The Long Beach Zombie Festival: Review
We returned to the Long Beach Zombie Festival this season to see if the infection has been contained after we last survived it in 2016. This time around, we felt it was more compacted but it did not detract from the experience.
EXPERIENCE:
We entered through the side with the marketplace where there were a host of mixed vendors. The firsts two things that stood out where an Overlord photo-op and the Zombification Center where you can get your zombie make-up done for the zombie walk later. As we walked on, we saw: a live alligator exhibit, a blacklight exhibit, mixed gift vendors, a Zombie Bar, mixed food vendors, the FREE official photo booth, bizarre foods eating contest, scavenger hunt, an interactive maze, a main stage and secondary stage, a freak show, a Free zombie outbreak cage, a thriller workshop led by infamous Michael Jackson impersonator: RemJ and the awesome Unhallowed Productions maze plus more.
MAZES:
NIGHTMARES: the interactive maze combines characters and props from films such as Friday the 13th, IT, Stranger Things, Nightmare on Elm Street, Purge, Poltergeist, Saw, The Shining, The Exorcist, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Ring and of course Halloween. Though a mixture of live actors and proprs were used, we were impressed with the props which creeped us out more than the real actors; most noticeably a Regan O’Neill prop where her head rotates 360 just like the movie!
UNHALLOWED PRODUCTIONS: INFECTED: ($5 surcharge)
We entered what looked like an industrial factory with warning signs of a virus outbreak and hydrochloric acid. Toxic bins are all over and zombies pop out to try to scare you. A room with body parts and limbs hoisted up in the air with chains left us guessing if these were real and if there was a human or part human ready to pop out. In the exterior area, a janitor who has turned was trapped inside an elevator, shaking the gates to try to get out. We encountered a few more zombies on the outside before locating the exit to escape the infected area. We were impressed with the amount of lighting and the amount fog used throughout the maze inside and out. Since this was a daytime event, it was still bright out when we entered; and still we were unable to see the scare actors. It seemed as if Unhallowed Productions has mastered the fog game.
CONCLUSION:
Like with any festival that has a marketplace, stage performances, things to do, alcohol, etc; it normally requires an entrance fee. Therefore, we felt that for the price of admission, this festival was well worth it. It is a place where you can bring your whole family and everyone can get made up as a zombie for free. For hardcore zombie and Halloween fans, the music and being around all things zombie-related was worth it not to mention the free Nightmares maze and scavenger hunt. We liked the fact that it came with a free maze, as you probably know that most commercial haunts charge between $10 to $20 for a single walk-through. This free maze didn’t have a one walk-through limit. For the adults, you can get beer starting at only $7! It would be nice to see in the field where the main stage was so it can dramatize the effect of a zombie outbreak or post-apocalyptic zone since we found it a bit difficult to immerse ourselves in the moment when it was broad daylight and about 83 degrees.
This event is definitely a great addition for the city of Long Beach as Queen Mary can be overbooked and crowded; this one requires no fast lane pass and was much more low maintenance. Unfortunately it only took place on one weekend in October, but we look forward to next season’s outbreak!
Majority of the attractions are included with the admission with a couple of things requiring a small surcharge. For a complete list, click here:
https://longbeachzombiefest.com/highlights
Ticket prices were:
- FRIDAY ONLY – $5 PER PERSON
- 1-DAY PASS – $13 PER PERSON ($15 at gate)
- 2-DAY PASS – $18 PER PERSON ($20 at gate)
- 3-DAY PASS – $20 PER PERSON ($22 at gate)
Children 12 and under are FREE when accompanied by an adult.
Parking was $15 on site. Metered and 3rd party lots were available closeby.
AT RAINBOW LAGOON IN LONG BEACH, CA
Fri. 5PM – 10PM • Sat. 3PM – 10PM • Sun. 3PM – 10PM
Attractions: 4.5
Ambience: 3.8
Mazes: 4.5
Value: 5
Total: 4.45 (90%)
