Adults baulked and children cowered as the world of freaks, ghouls, zombies and undead mutants visited a laneway in Civic on Thursday to promote Canberra's first ''zombie walk''.

Covered in fake blood, a pencil protruding from her slender neck, event organiser Jae Burns spoke about how she became involved with the ghoulish world of zombies.

''I am a fan of horror movies, I think they are fun and very entertaining and as a genre there is a lot of depth. I know it is a matter of taste but I love them,'' Ms Burns said.

''I was living in Sydney and saw some zombies walking through the city and I really wanted to be a part of it. I went to the Sydney zombie walk the following year and have been to a few now.''

Zombie walks are a global phenomenon originating in the United States. The largest zombie walk in the world was held in Brisbane in 2011 and attracted more than 10,000 people.

Ms Burns and a friend decided it was time to bring the undead to Canberra to raise money for the Brain Foundation, a charity she is passionate about.

''My parents were surprised about me being involved, they were a bit taken aback, especially about the amount of blood, but they are happy that I am involved in a worthwhile cause.''

Ms Burns was pleased with the amount of interest in the event, which has already attracted hundreds of registrations.

The Canberra Zombie Walk is on Saturday, November 2.

Despite appearances, it is a family-friendly, free event, starting at 3.30pm from Regatta Point travelling along Allara Street and City Walk, finishing at Garema Place. Participants need to register at canberrazombiewalk.com.

The walk is one of many events being held in the city from Halloween on Thursday to Sunday.

A Halloween and Day of the Dead Family Day is on Sunday, November 3, between 12pm and 3pm in Garema Place with a costume competition, trick-or-treating, pumpkin carving, spooky stories and performances for kids. Details are at inthecitycanberra.com.au.