another handful of non-vehicle food vendors throughout the event space.
Food trucks will include:
• Slurp and more
Food trucks will be lined up single-file on Madison Street at Railroad Plaza. Additionally, non-vehicle food vendors will be placed along South Wood Street.
On the beer garden side, guests will be able to choose from a variety of local craft breweries and wineries, including Round Guys, Well Crafted, McAllister, Free Will, Ten7, Stone and Key and Cardinal Hollow Winery. There will also be tables, chairs, food options and lawn games.
CONTESTS AND TIMING
One of the hallmarks of the Lansdale Zombie Walk is the myriad contests and the high value of the prizes that are given to the winners. For this year, there will be a total of eight contests, each coming with their own variety of prizes.
They include:
All winners will also receive trophies to celebrate their victory.
Judging for the bull riding contest and brain eating contest will be done on location at South Wood Street. Judging for the Best Hearse will be done by public vote at the Discover Lansdale tent in Railroad Plaza. Judging for all costume contests will be done at 8:30 p.m. at Railroad Plaza, and winners will be decided by audience applause.
For the photo scavenger hunt, a series of images will be posted to the event page on the morning of the event. Anyone who can located all photos can then enter the raffle at the Discover Lansdale tent, and a winner will be drawn at random at 9 p.m.
KID’S ZONE
The First Friday Kid’s Zone will be located next to Railroad Plaza, and will include inflatables, a balloon artist, magicians and more
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES / WEATHER
Organizers are asking that anyone seeking additional information follow their Facebook event page. It will be updated as more details become available, multiple times per day as the event nears.
The Lansdale Zombie Walk is a weather-dependent event, meaning it will be cancelled in the event of rain or inclement weather. As the event is part of the First Friday season, there will be no rain date for the event.
On the volunteer side, the event is a large undertaking with a lot of moving parts. As such, organizers could always use extra manpower to handle the event. If you are interested in volunteering, please email [email protected].
If you are interested in becoming a vendor or sponsor, please email [email protected].
(Editor’s note: the author of this article also serves as the volunteer First Friday Committee Chairman for Discover Lansdale.)
See also:
Autumn Festival Scheduled For This Saturday In Montgomery Township
Photos: Discover Lansdale’s Fall Harvest First Friday
Photos: North Wales Community Day 2019
Photos: North Wales 150th Anniversary Parade
Photos: Lansdale Founders Day 2019
