Spooky festival for Chch as the Un(dead) come alive
Warning: a zombie apocalypse is about to beset Christchurch. It may be too late to run, so best to join the shifty hoards.
The Festival of the (Un)Dead is kicking off on October 26, bringing a host of spooky events to the Garden City.
Event organiser Andy Brigden said the festival was banking off the success of Thrill the World, the global dance phenomenon where ‘‘zombies’’ collectively dance to Michael Jackson’s Thriller, including hundreds in Cathedral Square in 2017.
‘‘Last year we had such a blast with Thrill the World, but the event was over in a couple of hours. We had all these zombies dressed up with no place to go,’’ Bridgen said.
Festival organisers will hold three workshops to teach people the thriller dance, before unleashing undead dancing hoards on the city centre at 11am on October 28.
The multi-day event will also be one of the first users of performance space in Tu¯ ranga, the new central city library, officially opening on Friday.
Trick or Treat is a kids show involving ‘‘gross stunts, mind blowing magic and spooky circus skills’’, to be performed in the library on October 27. A screening of Disney Pixar film Coco will also take place in Tu¯ ranga earlier that day.
Several events will be held at the Isaac Theatre Royal, including a two sing-a-long screenings of Rocky Horror Picture Show, one of which had already sold out. The freshly-erected Little Andromeda pop-up theatre on Gloucester St would also host two events, as well as the Christchurch Circus Centre in New Brighton.
Perhaps the event with the most potential to spook the little ones will be Descent to Hades in Victoria Square at 4pm on October 28. Through Japanese dance style butoh, possessed performers will writhe in slow motion around the river area, retelling the pain and suffering of lost love.
‘‘It’s a bit of a cliche´ but it’s true; there’s something for everyone. Music, dance, circus, theatre, film, visual/performance art and spectacle, all tied into edgy themes of ghosts, ghouls, zombies, the strange and mysterious,’’ she said.
Further details of Festival of the (Un) Dead events could be found on the event’s Facebook page Found Chch.