Zombie walks are relatively common in the United States. Some have been established as annual traditions, though others are organised as spontaneous flash mob events or performance art. This time, the Asbury Park in New Jersey looked like the site of a zombie apocalypse, and also for a great cause. Thousands of revellers met in Asbury park to attempt to break the Guinness World Record of the largest zombie gathering in the world and raise awareness for brain cancer.
The campaign supported Camp Jinka, a Monmouth County-based summer camp for children with brain tumors or who have loved ones who are battling, or died from, brain cancer.
The decision to support Camp Jinka and raise awareness about brain tumors at this year's zombie walk was made after Maribel Alguacil – the mother of the event's co-director Mariel "Zombie Momma" Alguaci – died from brain cancer earlier this year at age 57.
More than 9,500 zombies shuffled alongside the Asbury Park, New Jersey boardwalk Saturday, setting a new Guinness World Record for zombie walks.
The complexity and purpose of zombie walks varies. As an advanced technique to heighten interest and realism, some zombie mobs will "eat" victims to create new zombies, in sight of onlookers.
The first zombie walk world record was set on 29 October 2006 at Monroeville Mall outside of Pittsburgh, during the city's first annual Walk of the dead.
The second zombie walk at Monroeville Mall during the 2007 Zombie Fest was also verified by Guinness World Records as the largest gathering of zombies to date, with 1,028 participants.