2008 Zombie Fest & World Zombie Day

2008 Zombie Fest™ will be a free event open to the public at Pittsburgh’s Zombie Mecca

What’s the best way to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the George Romero classic zombie film Dawn of the Dead? By holding a zombie-themed festival at the site where it was filmed.

The It’s Alive Zombie Fest™, taking place on October 25 & 26 at the Monroeville Mall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will be a zombie fan’s delight. “Pittsburgh has long been considered the zombie capital of the world”, says Mark Menold, organizer of Zombie Fest™, and creator, producer and host of The It’s Alive Show, Pittsburgh’s late night horror host program. “People come from around the globe to make a pilgrimage to the Monroeville Mall because of Dawn of the Dead being filmed here. It’s like a zombieMecca.”

Zombie Fest™ will feature vendors from across the county offering collectible and hard-to-find horror and zombie-themed wares for sale; zombie films; discussion panels featuring award-winning horror writers; bands; celebrity guests; games and other fun activities for zombie fans of all ages. The events at the Mall will be open to the public and free of charge (except for the Zombie Masquerade Ball on Friday night).

“We decided that since 2008 is such a monumental year for zombie fans that we’d change our format from a traditional horror convention to a show that is accessible for everyone”, says Menold. “It will be a little different from what our vendors and fans are used to, but it’s an opportunity to reach a wider audience of zombie fans.”

On the eve of Zombie Fest™, Friday, October 24, a Zombie Masquerade Ball will be held at the Churchill Valley Country Club. The Ball will feature live entertainment as well as a DJ and will be an age 21 and over event. Prizes will be awarded for best overall costume as well as best zombie costume. There will be a separate admission fee for the Ball (to be determined).
The highlight of the weekend will be World Zombie Day™ on Sunday, October 26 featuring zombie walks with accompanying food drives aimed at raising awareness of the problem of global hunger. At press time, approximately 46 cities have signed on to participate, including New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Seattle, London and Hong Kong as well as cities in Canada, Australia and Costa Rica. The hub of WZD will be the Monroeville Mall walk on Sunday morning, led by Menold as Professor Emcee Square, his character on The It’s Alive Show. The prior two walks organized by Menold at the Mall earned Guinness World Records™; the 2007 walk received a Rondo S. Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Fan Event of the year.

Menold promises a memorable time for fans who participate in the weekend’s activities. “This event isgoing to rock 33.3% harder than last year. I want people who come to Zombie Fest™ to be able to mingle with the guests and dance at the Zombie Ball, to play zombie games, have a chance to appear in a TV show about zombies, rock out to live bands, and to participate in another world record attempt at the Monroeville Mall. This is the location where George Romero shot Dawn of the Dead! At Zombie Fest™, you can actually be a zombie for a day. Three days, really."