Long Beach Zombie Fest
Scarecrobot from
JaW Images Art & Photography shared her amazing photos and experiences from
Long Beach Zombie Fest with us...
Hordes of Zombie fans and Horror lovers took over the Rainbow Lagoon this past weekend (October 14-16) for the 2016 Long Beach Zombie Fest. An annual celebration of all all things cool, creepy, and undead, Zombie Fest is a 3-Day event with live music, food and art vendors, horror-themed attractions, and bad-ass costumes. From the creep-tastic bands and side-show performers rocking the stages, to the UnHallowed Haunted Maze and Zombie Hunt Laser Tag game in the vendor area, this all-ages SoCal event had everything an Undead enthusiast could want.
The Zombie Fest kicked off Friday night (October 14th). Slant, Skumlove, and Slaves Against the Machine rocked the main stage were some of the bands performing on the main stage. On the 2nd stage, hosted by Batcave Hollywood, the local Goth/Industrial club hosted Zombie costume Grinder Spark and Fire Spectacle, and Zombie Watusi dance contest with Rythm Coffin. Saturday evening saw a bigger crowd, as well as more fun activities. Dead Man's Party (an Oingo Boingo cover band) and Rhythm Coffin performed on the main stage, while Batcave Hollywood stage hosted another Grinder and Sparks fire performance and Dangerous D's Ultimate Shock show.
One of my favorite Zombie Fest performances was from
Monte Revolta and his Band of the Living Dead. Their crazy, upbeat zombie rock was tons of fun. I loved their morbid, silly re-workings of classic tunes, and Monte is a very funny and charismatic front-man. Monte's Zombie go-gos were also really fun to watch. Despite their lack of a pulse, they had loads of energy and danced non-stop.
While the various bands and acts were on stage, there were plenty of attractions and vendors to see as well. The Cinema Make-Up School hosted a FREE Zombification Zone, where attendees could get their zombie make-up done before heading to Zombie Fest's event photo booth, which was also free and had tons of fun props for everyone. SCHAR (Southern California Herpetology Association and Rescue) had an interactive reptile exhibit where you could learn about and even hold or pet some cool creepy, crawly reptiles. The Circus Emporium Odd-itorium was there with its one-of-a-kind museum of curiosities, and, for the super sleuths in attendance, there was a themed Mobile Escape Room. Another cool attraction were the fearsome 5D Rides with various scenarios, like Zombie Panic House and Apocalypse. Each scenario contained 3D visuals, motion chairs, sound, and special effects, for an amazingly scary entertainment experience.
Though costumes were not mandatory to attend Zombie Fest, they were highly encouraged, and Zombie Fest attendees did NOT disappoint. There were zombies and monsters of all ages that weekend. There were big zombies, little zombies, artsy zombies, scary zombies, and even some adorable zombies. There were zombie families, zombie friends, and even some cosplayers attended. Umbrella Corps, the Southland Ghostbusters, Reel Guise Cosplay were at Zombie Fest taking photos with fans and interacting with the undead. Other cosplayers at the event put a creepy spin on their characters; I ran into a little Zombie Spiderman and a Harley Quinn with a scarred grin. During the festival, these costumed creepers came together for the nightly Long Beach Zombie Walk.
The 2016 Long Beach Zombie Fest was loads of fun. I definitely look forward to seeing what scary fun they bring to Long Beach next year.
-Scarecrobot
Long Beach Zombie Fest
Photographer/Article:
JaW Images Art & Photography
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October 31 2016