Even the zombies know when to stay home.
Movies about the shambling undead usually begin with some kind of fictional viral outbreak that turns people into lumbering cannibals. Now that our lives have been upended by an actual viral outbreak, the organizers of the Asbury Park Zombie Walk are taking a raincheck on the procession and going virtual.
“Due to continuing health concerns and unrest affecting the entire country, we have made the decision to not have a physical Zombie Walk in Asbury Park for 2020,” organizers said Monday in a Facebook post about the parade’s approach to COVID-19. "We simply can’t run the risk of exposing our volunteers and makeup artists, local businesses and employees - and most importantly our participants and the residents of Asbury Park to a virus which continues to spike around the country.
The zombie walk, New Jersey’s largest, usually happens the first Saturday in October on the Asbury Park Boardwalk. In past years, the event has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest gathering of people dressed as zombies. In 2010, the walk captured that title with 4,093 zombies. In 2013, 9,592 zombies. The next year, the Zombie Pub Crawl of Minneapolis bested that record with 15,458 zombies.
The zombie walk usually happens the first week in October.Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
“New Jersey has been combating COVID19 longer than most of the nation, and by working together as a community we have successfully ‘flattened the curve’ over the last few months,” the organizers' statement continued. “This has paved the way for schools, businesses and restaurants to reopen in the state, but we must remain overly cautious if we are to keep this very real virus from resuming its spread. It seems like the ultimate irony that an actual viral pandemic is keeping our zombies from converging on the Boardwalk this October, but it is with the health and safety of every one of you in mind that we cannot host the Zombie Walk in Asbury Park this year.”
The exact details of the virtual 2020 Asbury Park Zombie Walk are forthcoming.
Organizers said they were brainstorming (mmm, brains!) ways for people to participate from home.
The Asbury Park Zombie Walk, previously known as the New Jersey Zombie Walk, was founded in 2007 by Jason Meehan. In 2015, he said he could no longer manage the huge walk or its costs and prepared to say goodbye to the undead’s favorite gathering. John McGillion, owner of the Johnny Mac House of Spirits bar, stepped in to assist, ensuring the zombies would “live" to see another day.
Check the Asbury Park Zombie Walk Facebook page and website for updates.
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Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Send a coronavirus tip here.