Fear not, Capitol Hill denizens. The slow-moving, ravenous masses you’ll likely encounter ambling around town next week — their lips and chins perma-smeared with sanguine sauces, their bellies distended from consuming epic amounts of animal flesh — are not zombie hordes.

They’re just adamant Meat Weekers indulging in D.C.’s recurring carnival of carnivorousness.

Now in its third year, the event has outgrown its intrinsic constraints, spilling over into an eighth night (with several evenings of meat-hangover sure to follow). The gatherings are mostly informal: Just show up, grab a plate and hunker down with your fellow barbecue enthusiasts for a evening of salivating and evaluating.

This year’s agenda includes:

• Sunday: Urban Bar-B-Q – 6 p.m. The Deal: Happy hour bar pricing, free sides and a commemorative gift.
• Monday: Hill Country – 6:30 p.m. The Deal: $20 for all-you-can-eat brisket, pork ribs, smoked chicken and sides, $2 bottles of Pabst Blue Ribbon, $20 pitchers of Shiner beers (all night) and $5 well drinks and margaritas (till 7 p.m.).
• Tuesday: Pork Barrel BBQ – 7 p.m. The Deal:  PBBBQ co-founders Brett Thompson (who is, so far, holding onto his day job at local PR shop, Mercury) and Heath Hall, both of whom are ex-aides to former Sen. Jim Talent (R-Mo.), will be serving up sampler platters featuring pulled pork, brisket and chicken, plus three ribs, one brisket sausage and two sides for $20.12. (Note election-oriented pricing.)
• Wednesday: Purveyors of Rolling Cuisine – 7 p.m. The Deal: $25 AYCE buffet featuring pulled pork, Smokey Joes (revamped sloppy Joe), barbecue goat, PORC hot links (official debut), mac and cheese, barbecue beans, cole slaw, collard greens and chocolate truffles on a stick.
• Thursday: Smoke & Barrel – 7 p.m. The Deal: Too late — the AYCE buffet has already sold out.
• Friday: Memphis BBQ – 7 p.m. The Deal: Free dessert with minimum $15 food/drink purchase.
• Saturday: Mr. P’s Ribs & Fish – 1 p.m. The Deal: They just love this place.
• Sunday: Rocklands BBQ – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Deal: Pulled pork, bacon and fried egg sandwiches for $7.99, Southern chicken sandwich with white sauce for $6.99 and Brunswick Stew with cornbread for $3.49 (single serving) or $5.99 (pint).

Now, if you’ll excuse your HOH hosts, we’re going to go sink every dime we have into stocks for the producers of Lipitor, Tums and Alka-Seltzer.