If you like walking across downtown Atlanta to stand in line for a few hours to get your badge .... Then walking back across town to stand in line for a few more hours ( in the heat) ... to get into an event where everyone is selling the same thing in a crowded area. Knock yourself out. You will spend more time in line than the event itself. There was a time ( long long ago) when it was an awesome event. Those days are gone. read more

Used to be great 10 years ago, has become complete trash now. Terrible planning, terrible guests, a couple good things here and there but not worth the ticket. read more

This was our first year. You cannot get your pass unless you stand in line, and it was 3.5 hours on Thursday alone. I can't imagine the disappointment of the day pass people. People were collapsing from heat stroke. The app is poorly designed. The events are poorly named. The best part of the whole thing is the attendees who deserve a round of applause for putting up with the worst run conference I've ever seen. read more

I didn't even know you could check in to Dragon Con on Yelp. But if you don't know already this is the biggest annual convention in the state. Over 75,000 people gather to nerd out at a 5-day party. I buy my ticket to the following year while I'm there. I'm never going to miss this. I can't recommend this event enough it is so fun and there are so many amazing people with amazing costumes and amazing parties. Don't get married or die on Labor Day weekend cuz I won't be there cuz I will be a Dragon Con read more

Dragon Con as a terrible convention. The staff and security are extremely rude. It's overcrowded to the point where fire safety becomes an issue. The panels, lines and events are all poorly managed. Overall, it's not a welcoming convention. I literally never felt welcome there. I'll never attend Dragon Con ever again. I don't recommend it at this point. read more

We attended on September 2, the last day. We pre-purchased three tickets for $33 each, plus fees. We spent $60 on parking. DragonCon failed to mention why the tickets were cheapest on Labor Day. Nobody was there. The booths and displays were packed up and gone. People were checking out of the hotels. Most of the merchandise was sold out. We figured it would still be worth the price to get a few autographs, so we went to the Walk of Fame. Security guards were standing at the entrance, making sure everything was safe. Imagine our surprise and confusion when we entered the Walk of FAME with ZERO FAMOUS people. Not ONE. I was looking forward to seeing my friend Mike Colter. My son wanted a picture with Giancarlo Esposito. That's it. We should have taken our money and spent the day at the aquarium. DragonCon 2024 should have been very clear about the last day. What a HUGE letdown. read more

Dragon Con - Not one single celeb. - Festivals Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

After 10+ years of just attending the free parade on Saturday, we invested in the 5-day passes. It was SOOOO Worth it! 100%! There are hundreds of events to attend daily for the 5 days. They start around 8 Am or so and end...well...I do not know exactly if/when they end :) The conference is definitely family friendly, and they make it easy to search events to tell what age group they are for. You have to go in-person to get your badge and the lines on the first day can be LONG so we opted for Friday and we waited about 30 minutes. read more

I go every year and never miss it. Great fun to be had. It can get crowded on peak days like Friday/Saturday. Overall it's family friendly during daytime but gets spicier at night. read more

Dragon Con was Awesome. Our first time coming here with a few of my girls. I love the Dragon Con events and fan pages. Lots of people and having fun. They came back with a bang after the misfortune of Covid 19. Little rain and bad weather we endured, But it was still fun. So much great Cosplaying and fun. So many goodies and toys to buy. Tickets are high , But its all worth it. Good food here, Id love to do this again next year. read more

Dragon Con - Me and my girl having fun. - Festivals Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

So I didn't even realize we could review dragon con. It's over labor day weekend and it's worth the cost to go at least once. We've been a few times and it's a ton of fun. If you can get a hotel, get it. There's no parking & something like 70000+ people in one small area. If you're not going, avoid that area of Atlanta during con. People spend the entire year making these awesome costumes & compete in contests. They have panels Thursday - Monday. There's pop up shops, plenty of food in the area and a lot of places offer discounts to attendees. The hotels don't have normal quality of service during this time and they do overbook or give you first come first serve rooms which is annoying but there's no alternative if you're staying there and you'll want to since there's events 24 hours a day. Definitely download the app and plan what you want to do because no way you get to everything. read more

See all

Never thought I'd be attending the infamous Dragon Con but when the opportunity popped up to check it out, why not? A new pal and Dragon Con regular told me that this year had about 90,000 attendees, wow! Not too shabby from humble beginnings back in 1987. Instead of being at a sole convention center, the multi-day Dragon Con is spread out among many downtown Atlanta hotels and venues. The real draw is just people watching and costume gawking. Some really impressive costumes were strolling about, and their wearers were really cool with taking photos. Star Wars characters are always popular, it seems. It's just mega crowded which can always be a little tough. In addition, there were panels, celebrity guests, and games to play. We had to queue up down the block and wait to get in to visit the vendors at AmericasMart; the staff let people in by batches. There were two floors of items ranging from leather clothing to elf ears to geeky t-shirts, swords, fantasy art, die, and way more. For this casual outsider, I definitely enjoyed geeking out and feeling like it was Halloween! read more

