We’ve seen the zombies take over parts of Coweta County as AMC’s “The Walking Dead” filmed episodes of their second season in the area. Fans of that show and the horror genre in general will take over the Wyndham Peachtree Conference Center in Peachtree City for a weekend in March (9-11) when Days of the Dead comes to town.
Days of the Dead is a horror convention, an event that celebrates scary movies and television shows, the people who create them and the fans themselves. The first Days of the Dead was held last July in a Wyndham in Indianapolis and the response, according to one of the organizers, Adolfo Dorta, was terrific.
“We had close to 5,000 people come out for the convention last summer and everybody had a really good time,” Dorta said, adding that the weekend had a party-like atmosphere and was a good way for a lot of people to get away from the 9 to 5 crunch and hang out with people who had a mutual appreciation for all things horror-related.
The Peachtree City event will feature guests like “Rowdy” Roddy Piper (“They Live,”), Gary Busey (“Predator II”), Sid Haig (“The Devil’s Rejects,”), Linnea Quigley (“The Return of the Living Dead”) and dozens more as well as film screenings, cosplay (people dressing up in character), panels, collectibles and much more.
“We knew we wanted to do a convention in the South and we thought Atlanta might be a little daunting and expensive once you start considering hotel rooms and parking every day,” Dorta said. “We looked into Wyndhams in the Atlanta area and really liked the one in Peachtree City. They did their research on us and how the convention went in Indianapolis and the process went seamlessly.”
Days of the Dead will return to Indianapolis in July and go to Chicago in November. For now, Dorta and his other organizers are focused on bringing the best convention they can to the horror fans of the South. They appreciate the fact that “The Walking Dead” films nearby and expect to have several guests from the series at the convention.
“It’s kind of like a horror-themed spring break,” Dorta said.
The tickets have been flying off the shelves since the announcement went out last week.
“People down there are already gearing up for it and we’ve heard from some fans that a convention like this in the Atlanta area has been a long time coming,” Dorta said. “We hope to see everybody out there and we’re looking forward to it.”
For more information on Days of the Dead and to purchase tickets, visit daysofthedead.net.
