Seattle Zombie Walk

Nothing hurts a zombie

like a recession

On Saturday, I went to the Seattle 2011 Zombie Walk, which ended up breaking the world record for people dressed up like zombies.  Some people spent a long time on painstaking make up, others just put a bit of fake blood on their faces.  It was interesting to be in an alley and hear someone say, "Hey Al, do you have any spare blood?"  

Their initial gathering place seemed more like a street fair than anything else.  There were food booths and mobile food vans, along with the Sobe people giving out free bottles of their vitamin water, which I appreciated.  Instead of art booths where sparkles and face paint would be applied to children, they had serious make up booths where people who didn't feel zombied-up enough could get anything from a little smear of fake blood to an elaborate ghoulish look.  

For those of you who are curious, the zombies mostly didn't act in character, unless they were asked to pose for pictures.  They chatted with friends, ate hot sliders, or relaxed in beer gardens. It didn't look like a family-friendly event, but some people did bring their children, with fake blood or not.  Afterwards, the thousands of participants did their zombie walk, in which they were more likely to do their zombie poses for amused fellow pedestrians.  

Why zombies?  Well, this was in Fremont, a Seattle neighborhood that prides itself in its artsy flair and is more likely to celebrate the solstice than Christmas.  Instead of doing a Disney walk or a pirate walk, their joie de vivre comes from acting out in a way that shocks middle America.  But why zombies in general?  Why have there been so many zombie movies and books over the past decade?  For that, you'll have to read my next post.  

I want your next post!

[Permission granted to use either photo on this post, so long as it is labeled “Photo by Mark Murata”]