Thousands of Zombies Roam the Streets of the Capital in the Name of Charity NewsFromWorld
go to original October 23, 2016

Mexico City holds it's ninth annual drive to collect non-perishable food items with a Zombie Walk. Julie Noce reports. (Reuters)

Thousands of ghoulish zombies took to the streets of Mexico City on Saturday as part of the city's ninth annual Zombie Walk.

Wearing frightening costumes and make-up, the horde of self-proclaimed "undead" gathered at Mexico City's Monument to the Revolution before marching on the city's iconic Zocalo.

Participants donated tons of rice, beans and canned goods to a Mexico City food bank.

Zombie Walk participant Gui Bedolla said she is happy to give the food but, primarily, finds the event an enjoyable way to spend a Saturday afternoon. "In reality, the Zombie Walk has always been about having fun primarily but also it has a cause: to collect food for homes and non-profit organizations that need it, but mainly it's about having fun," she said.

Entire families participate in the event annually, with children often dressed up in costume.

Event organizers say that the Zombie Walk is meant to promote equality and tolerance of zombie culture.

"It is to collect non-perishable food for different organizations. That is the important part of the walk. Besides that, it is people who like zombies, we like to zombify ourselves in the march. There are rules. Zombies don't discriminate: we bite children, adults and elderly equally," said participant Martha Sanchez.

On the sidelines of the walk, participants could be seen applying make-up and posing for photographs.

Similar zombie walks took place in other Mexican cities.

The Zombie Walk phenomenon began in Sacramento, California in 2001. Since then, the event has spread to major cities around the world including New York, Buenos Aires, Bogota, Singapore, Sao Paolo and Frankfurt.

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