The Long Beach Zombie Walk and Pub Crawl is back!

Summer in Long Beach is generally a special time, with warm weather turning West Beech Street bars and restaurants into annual bustling stops for tourists and locals alike. However, an entirely different sort of group of visitors will soon return to the scene: zombies.

Yes, you read that correctly -- the undead (well, people posing as the undead) will be wandering, stumbling and ambling through town – but unlike the forever-suffering characters in the AMC TV network show “The Walking Dead” and in several George A. Romero films, these reanimated roamers are more interested in satisfying their appetites with food and drink than …you.

It’s the “Long Beach Zombie Walk and Pub Crawl 3” -- back for another year -- and starting at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 18, all are invited to come down and take part. Just arrive before the beginning of the journey dressed in your best coffin couture and be ready to slowly roll from the starting point of Kennedy Plaza – passing by some outdoor restaurants (and what enhances dinner better than a horde of shuffling dead people?), then over to the boardwalk before finally settling into a few West End bars for some well-deserved post-stroll relaxing.

Showing up in maquillage is fine, but for those unable to master the art of applying creepy cosmetics at home, extra blood and makeup will be on-hand to make sure your face looks properly rotten. The organizers will try and get some discounts on grub and grog going for participants, but keep in mind you’ll still need to pay for your purchases in the pubs (and you must be over 21 to buy alcohol anywhere, alive or dead). For more details on this impending ghoulish gathering (and on what last-minute deals may be in store), check the official event page on Facebook.

Fans participate in ''Zombie Walk: San Diego'' during Comic-Con International 2012 in San Diego. (July 13, 2012)