A zombie horde descended on central London as hundreds of horror fans took to the streets in celebration of World Zombie Day.
Four hundred people registered to take part in the event, which began in Soho Square on Saturday 10 October. They posed for photographs, danced the Hokey Cokey and listened to Halloween-inspired songs performed by Dr Kei Long Cheung, 37, known by his stage name Fluffy K.
The zombies then shuffled along Oxford Street and through St Anne’s Churchyard to Piccadilly Circus, where they posed for pictures with a Michael Jackson impersonator. The singer’s 1983 Thriller video famously featured a dance of the undead.
The celebrations ended with the horde taking over Bloodsports, a horror-themed sports bar in Covent Garden, for an afterparty.
Event organiser Megan Williams said: “We get so much creativity, everybody’s outfits are just amazing and the atmosphere is really good. People are so friendly, its great.”
Among the undead were horror fans Dana and Gavin Townsend, who took part in the march wearing checked shirts, zombie face paint and fake scars, accompanied by their dog, Monty.
The couple got engaged at a World Zombie Day march in 2017.
Dana said: “Everyone’s really friendly, you can talk to complete strangers, which is not something you can normally do in London.
“It’s a community, even though you don’t see them again until next year.”
Costumes included ghoulish brides, scarecrows and axemen, while make-up included fake blood, red contact lenses and vegetarian gelatine used to create fake pustules.
There were also several zombie dogs and a couple of zombie babies.
A group of models known as the Conceptual Collaborators Society (CCS) dressed as zombie-themed Alice In Wonderland characters for this years march.
The event raised more than £1,000 for the Dead Good Club, a non-profit organisation Williams launched in July.
The organisation aims to improve AI and digital literacy, promoting responsible AI and social media use and encouraging people to go offline.
Williams hopes to expand the Dead Good Club to include regular community events, such as phone-free co-working sessions and “Mobile Free Monday”, to help people rediscover old hobbies and connect with others.
World Zombie Day began in 2006 at Monroeville Mall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a location associated with George Romero’s 1978 horror film Dawn of the Dead.
London held its first zombie march in 2008. The event later took a break before returning last year.
Featured image credit: Natasha Lingard
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