Zombies Will Descend on Park Street Oct. 15

Three to five hundred zombies are expected to descend on Park Street Saturday night Oct. 15.   

Fortunately, although undead, they won’t be biting anyone. 

The Third Annual Alameda Zombie Bar Crawl will be from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., and Jake Thompson, its chief organizer, says it’s all good fun and for an important cause. 

Save the Brains Campaign launched this year 

This year’s theme is "Zombies Saving Brains," and the crawl is a fundraiser for Brain Injury Connection. “I know it seems a little demented,” admitted Thompson, “but we figured what better charity could there be for an event like this? Hey, you know, zombies do care.” 

Thompson says he has another reason for selecting the brain injury charity to benefit from the event. In the early '90s, he was riding an all-terrain vehicle over ice and wearing no helmet. He wiped out and suffered a concussion which left him unconscious for a week. Fortunately, he suffered no permanent injury. “I was lucky,” said Thompson, who is a fine arts artist and illustrator who also works at a tattoo studio.

Enthusiasm for event is infectious

The annual Alameda Zombie Bar Crawl was started by 35-year-old Thompson three years ago to celebrate his joint birthday with his 25-year-old friend Tina Perlman.

The first year it attracted 40 people. Last year 85 costumed zombies showed up. This year publicity about the event has gone viral, circulating widely through social media networks, and hundreds are expected to attend from as far away as Reno. 

Thompson is encouraging out-of-towners to check in ahead of time at local hotels and patronize nearby restaurants and shops while in town. 

Thompson has also invited the creators of the  song to come take video footage. Two actors who played police officers in the  are also expected to show up in their uniforms  “zombified."

Guests and local bars catch the zombie spirit 

Six bars along and adjacent to the Park Street corridor will participate in this year’s crawl: , Hob Nob, , ,  and the . Special drinks are being concocted for the night, including brain hemorrhage shots and zombie cocktails. 

Lucky 13 will have zombie go-go dancers performing and will sell zombie crawl T-shirts. Lost Weekend will be projecting classic zombie films, the Churchward will host a zombie dance party video/DJ mix, and Scobies will waive the dance cover charge for guests in costume. 

Getting that gruesome, slightly decaying look for the crawl can take some ingenuity. and the three costume supply shops on the Island, , Halloween City and Spirit Halloween might help. The crawl website even has an illustrated “how-to” page, offering zombie make-up tips. 

Guests are encouraged to attend with a designated driver or plan to walk, take a cab or use public transit after the event.

“It’s a no-brainer,” Thompson said. “We don’t want people to drink and drive. Our aim is to prevent brain injuries, not to cause them.”