It’s Labor Day Weekend, which means it’s time for Dragon Con! Located in 5 downtown hotels at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Hilton Atlanta, Sheraton Atlanta, Westin Peachtree Plaza, and AmericasMart. Plus, there are special events at the Center for Puppetry Arts and Landmark Midtown Arts Theatre. Dragon Con brings together actors, writers, comic book artists, singers, dancers, and cosplayers to celebrate all things pop-culture-related.
There is a fantastic lineup of creators, writers, artists, and actors at this year’s Dragon Con, including writers Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files) and Kim Harrison (The Hollows), voice actors Neil Newborn (Baldur’s Gate 3) and Townsend Coleman (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), comic artists Kevin Maguire (Justice League) and Antonio Fuso (G.I. Joe).
Dragon Con this year will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons with the son of the late creator Gary Gygax, with Luke Gygax headlining a weekend of tournaments and panels with designers and writers of the legendary tabletop game.
The stars will be out at Dragon Con with a lineup that includes Jared Padalecki (Supernatural), Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who), Nathan Fillion (Firefly), Gates McFadden (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Kristin Kreuk (Smallville), Eddie McClintock (Warehouse 13), Cobie Smulders (Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D.) Mike Colter (Luke Cage), Ming Chen (Comic Book Men), Adrian Pasdar (Heroes), Alan Tudyk (Resident Alien), and Patrick Warburton (The Tick).
While you need a pass to get into Dragon Con, you can watch the famous Dragon Con parade on Saturday morning for free. You will see just about every cartoon, anime, and superhero character, along with a variety of other delightful cosplayers in the procession. The parade’s highlight is the legion of “Star Wars” Stormtroopers that finish the parade. The Parade is a fan favorite, with the festivities starting at 10 am. Check the Dragon Con website for details of the parade route. Be sure to get to the parade site early, as the sidewalks along the parade route fill up quickly, and taking Marta to the parade is highly suggested. If you can’t make it to the parade, stay home and watch it on Atlanta 69 starting at 10 am. You will beat the crowds and still have all the fun of watching the fantastic costumes and floats in a uniquely Atlanta parade.
The cool thing about Dragon Con is that no matter what your interest is in, there is probably a panel or even a track (panels and events that fall under one subject like Star Wars, Star Trek, or even just Space) that will peak your knowledge of your favorite Sci-Fi subjects.
The Dragon Con Dealers Hall, located in AmericasMart, is where you can buy just about anything your geeky heart desires–from Steampunk clothing to comic books and rare collectible artwork.
Cosplay is an integral part of Dragon Con, and costumes will always be out and about. There are many Costume Contests during Dragon Con, including the Bunny Hutch Costume Contest, the Cults of Dragon Con Contest, the Animation/Anime Costume Contest, and the ever-popular Masquerade Costume Contest.
There are a ton of panels throughout the weekend. Some are located in enormous halls, while others occupy smaller conference rooms. You can find panels on almost everything you can imagine covering the gambit of fandom, from your favorite current and past Sci-Fi shows. Featured panels this year are on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Roswell, Doctor Who and Baldur’s Gate III.
Gaming runs throughout the con, with some gaming contests going on 24 hours a day. No matter what kind of gaming you are into, Dragon Con has it, including Board Games, Collectible Card Games, LAN Gaming, Live Action Role Playing, Table Top Gaming, and of course, all types of Video Gaming.
Dragon Con Dealers Hall, located in AmericasMart, is where you can buy just about anything your geeky heart desires–from Steampunk clothing to comic books and rare collectible artwork.
If art is your thing, you will want to go to the Comic and Pop Art Alley. You can talk to and buy work from comic book writers, artists, and publishers. Panels and how-to-workshops on comics are held throughout the con. There are also a bunch of live performances by bands of just about every genre, including jazz, punk, rock, and folk.
In the spirit of the Dragon and with infinite admiration, Dragon Con has created The Dragon Award as a vessel to recognize excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy. These awards will be by the fans, for the fans, and are a chance to reward those who have made real contributions to SF, books, games, comics, and movies.
And, of course, the Walk of Fame will be ongoing throughout Dragon Con, where you can get an autograph of your favorite personality.
Dragon Con is in downtown Atlanta, GA, from Thursday, Aug. 29th, through Monday, Sept. 2nd.
For more information, go to dragoncon.org
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