What is the Zombie Pub Crawl?
The Zombie Pub Crawl is an event in Minneapolis/St. Paul during which thousands of people pretend to be dead and wander the streets, boozing and dancing and carousing and having the time of their lives. Which, I guess, is kind of ironic, considering everyone’s dead. It’s like a cross between Mardi Gras and a George Romero movie.
It began with 150 zombies in Minneapolis in 2005 and has grown every year since, as any good zombie mob does. There are many copycat events around the world, but this is the original.
Where is the Zombie Pub Crawl?
The West Bank neighborhood of Minneapolis and the Lowertown neighborhood of St. Paul. Maps and a complete itinerary are here.
When is it?
Saturday, October 8, 2011. 4 PM until 2 AM.
Mears Park in St. Paul closes at 10 PM.
Where do I buy my wristband?
Go here to purchase your wristband online. You can also purchase your wristbands at any metro Ragstock location beginning Saturday, September 24, and at the ZPC will-call booths the day of the crawl. But tickets are much cheaper if you just buy them online now.
Will-Call booths in Minneapolis: Cabooze, Nomad, and Acadia Cafe
Will-Call booths in St. Paul: Mears Park, Station 4.
Bring your ticket to Ragstock (starting Sept. 24) or Will-Call (on the day of the crawl) to get your wristband.
What kind of wristbands are available?
There are three wristbands:
MINNEAPOLIS: $10 in advance/$20 day of the crawl.
Gets you into every Minneapolis ZPC bar.
ST. PAUL: $10 in advance / $20 day of the crawl.
Gets you into every St. Paul ZPC bar.
DUAL-CITY: $20 in advance / $40 day of the crawl
Gets you into every ZPC bar, as well as shuttle transportation between Minneapolis and St. Paul.
These are the “Good ‘n’ Rotten” prices, but THEY WILL SELL OUT. Get your tickets early! The last-chance “Fully Decomposed” rate is $20 per city, $40 for Dual-City.
Buy your tickets here.
Can I change which wristband I get after I purchase a ticket?
Sorry, no. Choose wisely.
Where and when can I get my wristband?
You can pick up your wristband beginning SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 at any of these Ragstock locations.
Minneapolis
1433 West Lake Street
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612-823-6690
Maplewood
3001 White Bear Avenue Space 2056A
Maplewood, MN 55109
651-779-2940
Mall of America (two locations)
358 South Avenue
Bloomington, MN 55425
952-854-5133
Golden Valley
7924 Olson Memorial Highway
Golden Valley, MN 55427
763-546-9955
Rosedale
410 Rosedale Space 315
Roseville, MN 55113
651-697-5466
While you’re there, you’ll get 20% off all of your zombie supplies!
Wristbands can also be picked up at will-call at the ZPC.
You can also purchase wristbands at Ragstock after 9/24, or at the crawl itself. But it’s cheaper to purchase online!
Make sure you bring your ticket to Ragstock (starting Sept. 24) or Will-Call (on the day of the crawl) to get your wristband!
I don’t have a printer to print my ticket.
You can have it mailed to you. Just choose that option when purchasing your ticket.
Can you mail me my wristband?
Sorry, no. You can pick it up at any Ragstock location in the metro area two weeks prior to the crawl, or you can pick it up at any will-call location throughout the crawl.
Where will the Will-Call stations be?
In Minneapolis: The Cabooze, The Nomad, and the Acadia Cafe.
In St. Paul: Mears Park, as well as any participating bar.
I heard the lines are super long at the Zombie Pub Crawl.
That’s why we’re encouraging people to get their wristbands early at Ragstock! No waiting in line for a wristband, PLUS you get cheap zombie supplies. Win-win!
Can I go to both the Minneapolis AND the St. Paul leg of the Zombie Pub Crawl?
Yes. You just need a Dual-City wristband.
What bars do the wristbands get me into?
There’s a full list of participating bars here.
The Minneapolis wristband gets you into the Minneapolis bars. The St. Paul wristbands get you into the St. Paul bars. The Dual-City wristband gets you every bar, plus shuttle transportation between the Cabooze and Mears Park.
What else do they get me?
Drink specials at every bar, plus entrance into any of the block parties along the crawl, including the Vita.MN Stage at the Cabooze and the Mears Park Stage in St. Paul.
Full band lineups will be announced in September.
Are there shuttles between the two legs of the crawl?
Yes. Pick-up and drop-off locations are at the Cabooze in Minneapolis and Mears Park in St. Paul. You need a Dual-City wristband to board the zombie shuttle.
Can I get on one of the zombie shuttles if I don’t have a Dual-City wristband?
No.
Why do we even need wristbands? I don’t think I should have to pay to get into a pub crawl.
