In honour of Halloween, and to raise awareness/funds for the Lucky Lucy Foundation, a formidable crowd gathered at the Sea Point promenade for the third annual Great Cape Town Zombie Walk on Saturday afternoon.

I don’t think I stopped smiling the whole time I was there, it was just so much fun. The make-up and costumes were really impressive; some of the undead characters on parade included nurses, brides, schoolgirls, pirates, prisoners, clowns and nuns, as well as loads of freaks on leashes.

Everyone was briefed to walk, not run, and was encouraged  to moan and groan and generally communicate using the sounds of the dead, which was hilariously effective…and as soon as we started encountering the general public, the real fun started – little kids innocently picnicking with their families were instant targets and totally terrified, some so much so that they sought refuge atop slides and jungle gyms, causing the zombies to flock beneath them, moaning and flailing their limbs and weapons (real ones – axes, saws, those weird medieval things with the chains and spikey balls…). It was just like that scene at the themepark near the end of Zombieland, amazing.

Marshals were on hand to assure kids and parents that the monsters weren’t real, to keep everyone on track and to provide fresh blood for anyone whose mouth was looking a little unstained.

Once we reached the end of the route, we turned around and shuffled back. If the kids had thought the horror was over, they were wrong. Shame, I felt bad for them, but most of the parents were laughing and taking photos on their phones so hopefully there wasn’t any long-term trauma.

Photographers weren’t safe either – I saw a guy in a tree get mobbed, with the axe-wielding dude actually taking a swing at his tree too.

Another mental image I’ll never forget was a bloodied group scrambling to buy ice-cream – it was a really beautiful day, perfect for frozen refreshments, I’m sure those ice-cream guys must’ve made a killing (har har).

It was such an awesome event, so much fun. I look forward to next year’s!

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Join the Great CT Zombie Walk’s FB Page over here
Lucky Lucy Foundation on Facebook

Photos on Facebook over here