Every year at about this time the dead rise and shamble en masse into the city’s downtown in search of brains.

Then they go out for a beer and bite to eat after.

That’s right, the seventh Zombie Walk is just a week away and, as in years past, organizer Bonnie McLean isn’t sure what to expect when the dead meat  . . . er . . . meet Saturday, Oct. 27, at 2 p.m. outside Pandora’s Costume Box on Victoria St.

Well, she knows people will show up as zombies — fresh or rotting — and lurch, stumble, groan and moan their way into the heart of the city. Beyond that, anything goes, she said.

“It’s all up to the people to use their creativity,” said McLean.

Would-be zombies are not only encouraged to be creative in costume, but also in how he or she make their way along Victoria, said McLean. Once the walk begins, zombies are asked to stay in character the whole time.

“If you see your boss you can’t stop and say ‘Hey, this is how I spend my Saturday,’” said McLean. “I want your hot zombie breath on him.”

Shambling isn’t easy either, she said. Lurching along, limbs contorted and twisted into claws or clubfeet can be a physically demanding. If a zombie stumbles and falls, he or she is encouraged to crawl the rest of the way.

Since the debut of the popular TV series The Walking Dead two years ago, zombie hunters can show up without warning and attack the horde. If that happens, react accordingly, said McLean.

“Don’t try to deliberately scare anybody,” she said, adding the zombies have frightened children and old people. “It’s not my intention to make anyone feel bad.”

If there are zombie hunters out there, they aren’t members of the Kamloops Central Business Improvement Association. Manager Gay Pooler said the Zombie Walk brings vibrancy to the downtown.

“It adds to the whole flavour of October,” she said.

A staff member watched a group of zombies practice the Thriller dance outside the Old Courthouse Gallery on Wednesday. If it’s the same zombies, then Saturday’s walk will be very entertaining, said Pooler.