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We’ve been getting a few messages about the costume contest at this year’s Ashtoberfest / Asheville Zombie Walk, and we thought we’d go ahead and clear up some of that mystery for you.

What contests will there be this year?
We’ll be having two main costume contests this year: children’s and adults’.

Where and when?
This event is TOMORROW, October 22nd at the Biltmore Square Mall / Cinebarre.
The children’s contest will be held at the inside stage at 7pm.
The adult costume contest will be held on the outside auxiliary stage (look for the stage below the screen playing Night of the Living Dead) at 10pm.

How do I enter?
Kids [of all ages] just need to report to the inside stage NO LATER than 6:45pm. While we welcome all participants, there will be no exceptions for late entries. Please be sure to get there early!
The adult costume contest will be ticketed. This means that our judges will personally pick out the best costumes to participate in the contest. If you have been presented with a toe tag, congratulations! Your bloody guts and festering face are so awesome, we want to take a closer look at them, and probably give you stuff for it! The contest judges will be out and about scouring for the best of the best BEFORE the Zombie Walk, so get there early, ready to impress.

Any stipulations?
The adult costume contest will be divided equally between men and women, with three winners from each. A very SPECIAL opportunity we’ve added just for the contest participants is the chance to be in a music video for Secret Agent 23 Skidoo.  This year, 23 Skidoo will be performing their brand new zombie-themed spectacular, “Shambles,” and will be filming the video for this song at our event. We want to help rep the zombie walk in style. As a costume contest participant, you are welcomed and encouraged to report to the main stage at 7.45 to attack Secret Agent 23 Skidoo on stage before the walk.

What other prizes are there?
This year, we have a HUGE amount of really awesome prizes from DVDs, comics, giftcards, theater tickets, zombie figures, zombie posters, zombie buttons, gift baskets, and more!  The majority of our prizes were donated in kindness by the following local business owners:  Pastimes, Orbit DVD, Comic Envy, Cinebarre, and community-supporting Blockbuster.

Great! Now how do I make the most of my costume?
Hit up the Halloween Superstore on Tunnel rd (next to K-Mart) for blood, guts, and appendages. Or stop by the Costume Shoppe in downtown Asheville on Lexington Ave. BOTH of these stores are locally owned and operated, and have special-ordered extra supplies JUST for you zombies! If you stop by the Costume Shoppe, let Susan know you’re going to be a zombie in the walk, and she’ll set you up with a special discount.

What if I didn’t make the cut?
If you weren’t chosen for the adult costume contest, don’t fret! We still have the totally awesome trivia game, The Newlydead Game on the auxiliary stage. Ask for details at registration (first stop when you get there). There will be tons of great prizes given away for that. And if you still miss out on the fun, just stay tuned here!  After the walk, we’ll still continue to bring you the best horror news and reviews, and we’ll certainly include some prize giveaways.

I can’t make it to the walk, but still want to see all the cool things going on!
Well then, follow us on twitter! We’ll be making frequent updates throughout the day with what’s going on, and pics to accompany those posts.

Last things to remember:
We highly encourage everyone participating to get there early! The music and games will kick off right at 6pm, and go on into the night. For your best chances at getting into the costume contests and trivia games, you’ll need to be there early and impress the judges.
Be sure to bring at least one non-perishable food item for the Manna Foodbank food drive. While we certainly won’t turn anyone away, we want everyone to have a great time, and contribute to the community.
Get into your character! We see some fantastic zombie costumes every year, and love to see everyone getting into it! Have fun with your zombie get up, and shamble like the best of them!
You can pre-register on our main site to speed things up at the event.

If you’d like to help out and volunteer, just show up at 5pm, and we’ll give you something fun to do! If you have any questions, email us at info@ashtoberfest.com.