Dragoncon

Dragoncon is an annual convention held in Atlanta, GA on Labor Day weekend. It features sci-fi and fantasy, gaming, movies, books, music, and more. It is attended by thousands annually and thousands of people dress in costumes. The convention hosts science fiction, fantasy, gaming, comics and science-related information panels throughout the weekend.

There is also a Dragoncon parade downtown on Saturday morning of the convention. There are exhibitors and dealers selling items, an art exhibition, games of all sorts, multiple costume contests, a Miss Klingon Beauty Pageant, concerts, parties, and much more.

There is something for everyone to enjoy and plenty to see and do at Dragoncon.

There is an annual Dragon Con parade that takes place on the Saturday of the convention at 10am. The parade route is down Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta. The parade starts at Woodruff Park at Auburn Avenue and moves north down Peachtree to the Hyatt Regency on Baker Street.  The public is welcome and encouraged to watch the parade.

A unit of Storm Troopers marches in the parade along with Jedi masters, Klingons, superheroes, pirates, fairies, hobbits, aliens, monsters, and much more. There are floats and decorated cars as well. It is a parade like no other. You never know who or what you will see in the parade!

Wanna be in the parade? Marching in the parade is open to all members of Dragon Con (See below for more information on membership).

The programming at the convention is broken down into fan tracks.  Fan tracks present information panels, host guests, and more.  Tracks are broken down into categories such as American Sci-Fi, Animation, Costuming, Paranormal, Science, Tolkien’s Middle Earth.  There are over 30 different tracks offered.  Guests at the convention can visit multiple tracks or stick with just one.     

Panels are usually presented by important people in the track such as actors, writers, or experts.  Each panel has a specific topic.  Audience participation is usually encouraged.  Near the end of each panel time is given for the audience to ask questions or to make comments.    

The Alternate History Track was new in 2009 and is one of the hottest tracks right now. Alternate history includes Steampunk. Steampunk is essentially Victorian and Edwardian era style with anachronistic elements thrown in such as futuristic technology.

Examples in popular culture are the movies Wild, Wild West with Will Smith, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen with Sean Connery, and  Around the World in 80 Days with Jackie Chan and the television show Warehouse 13 on SyFy Channel.

The convention takes place across four hotels in downtown Atlanta (Hyatt Regency, Marriott Marquis, Hilton, and Sheraton). They are all within a few blocks of each other, easily within walking distance. There are courtesy shuttles between the host hotels available. Marta trains and buses and taxis can be used to travel within the city as well.

People make reservations in the host hotels months in advance, so if you don’t book early, you won’t get a room at the convention site. However, there are overflow hotels that don’t book as quickly. To save money you can book a cheaper hotel and ride the Marta to the convention. Click here for hotel list.

There are several restaurants nearby and the Mall at Peachtree Center is within walking distance as well. The food court in the mall has a good selection of restaurants and is a good place to people watch.

Tickets are called "Memberships" and can be purchased online through the official Dragoncon website (see link below) until a few weeks before the convention. The earlier you buy them, the cheaper they are. Memberships can also be purchased at the door. Lines to register can be long. Preregistering can speed up the process because all you need to do is pick up your badge.

Disclaimer - some years the lines are longer for those who have preregistered. Other years the lines are longer for those purchasing tickets at the door. For 2011, the con is implementing barcode scanning for people who have preregistered to (hopefully) speed up the process.

Bring your camera and get ready to enter another world!