Every October, the cobblestone walkways of Historic Smithville fill with something a little stranger than the usual shoppers. On Saturday, October 24, 2026, the village hosts its annual Monster Bash, a daylong Halloween celebration that culminates in what its organizers bill as the area's largest zombie walk. Vendors and live music run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and admission is free.
The event is organized by Mike Spagnola, owner of Underground, a popular shoppe at Historic Smithville. That a single storefront drives one of South Jersey's bigger Halloween gatherings says something about how Smithville works: it is a village of small, independently run businesses, and its festivals tend to grow out of the enthusiasms of the people who keep those shops.
The setting is part of the appeal. Historic Smithville began as a one-room stagecoach stop, and the original Smithville Inn dates to 1787, when it served travelers making the long trip between New York City and Cape May. The result is a cluster of colonial-style structures, foot bridges, and manicured grounds that seems, as the village's own materials put it, frozen in time.
That is precisely what makes a zombie walk work here. The route winds past a carousel, a train ride, paddle boats, and seven eateries, and the contrast between the postcard architecture and a shuffling horde of the undead is the joke the event is built on. The village leans into it. Its own description warns that visitors may encounter monsters, creepy characters, and frightfully realistic costumes throughout the grounds, and adds a candid note that some sights may be too scary for young children or for anyone who prefers Halloween on the not-so-spooky side.
The daytime program is family-friendly and busy. Vendors set up from 10 to 5, live music is scheduled through the day, and there is a pumpkin carving and painting contest with the winner announced at 4 p.m. A costume contest carries a $100 cash prize, with registration free at Underground at 4 p.m., a time the organizers describe as tentative. Horror Queen Genoveva Rossi is scheduled to sign autographs all day.
Then comes the walk itself. In past years the zombie walk has stepped off at 6 p.m., after the vendors have packed up, which is why the event is often described as a day and night in the village rather than a single afternoon. Visitors are encouraged to arrive in full costume and makeup, and makeup artists have been on site in previous years for those who come unprepared, typically for an additional fee. The official 2026 listing does not state a start time for the walk, so anyone planning around it should confirm the hour through the event's Facebook page, where updates are posted, or by calling Underground at 609-652-5200.
There is no ticket and no capacity limit. The village's roughly 50 shops and seven eateries stay open, the amusements run, and the Colonial Inn offers on-site lodging for anyone who wants to make a weekend of it. Smithville stages dozens of free events across the year, from Oktoberfest and an Irish festival to a costume pet parade, a Corvette show, and Witches Day the following afternoon, but the Monster Bash is the one that turns the whole village over to the macabre.
A rain date of November 1 is listed for 2026. The event runs Saturday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for vendors and music, with the zombie walk to follow in the evening. Historic Smithville is at 615 East Moss Mill Road in Smithville, minutes from Atlantic City.