Richmond Zombie Walk still invades Carytown 20 years later

Cora Perkins, Assistant Spectrum Editor 

Zombies swarm the streets, crawling and limping down as blood seeps from their wounds and they try to keep their eyes in their heads. Hungry for brains, these creatures teeter through Carytown, leaving screams and horror in their wake. 

This is not the apocalypse — it is the Richmond Zombie Walk, which returned for its 20th anniversary on Oct. 25. Stretching from Byrd Park to Carytown, hundreds of participants dress up as zombies creep along and even more spectators watch from cafes, stores and restaurants. 

The event began in 2005 and is now organized by Anthony Meñez and Josh Bishop, who have turned it into an annual outing.  

The walk has grown to new levels since its creation 20 years ago, according to Meñez. 

“I think at our height, we probably had almost 700 participants,” Meñez said. “You know, it’s come to the point where we have to zombie walk in a single file, at least for the first couple of blocks, because there are so many people lining both sides of the sidewalk, like taking pictures or just, you know, they want to see.”

The event brings droves of spectators to witness the hordes of zombies hobbling down the road, and with it, their business. 

“Carytown didn’t really like us until they realized that people were coming just to see us, and so our attendance just kind of increased foot traffic by a lot,” Meñez said. “They warmed up to the idea, and now they fully embrace us; they can’t wait for us to be there because it’s usually a pretty packed street.”

The Richmond Zombie Walk is officially integrated into “Scarytown,” a day of Halloween themed events in Carytown, by the Carytown Merchants Association, Meñez said.

Phillip Siedow, a cosplayer who attended the Zombie Walk, said the event gives him opportunities to be creative. 

“I like expressing my creativity and what zombie variations of characters I can do,” Siedow said. “I just went from different variations of characters I usually cosplay in their human form, then I’ll just go for a zombie form.” 

The Richmond Zombie Walk began when founder Roger Barr organized a flash mob of zombies at Short Pump Mall in inspiration of films like “Dawn of the Dead.”

However, the day did not go as planned. 

“So the day that we met in a park to kind of get organized and put on our zombie blood and makeup and everything, showed up,” Barr said. “[The authorities] told us that if we showed up at Short Pump Mall, we’d be arrested.”

Barr and the rest of the near hundred zombies had to decide where to go. 

“The entire horde of zombies, pretty much unanimously, we voted for Carytown, the rest is kind of history from there,” Barr said. 

The crowd went all through Carytown, and then continued onto VCU, moving from music festivals to weddings, and ultimately ending at the Cabell Library. 

“The looks on people’s faces as we walked through the library, it was just absolute delightful, bewilderment,” Barr said. “That’s definitely one of my favorite memories from the original walk.”

Twenty years later, Barr returned to walk for the first time since the event’s creation. 

“I always had said I told [Anthony] and Josh all those years ago, if this thing makes it to 20 years, I will absolutely be back to walk for that anniversary,” Barr said. “So I had to fulfill that promise.”

The event has grown incredibly, according to Barr. 

“But it’s just become this amazing, weird Halloween family event and that everyone gets to put their own little spin on zombies, whether it’s pop culture or whatever,” Barr said. 

Barr hopes that the Zombie Walk will continue for years to come. 

“I hope it keeps on going long long after I’m gone and an actual zombie,” Barr said. 

All proceeds from the event this year will benefit suicide awareness and prevention, a cause near and dear to Barr’s heart.