Local Zombies take over Downtown Toronto…for the 6th time.

The 2008 Toronto Zombie Walk is in the books.

What started in 2003 as a small gathering of friends culminated on Oct 19 at Trinity Bellwoods park when Zombies turned out in numbers that no one expected.

Thea Munster, the Walk’s creator and organizer, said they were expecting “about 1500.” Conservative estimates put the actual number at approximately 2500.

The popularity of not just the Walk, but also the Toronto After Dark Film Festival have been steadily increasing over the years. So overwhelming was the response that the organizers of Toronto After Dark were unable to meet the demand for Friday October 17th’s showing of “LET THE RIGHT ONE IN“, and issued a formal apology to all on its Facebook group.

In our three years of existence we have never had an attendance as big as that for LET THE RIGHT ONE IN. Our previous attendance high at the Bloor Cinema was 600. Last night close to 1,000 fans showed up, which was not only one of the biggest crowds the theatre has seen in its recent history, but more than the capacity of the venue.

If you were one of the fans who bought a ticket to last night’s screening, but were unable to be seated, I would like to offer you the following as a gesture of goodwill:

– We will do a 2 for 1 exchange for any paid-for unripped LET THE RIGHT ONE IN ticket you bring to the Bloor Cinema box office or Festival Ticketing Box Office . In other words, you will be able to exchange your ticket for TWO tickets to any other screening at the festival that we have seats available, including our Closing Gala. Right now we have tickets to all remaining screenings at the festival, except for REPO

– If that is not satisfactory for you, from Monday, 12PM we can also offer a full refund of any paid-for unripped ticket to LET THE RIGHT IN, you bring in person to Festival Ticketing Box Office.

You can see the entire release and your options, as well as where to exchange your tickets, here.

Police presence was noticeably light for the walk, with only a few yellow-jacketed bike cops lining the street, and offences seemed to be extremely few among the well-behaved crowd. On the rare-ish occasion that a ticket was written, it was usually done by an officer smiling inwardly and shaking his head in bewilderment. Said one top-hat-sporting Zombie, who was issued a citation for, oh, let’s say, littering, “He was actually really cool. It was actually kind of funny.”

During the walk, Zombies moaned and groaned to the delight, bemusement, and occasional horror of onlookers and passers-by. At the entrance to Trinity Bellwoods, a streetcar slowly crept across Queen Street and was playfully mobbed by hundreds of happy-go-lucky participants. Inside, passengers took camera-phone pictures through bloody hand-print-streaked windows.

Zombies pounded on the glass of restaurants on the route, startling patrons and earning looks of shock and amusement. It was obvious to almost everyone involved that it was all in good fun.

The shuffling, moaning, groaning tour of the city finally ended up at a pay-what-you-can party at the Annex Wreck Room, where you could purchase T-Shirts and other swag to commemorate the event. in case you missed your chance, you can still pick up some gear at Darkside on Queen West.

Bear in mind that all proceeds from the sale of swag go to funding next year’s Zombie Walk. This is because, despite the ever-growing popularity of the Zombie Walk, event organizer Thea Munster has a strict policy of no corporate involvement.

“It’ supposed to be grass-roots” she said in a recent rgbFilter interview. “I really don’t want it to be about selling shoes or anything. I want it to be un-corporate, I want it to be punk-rock…it’s just, the dead roam the Earth. That’s what it’s about.”

Local bands The Von Drats, The Rock Ons, and the Skulls played until well after midnight to a weary but still energetic crowd.

Of course, one of the best things about an event like this is the opportunity to dress up and get as zombified as possible, and the costumes this year ran the gamut from exceedingly simple to unbelievably elaborate. Notable zombies included Undead Ronald McDonald, a 9-foot Grim reaper (either he was on stilts, or we’re all doomed), and various Zombie Bride and Groom couples. Those with the means and the talent put both to good use for the Walk, as some zombie makeup jobs could have been rated as feature-film quality. Check the Photostream for a few pix.

Some of the best entertainment of the day could be found while sitting on a patio in the Annex and watching Zombies and Zombie Hunters at play, while others sat on the curb with their guitars and staged impromptu singalongs. The most popular song of the day? You guessed it: “Zombie” by the Cranberries. Traffic would slow down to get a better look and people walking their dogs would have to pause as their pets would stop and take the rare opportunity to lick some delicious mint-flavoured jelly blood from “dead” zombies lying on the sidewalk.

A big thanks to Thea Munster for organizing the Toronto Zombie Walk. I for one can’t wait until next year.

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