Newquay Zombie Crawl: when thousands of the undead take the town

On Saturday 24 October, the walk from Newquay railway station to Sainsbury’s will take a lot longer than usual. Thousands of people will be doing it at a shuffle, a stagger or a crawl, painted grey and dressed for the grave, while the rest of the town lines the pavements to watch.

The Newquay Zombie Crawl is back as the centrepiece of Spooky Newquay, a week of Halloween events around the town running into half term. It is free, and organisers believe it has grown into one of the biggest free family Halloween events in the South West.

📷The Newquay Zombie Crawl. Credit: Mike Searle

When and where the Zombie Crawl goes

The day starts early, with activities around the town from 10.30am.

The crawl itself sets off at 3pm from Oakleigh Terrace, near Asda and Newquay railway station, then winds through the town centre before finishing at Sainsbury’s. Families and community groups will crawl, dance and shuffle their way along the route while spectators line the streets.

Radio Newquay leads the soundtrack, alongside the Newquay Samba Band, which will play on Cliff Road before joining the parade.

Along the way there will be giant monster heads, stilt walkers, dancers, street theatre, actors, circus performers and fire performers. Workshops, dance groups and circus groups will be on hand beforehand to help everyone get ready.

A robot and a rock choir join in

Before anyone starts shuffling, Titan the Robot is due to appear at Killacourt at 2pm, with a show designed to get the crowds going.

The Cornwall Rock Choir is joining the Zombie Crawl for the first time this year, with pop-up performances around the town throughout the day.

Spooky Newquay after dark

Once the crawl is over, local businesses take over with their own events, from family discos and silent scary discos to fancy-dress nights and other Halloween-themed activities. Later in the evening things take a slightly more grown-up turn, with plenty planned for adults.

For the rest of Spooky Newquay week, businesses across the town will be dressing their windows, fielding spooky teams and putting on special offers, events and activities.

A new website and QR posters

This year sees the launch of a new official Zombie Crawl website, with full details of the day, workshop locations and timings, local business offers and events, information for participants and updates on the day itself. There is also a place to share your own Zombie Crawl photographs.

New posters carrying QR codes are going up around Newquay too. Scan one and it brings up interactive information on where workshops and activities are happening, from Fore Street through the town centre to East Street, Cliff Road and beyond. The NICI Hotel on East Street is among the businesses hosting a workshop this year.

Who makes it happen

Spooky Newquay is a Newquay BID event, supported by Newquay Town Council and backed by community organisations and volunteers. The Newquay Lions, Blystra Lions, Newquay Veterans and other volunteers will help with the road closures and safety arrangements on the day.

The crawl has grown year on year, and organisers believe it is now one of the biggest events of its kind in the UK.

Mark, from Newquay BID, said: “It’s completely free, it’s fun, it’s a little bit bonkers, and it gets bigger every year. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who gets involved and makes it happen.

“We can’t wait to see Newquay overrun with spookiness on 24 October. Be here… or be scared!”