Hundreds of zombies will shuffle, twitch and groove through downtown Wadsworth on Saturday, as 373 dancers have registered to recreate Michael Jackson's iconic Thriller choreography during the city's Scare on the Square festival. That turnout is up from the roughly 250 to 270 performers who took part in 2025.
Last year’s Scare on the Square drew an estimated 15,000 visitors, the Medina Gazette reported. Wadsworth had an estimated population of 24,986 in 2024, up 15.8 percent from 21,576 in 2010, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
According to WKYC, the zombies arrive downtown between 6 and 7 p.m. Saturday, with the Wadsworth Thriller performance itself running from 7 to 7:30 p.m. Downtown streets will be closed to traffic from 3:30 to 7:45 p.m. to accommodate the full slate of Scare on the Square activities, which includes trick-or-treating at downtown businesses, music and food trucks.
From Flash Mob to Municipal Tradition
Alex and Lori McIlvaine started the Wadsworth Thriller performance in 2013 as a way to bring people to downtown, the Medina Gazette reports. Northeast Ohio Dance has taken on a larger co-organizing role this year as the founders step back.
The dance is part of the broader Scare on the Square festival, organized by Main Street Wadsworth and local dance instructors. Preparing a large group requires weeks of practice, with dancers assigned across four downtown street sectors, according to the Gazette.
Eight featured actors portray Michael Jackson and Ola, with performers expected to attend rehearsals and wear zombie makeup rather than masks, the Gazette reports. Participants travel from communities around Northeast Ohio, including Stow, Hudson, Barberton and Norton.
A Full Night of Halloween Programming
Activities begin at 3:30 p.m. Trick-or-treating at downtown businesses runs until 5:30 p.m., while Mosaic Church’s life-sized Candy Land setup, crafts, petting zoo and DJ Sway are scheduled from 3:30 to 7 p.m. The church’s food trucks will operate until 9 p.m. WKYC has the event schedule.
Other stops include caricature artists at MC Real Estate from 3:30 to 7 p.m., Madame Leota there from 4 to 5 p.m. and Medina County Safe Communities. The Wadsworth Public Library will have balloon artists from 5 to 7 p.m.; downtown also has an Ivy stilt walker from 6:15 to 7 p.m. At Pocket Park, a circus show runs in two sessions, followed by a zombie costume contest from 7:45 to 8:15 p.m. and a DJ Timbo dance party until 9:30 p.m.
A sold-out performance by tribute band Who’s Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience is scheduled for 8 p.m. at the downtown Celestia Theater after the street dance, according to the Wadsworth Area Chamber of Commerce. Main Street Wadsworth, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on downtown economic revitalization, became Ohio’s 22nd accredited Main Street community in 2016.
Part of a Global Halloween Phenomenon
The Wadsworth event draws on a choreography known around the world. Michael Jackson’s 1983 “Thriller” video was the first music video selected for the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry, in December 2009, in recognition of its significance to American culture.
How Wadsworth’s Dance Fits a Wider Tradition
Wadsworth’s 373 registered dancers are a local event, not a world-record count. Guinness World Records lists a 13,597-person Thriller dance in Mexico City on Aug. 29, 2009, counted using log books. Separately, Thrill The World describes itself as a global community dance project in which local groups organize performances and may accept donations for charities of their choice.
The Medina Gazette reported that Main Street Wadsworth’s 43 events drew 94,306 people in 2025 and that the organization’s estimated economic impact used an assumption of $20 spent per person. Those figures cover the organization’s events generally, not Scare on the Square alone.
Videos of past Wadsworth performances have attracted millions of views online, and WKYC describes the dance as a popular tradition. The Medina Gazette reported that this year's registration total is higher than last year's.
