Frequent downtown visitors should pull out their zombie apocalypse survival guides this Halloween for a special event from the Bank Street BIA.
Between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Oct. 31, volunteer zombies will invade Bank Street and shuffle along, “biting” passersby by putting a lanyard around their neck. Each lanyard will have a unique barcode on it.
Newly “infected” zombies can then head to the corner of Bank and Cooper streets. According to Kevin Martin, chairman of the BIA’s marketing committee, some of the barcodes will successfully unlock prize-filled coffins located outside the restaurant La Prep.
The three people who are able to open the coffins will win grand prizes worth $1,500, $1,000 and $500 in vouchers and gift cards to various Bank Street businesses.
An essential component of any zombie invasion is obviously having lots of zombies. This is why the BIA decided to partner with the Capital Pride Festival. If Capital Pride is able to recruit 100 volunteers, the BIA will donate $2,000 to the summertime festival that celebrates the LGBTTQ community.
Brodie Fraser, from Capital Pride, says he is glad to be a part of the event. He notes that most of the money the festival earns from this fundraising initiative will go towards Capital Pride’s youth group, “Etc.,” but that some of it will also go towards the cost of the 2014 festival.
The event is one of the first major initiatives for the BIA since its new executive director, Christine Leadman, started work in September.
“The idea was there before I came on board so now it’s a matter of how do we get the biggest bang on this,” says Leadman. “Let’s do it up right.”
Martin says the BIA board of directors decided that since there is not usually a lot going on during the day of Halloween, a zombie invasion would be the perfect type of event.
Some businesses in the popular shopping area are holding their own promotions to complement the invasion. Stroked Ego, a men’s clothing store on Bank Street, will have phony body parts with discounts for merchandise attached to them hidden around the store.
“Our membership and the different businesses are really excited about what we are doing,” says Martin.
There is also a decal for shops to put in their windows so shoppers can immediately recognize which stores are participating.