Key West Zombie Bike Ride 

BY MAGGIE OLIVE KLEIN
KONKLIFE STAFF WRITER AND EDITOR 

On Sunday, October 23rd, the Key West Zombie Bike Ride occurred from East Martello to Downtown Key West. The ride attracted thousands of bicycle enthusiasts each time, and this year was no different! Thousands of participants dressed as zombies overtook Key West on Sunday, biking across town during the annual Fantasy Fest Zombie Bike Ride. The zombie ride is one of the traditions of Fantasy Fest, and it drew people of all ages dressing above and beyond for the theme. The bikers traveled along the Atlantic Ocean beachfront into Old Town and concluded at a ZombieFest after party.

Fantasy Fest began on October 21st, and will continue through October 30th, marking the first time that the event occurred since before the pandemic. The Zombie Bike Ride is a special aspect of Fantasy Fest and was created in 2009 by Marky Pierson of Wonderdog Studios and Evan Haskell and Chris Needham of WeCycle Bike Shop. According to the website, zombiebikeride.com, the ride grew from a couple hundred people to nearly 5,000 in 2013. The ride is a bit over four miles long and is routed along the Atlantic Ocean down US1 at sunset. The ride has grown to a huge proportion thanks to thousands of fun loving, bike-riding, costume-sporting and rock-and-roll townspeople. There is a police escort that leads the ride past the Zombie Beach Bash at Salute!

The Zombie Bike Ride is one of the most unique and colorful events in Key West, a perfect family friendly event that occurs during Fantasy Fest. The event, as expected, was a huge hit this year, with thousands of enthusiastic costumed riders. Zombie Land at the historic and haunted Fort East Martello opened at 2 pm, and had live music, entertainment vendors, and face and body paint. The $10 registration fee, which granted participants an official Zombie wristband, goes towards helping pay for police escorts, road closures, permit fees, barricades, safety equipment, recycling and waste removal, and porta-potties. 

The turnout this year was great, and we can’t wait to see it occur again! Enjoy the rest of Fantasy Fest!

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