Zombie Party Planned in West Pasco

Zombies are expected to invade West Pasco next month.

New Port Richey resident Chris Coffey, 28, is prepping Pasco County for the inevitable undead apocalypse by hosting the Tampa Bay area's first full-fledged ZombieFest.

Coffey has teamed up with local businesses and sponsors to offer a day of activities for Pasco's zombie enthusiasts. There will be a staff of professional make-up artists on-hand to "infect" patrons, a zombie walk, band performances movie showings and more.

Not to mention a mysterious "brain-eating" contest.

The point of ZombieFest, Coffey said, is to bring the community together with a fun day of activities and to promote local businesses and artists.

"I want people to be able to get out of the house and have fun out in the community," Coffey said. "I hope people make new friends and reconnect with old ones and that they are able to rise up from enslavement, that zombie mode that everyone seems to be in these days."

Coffey and a crew of friends, including ZombieFest co-founder Sam Knox, 25,  have spent the last few weeks shooting promotional videos at local businesses such as Colossal Comics and the Firing Line Gun Range.

The purpose of the videos is to not only get the word out about Zombiefest, but to give the local businesses a way to market themselves beyond normal advertising and even social media.

"I hope people are able to realize that local businesses are still here and they're trying to provide products that are what people are looking for," Coffey said. "You don't have to go to Wal-Mart or Best Buy every time."

Coffey has been a fan of the undead since his younger sister's birth in 1997. He remembers being home alone and the only person for miles around in his rural neighborhood because everyone was visiting his parents and Emily at the hospital.

"Sitting there in the middle of the day playing Revident Evil scared me to death and ever since then, I've just felt attracted to the genre of zombies and survival," Coffey said. "Every time a movie comes out, I try to see it as soon as possible."

Coffey got a taste of how popular his event might be at this year's Megacon in Orlando, where he helped promote their zombie walk and artist Arthur Suydam, known for his Marvel Zombies comic book cover art.

So far, more than 200 pre-sales have come in and Coffey expects to fill the capacity of the 600-person Cinema 6 Movie Theater in Port Richey.

Coffey still has to get the proper approvals for the event, which will include a zombie walk down residential Embassy Bulevard in Port Richey. Coffey said there are strict guidelines for insurance and other event requirements.

Once the event is approved, Coffey said, "the people inside those homes are going to be in for a show."

After tiring of "working for Corporate America," Coffey began his career of helping local businesses with marketing services like building websites and creating business cards, ads and social media presence. Zombiefest is an extension of that, he said.

Knox, 25, has a full-time job at Steak N' Shake and also works as a youth pastor for Living Hope Church but became interested in zombies through AMC's popular television show, "The Walking Dead."

Knox said Zombiefest will give ghoul enthusiasts something to break up the boredom in the long months after Universal Studio's Halloween Horror Nights and Busch Garden's Howl O' Scream.

"They don't have to wait for Halloween to dress up as a zombie," Knox said.

Zombiefest will take place in Port Richey on April 28 from 2 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online for $10 or at the door for $15. For more information, check out the website at www.zombiefest.net or contact Chris Coffey at (727) 534-8221.