Proceeds from the crawl go to pay for entertainment, security, city permits, insurance, porta-potties, stages, barricades, staff, and charity. We’ve got national acts, the best local bands, cheap drinks, and thousands of zombies roaming throughout both Twin Cities. Attempting to break a Guinness Record alone costs a ton of money. If you don’t think it’s worth $10 to get all that AND be part of the largest pub crawl on Earth, then don’t come.
Do I really need a wristband to get into the bars?
Yes. We’ve been over this.
Do I have to be 21 to go to the Zombie Pub Crawl?
No! For the first time ever, we have an all-ages venue: Mears Park in St. Paul.
This is the only location where you don’t have to be 21. This is also where we’re going to break the Guinness World Record for “Largest Gathering of Zombies.”
You need to be 21+ to get a beer in Mears Park, and to get into every other bar on the Zombie Pub Crawl.
If I’m under 21 and planning on going to Mears Park, do I still need a wristband?
Yes.
What happened to VIZ tickets?
This is a pub crawl for the people now.
What entertainment will there be?
We’ve got three block parties in Minneapolis, one huge party in Mears Park in St. Paul, and bands and other entertainment and nearly every bar along the way.
The full lineup will be announced in September.
Who’s the official poster artist of the Zombie Pub Crawl?
Can he draw a picture of me as a zombie?
Why yes, he can.
Is this really world’s largest pub crawl?
We think so. The current record-holder had just over 4,000 participants, so we’re pretty sure we beat that several years ago.
Judging the size of a pub crawl is hard to do, though, because we’d need to prove that everyone actually went to a certain number of bars, which is a logistical nightmare. Instead, we’re focusing on the “Largest Gathering of Zombies” record, which is currently held by the New Jersey Zombie Walk, who had 4,093 attendees last year. We had three times that many last year, but never bothered to get Guinness involved because we didn’t have one space large enough to get everyone together to break the record. This year we’ve got Mears Park in St. Paul.
So the Zombie Pub Crawl is going to break a Guinness World Record this year? How can I help?
Yes! At 8:00 p.m. on the dot, we are going to count the zombies in Mears Park and attempt to break the Guinness record for “Largest Gathering of Zombies.” More info here.
Is it OK if I spray fake blood all over the sidewalk, or all over the walls and windows of local buildings and businesses?
No! Seriously. No. That is vandalism. There will be cops present, and if you get caught dumping fake blood on anything, or vandalizing anything, you will face the full punishment of the law.
What about breaking windows? That’s cool, right?
If you do that, you’ll be arrested. Not kidding.
Wait, I thought the Zombie Pub Crawl was the one time a year that the law doesn’t apply to me.
Ummm… no.
So no fake blood?
You can have fake blood all over yourself if you like. Just don’t spray it on other people’s stuff. (That includes windows, sidewalks, street signs, and bathrooms.)
But I can still stagger into traffic, right?
Jesus, are you serious? No!
Will there be food?
Yes! Remember Zombie Pub Crawl Rule #1: Eat something! Otherwise you’ll pass out early and/or puke all over our shoes, like this one dude from St. Cloud did last year. At like 6 pm.
There will be food trucks in Mears Park and throughout the Minneapolis side of the crawl. Many of the bars will have food too.
Speaking of food: Please don’t destroy the Chipotle bathroom again. They were pretty mad about that last year.
What about tipping? Do zombies tip?
Zombies always tip their bartenders. Please refer to Zombie Pub Crawl Rule #2: “The fact that you’re dressed up as a zombie does not give you the right to be an ass hat.” In other words, bring ones. And pay with cash if you want your drinks faster.
I’m from out of town…
That’s awesome! Thanks for coming.
… and I need a place to stay.
There are lots of hotels along or near the ZPC route. The Holiday Inn is right in the heart of the Minneapolis side, and even offers a special Zombie Pub Crawl Package!
Other nearby hotels in Minneapolis:
Aloft
Normandy Inn (Best Western)
University Hotel Minneapolis
Nearby hotels in St. Paul:
Hilton
Embassy Suites
Crowne Plaza
I’ve got stuff I want to sell at the Zombie Pub Crawl. Is that cool with you?
Probably. Go here for more info.
I want to do people’s make-up!
OK. If you want your own tent in the vendor area, go here.
What’s the ZPC cheer again?
“What do we want?
Brains!
When do we want ‘em?
BRAAAAAINS!!!!!”
That’s pretty sweet.
Yeah.
Where should I get my zombie supplies?
Ragstock. If you buy your wristband online and pick it up at Ragstock (available September 24), you’ll get 20% off all of your zombie supplies!
Make sure you bring your ticket with you to get your wristband!
