Asbury Park Zombie Walk Will Be Oct. 5

ASBURY PARK, NJ — Love Halloween? Want to dress up like a zombie?

Then you're in luck, because the annual Zombie Walk will return to Asbury Park Oct. 5 this year. Now in its sixteenth year, this is an annual spook-time tradition that kicks off the Halloween season on the Jersey Shore.

It's "brains on the boardwalk," say organizers on the event website (AsburyParkZombieWalk.com). The Zombie Walk is completely free to participate in, or stand on the sidelines and watch. Organizers also say children and teens are welcome to dress up like zombies and participate, as the Zombie Walk is described as family-friendly.

Here is the timeline of events for the walk:

Airbrush make-up tent opens at 11 a.m. If you need help looking like a zombie, make-up artists will return this year in a limited capacity to offer contact-free airbrush make-up. The tent will be located at the 4th Avenue Green Space on the Boardwalk. The tent opens at 11 a.m.

3 p.m. Judging begins, as judges roam the crowd looking for the best zombies. Costumed competitors must be on the Asbury Park Boardwalk at 3:00 p.m. The hidden judges will be looking for Best Young Zombie, Best Adult, Best Couple and Best Group costumes.

After 3 p.m.: The Zombie Walk starts. The Walk will begin moving up the Boardwalk, heading from the Asbury Park Convention Hall down the boards towards the casino where it will turn onto Cookman Avenue and proceed from there.

6 p.m. The Zombie Walk route ends outside of Johnny Macs House of Spirits, a well-known local bar, at 208 Main Street. Winners of the costume contest will be announced and called up on stage. There will be both cash prizes and a prestigious new "golden zombie" trophy awarded to some of the day’s most impressive dead.

The 2024 Asbury Park Zombie Walk is presented by Johnny Mac House of Spirits and sponsored by MINI of Edison, the Mini Cooper dealership. MINI of Edison will be providing the cars that will lead the procession of undead zombies through the streets of Asbury Park that day.

The walk will be held rain or shine. "We have had rain during the day in the past, and it hasn't kept the undead away," say organizers.