It’s been three years since I have been to Dragon Con and I am shooketh, that it took this long. COVID be damned. I am vaccinated and I have a mask. I also have masks that match my cosplay. This is the year, people.
I want to give a big welcome to everyone who’s joining us for the first time or the first time since mandatory lockdown has been lifted. Conventions are a place for fans to convene and have a wonderful time nerding-out about niche, specific episodes of a sci-fi drama that was cancelled way too soon. Also known as all of them. So if you have no clue what’s going on, here’s what to expect this year.
There will be more than 60,000 fans descending upon Atlanta this weekend. Add in all of the college football fans, because that’s going on as well, that’s probably a literal ton of people. I’ve stopped mathing in my old age. Side note, I just turned 34 and my back has been hurting more than what I’m used to. If anyone has a remedy, please respond to this article or message me on Twitter @Cupidsheart99.
Moving on, Dragon Con will encompass science fiction, fantasy, gaming, and cosplay enthusiasts. I always love to see the 501st legion (seen below), especially in kilts…for reasons. I forecast there will be people cosplaying as Johnny Depp from Pirates of The Caribbean (You know why), any number of heroes from the DC and Marvel universes, as well as some cult favorites, like the Cult of the Marriott carpet.
Dragon Con will run from September 1st-5th. You can catch panels downtown at the Hyatt Regency, Hilton, Westin Peachtree, Sheraton Atlanta, and Marriott Marquis hotels. There will also be shopping and panels at the Americas Mart buildings two and three. Guests will include William Shatner, Walter Koenig, Morena Baccarin, Jennifer Morrison, Lauren Ridloff, David Ramsey and Emily Bett Rickards.
I’m looking forward to seeing Holly Marie Combs, Rachel Luttrell, Diane Guerrero, Nolan North and Jim Cummings. I’m also looking forward to seeing my friend and local media scholar, Anthony Dannar. His panel (Transmedia Joker: Trickster or Troll, Revolutionary or Reactionary?) will be on Sunday at 10am.
The Dragon Con Parade will be on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 10 am. The parade route begins at the intersection of Peachtree Street and Linden Avenue and is convenient to three MARTA stations – North Avenue, Civic Center, and Peachtree Center. Parking will be tight (always an understatement). Dragon Con encourages you to ride MARTA. I would encourage you to watch live on Atlanta’s CW69 and Dragon Con TV (DCTV), which will be streaming through all hotel affiliates and the DCTV website. For everyone who already had plans during the parade, you can watch CW69’s time-edited rebroadcast on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 11 p.m.
Lastly, the official charity for this year’s convention is Open Hand Atlanta. Through auctions and other charity events, plus a dollar-for-dollar match up to $100,000 from Dragon Con, the convention will raise money to support this important organization.
Open Hand’s mission is to help underserved individuals prevent or better manage chronic disease through tailored nutrition interventions, which include a variety of therapeutic meal plans as well as nutrition counseling and coaching delivered by an experienced team of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists. With the dedicated support of over 14,000 volunteers, they currently prepare, pack, and deliver over 5,500 meals per day in Metro Atlanta and rural Georgia.
This convention will be one for the books. Hope to see you there.
careyfulks 