A “Thrill the World” dance at city hall this Saturday afternoon (Oct. 27) may prove to be “the largest conglomeration of dancing zombies ever seen in Surrey,” according to event planners.
The event, inspired by the iconic Michael Jackson song and video from the early 1980s, welcomes makeup-wearing, costume-adorned participants to locations around the world, in a simultaneous dance performance.
An event previously held in Vancouver is not happening this year.
“So Surrey is the official and only ‘go to’ Thrillzone in this area of B.C. on October 27th!” Nicole Marie Whitney, a planner of the Surrey event, said in a release.
Saturday’s gathering gets going at 1 p.m. in the atrium at city hall (13450 104th Ave.), with “Thrill time” at 3 p.m. sharp.
In Surrey, “Thrill the World” events were held at Cloverdale Youth Park over the past few years.
Why the change to city hall?
“Better location to accommodate bigger # of dancing zombies,” Whitney replied in an email.
As for expected turnout, she wasn’t exactly sure, but was optimistic.
“We won’t know til the day of, but we do expect it to be the best turnout to date,” she wrote.
• RELATED STORY: ‘Thrill the World’ returns to Cloverdale with zombie-dance salute to Michael Jackson video, from 2016.
Timed with Halloween, “Thrill the World” was launched in Toronto in 2006, and an event was held in Vancouver two years later.
For the Surrey event, details are posted at thrilltheworldsurrey.com.
“Thrill The World is not just about a six-minute dance to Thriller. It is also about bringing people in communities together, as well as humanitarianism,” says a post on the website. “And it is a whole lot of family-friendly fun.”
The website includes links to learn the “Thriller” dance moves in script form and video. In Surrey, dance classes and practices have also been held.
Entry to the event this Saturday is by donation to Surrey Food Bank.
Scroll down to see a poster for the 2018 event and photos from previous years.
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