Laying the Groundwork

Pull together a committee of fun-loving friends and family members who go gaga over gory costumes. Pick a day—shoot for a weekend—a time and a place for your walk. Keep your official event under two hours or so to prevent your zombies from zonkin’ out and choose a place where people will be milling around. A local shopping area, farmers market or Halloween fair are all good choices.

Have a route planned out. A few miles should do it, but you should start and end in well-populated areas. Make sure your chosen path is lined by safe sidewalks.

Get Others in on the Action

A herd of tweens and teens really shouldn’t be staggering about by themselves, so get your parents and all of their friends in on the action. Got older sibs? Have them invite their peers. To keep everyone safe, pick a buddy or two and check in with each other every so often so that no one gets lost.

Make up flyers and post them on your school’s bulletin board, in your local library, on telephone polls, in grocery stores—everywhere you can think of. Create a Facebook group to publicize the event and have your buds invite everyone they know.

Don’t forget to tell the authorities what you’re planning. You don’t want mass hysteria on your hands. You or your ‘rents should dial up your local police number—not 911—and see if you need a parade or other type of permit (depending on the number of people you’re expecting, you might need one). If you’re going to crash a local fair or market, let the organizers know you’re coming.

One more thing: Don’t touch the onlookers! You don’t wanna get slapped with a harassment charge, so groan all you want, but keep your mitts (and assorted props) to yourself.

Look the Part

No zombie walk is complete without, well, zombies. You can be a bride, a student, a cop, a doctor, a celeb, a cheerleader—whatever you like, just zombiefy it. Think thick white and grey makeup on visible skin, bloody wounds and teased-up hair.

Do It for Charity

Transforming your zombie walk into a charitable event is super easy. Charge a small admission fee to everyone who participates—think a couple of dollars. If you get a big group, that can really add up!

While you’re walking around, have some zombies carrying signs declaring your intent and the organization you’re raising money for. Bring along some collecting tins—pumpkin treat buckets are perf for the occasion—and let onlookers show their appreciation for your seasonal display and fine acting skills.

Another fun idea? Offer to help others deaden up their look. Host a face painting sesh before the event starts and charge those who need a pro to make ‘em over.

Make it a Party

Not comfortable with the walk but still want in on the action? No prob, just transform it into a party. Take over a local park, playground or a friend’s big backyard. Have your core group of besties secretly come as zombies. As the party goes on, convert your guests into zombies just like you. Have face paint and fake blood available to make the conversion complete.

Got a great Halloween idea? Blog about it, babes!