October 7, 2011 - City of Fort Myers to attempt the World Record for "largest gathering of zombies."

According to The Guinness Book of World Records, the largest gathering of zombies was held in Asbury Park, New Jersey on October 30, 2010, with 4,093 participants. At last year’s ZOMBICON, held in downtown Fort Myers, police estimated more than 10,000 people in attendance, unofficially shattering the current record. ZOMBICON organizers hope to make it official during this year’s event on October 15

^th, 2011. The public is invited to join the zombie horde and help put Fort Myers on the World Map.

Other cities have tried and failed. Brisbane, Australia; Seattle, Washington; and Dublin, Ireland; have all claimed larger numbers, but have not, thus far satisfied Guinness’ stringent requirements. The rules state that all participants must be wearing zombie costumes or make up, which (at the very least), must include white face, dark eyes and red color. All zombies must gather simultaneously within a designated area and remain there for a minimum of 10 minutes. This must be timed by two experienced timekeepers with stopwatches accurate to 0.01 seconds. Other forms of verification must be submitted including photos, video and official statements.

ZOMBICON producer/director Janet Planit DeMarco said, “For the other attempts, people gathered just to set the world record. We are going to try to pull this off right in the middle or our event”. This poses a unique challenge for event organizers, who have devised the following plan to fulfill all requirements, while maintaining the continuity of the event. All persons wearing zombie makeup will be registered for the world record attempt by signing in and receiving a wristband with a unique number. Registration will take place on October 15^th from 5:00 PM until 8:45PM at these locations: the "Main Entrance" (Main St. & Hendry) the "Stage Door Entrance" (Bay St. & Hendry), and The Kiss Me/ Kill Me Booth (The Patio de Leon).

At 9:00 PM sharp, all registered zombies must report to “The Red Zone” (First Street between Broadway & Jackson). Members of The ZOMBICON Security Team (“The Goon Squad”) will facilitate the movement of all infected zombies into the “quarantined” area. All “survivors” (those not wearing zombie makeup) will be asked to step off of the street and onto the sidewalk. During the record attempt survivors may seek refuge in the sanctuary of the Patio de Leon, or in any of the local bars and restaurants. Once all zombies are contained within The Red Zone, the official timekeepers will mark the start of the world record attempt with a loud audible signal. All zombies must stay within the designated area for the duration. Some lucky zombies will be rewarded for their patience with ZOMBICON T-shirts and other gifts. Once 10 minutes has elapsed, a second signal will proclaim the end of the attempt, and the “red tape” will be cut, allowing the zombies to rejoin the living as the party continues.

All documentation including media coverage and eyewitness accounts will then be submitted to Guinness for verification. For updates on the status of the world record, you can visit www.zombicon.com/worldrecord

.