I *heart* people-watching in The. Biggest. Way. And, boy oh boy (pun intended), did this event surpass even my wildest expectations, on all levels!! First, everyone around here probably isn't the least bit surprised to hear I was more "cheerleader" than "geek" in any "Breakfast Club"-esque breakdown of high school cliques. While I had friends in all groups, including those who could've told me what an event like DragonCon was all about, I couldn't tell you the difference between any of the characters on costume display last weekend, or pick out anyone specific that I recognized beyond The Incredibles and R2D2 (yes, it was an actual robot, which helped me identify, er, "him"). Second, I love creativity and this is one majorly Katie-bar-the-door event, creatively-speaking!! Beautiful costumes, crazy body paint, oh . . . and serious Spartans (I don't have lesbian proclivities, but the one Spartan chick was super-fine!!! Wish I had those abs!!) . . . it was an ogle-fest of crazy cool eyeballing. Third, I realized how easy MARTA really can be! I must try this local source of public transportation again soon. Note: don't buy your ticket with a $20 bill unless you're cool with change in dollar coins - or just have a big purse like me!! All in all, what a fun night for this little non-SciFi girl!! Putting it on the calendar for next year. read more

Dragon Con - Festivals Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

Hoh. My first DragonCon was A-MAZE-ING. As someone that has had to plan events with a foot traffic of only up to 2000 people, to see this convention executed so well for an attendance of up to 80,000 attendees is absolutely mind-blowing. For five days, an entire three or four city blocks become the whole of what DragonCon has to offer. There's no sense in my even listing everything there is, there's just too much and it's better for you to go check out the website if you're a newcomer. What I *can* tell you that might be particularly useful that I appreciate about this con are the following: 1. Five day admission was SO affordable! It costed me $85 for all five days, for programming that is practically 24-hours!! For reference on affordability, compare that to a convention I worked for this past fall that costed $75 for two days of 6-hour programming. If you wanted to go to nighttime events, you had to pay more. 2. In addition to affordability, there is a refreshments room for congoers (no it is not a legend or fake lol). It's in the Marriott and can really help someone out on a travel budget who just needs some sustenance to get through the day. 3. Also for those on a budget: want a DragonCon t-shirt? You can donate blood right at the con and get one for free. It's one of the most successful blood drives I have ever seen and I really love that DC has this partnership. 4. Staff for the most part are quite friendly. It makes for a better vibe than those conventions where the young newb staff power-trip and think they can yell at their patrons. 5. There's so much to do, you'll never ever be at a loss for what to go to next and you'll never be bored. In fact there's so much it's overhwelming and you'll have to struggle with which panel to sacrifice so you can go to another. 6. There are parties. Every. Night. I don't mean unofficial hotel parties thrown by guests, I mean officially scheduled dance parties in multiple ballrooms and venues each and every night. If you aren't a party person, DragonCon may not be for you because it's a pretty big part of the programming. Overall, DragonCon can go extremely well for you or can be a bummer if you end up missing a lot of panels and events you wanted to go to. It's what you make of it and how you manage your time. My golden tip for all newcomers: be independent in what you want to attend, don't bind yourself to what your friends want to do, and choose *really* good friends to go with. Sometimes you'll really want to go to a panel while the rest want to go to the marketplace or a wrestling show. To get the most out of DragonCon, you're going to have to be unafraid to break from the group. In smaller conventions like here in Hawaii, it's really easy to align interests and all go to a panel together. At DC on the other hand, you have to understand that there is SO much happening, aligning will be impossible and if you all stay together, a lot of you will always miss other things you really wanted to do. To the point of choosing really good friends to go with, I mean those that will understand time constraints and not waste your time waking up late, dilly dallying, or getting stuck chatting while you both really need to get going to make a panel or event. Trust me. DragonCon can get hectic. If you do have joint plans, get everyone on the same page of respecting each other's time. That's all I have for my tips and review. I am definitely going back in 2020 and every year to follow! read more

Geek Mecca. Nerd Mar di gras. "Home." People might describe Dragon Con in many ways, but the bottom line is that it is the most original, unique, full-fledged fan-run geek media convention in the region, and stands up next to all the largest "comic cons" in the world - and stands proudly. This 4/5/6-day party is phenomenal for the deeply involved, to the casual people-watcher. Nearly anything you can ask for is on tap at DCon. Great weekend event to come and forget the outside world and be surrounded with kindred lovers of all things pop art. read more

Hosted every Labor Day weekend, DragonCon is a geek's dream. It is a convention that has everything for everyone. There's comics, sci fi, actors and actresses, musicians, cosplay, tabletop gaming, panels, and tracks for every subject possible. There are awesome events surrounding D*C as well from the con's own Film Festival to the DragonCon parade that occurs on Saturday. The party doesn't stop from Thursday (when most everyone arrives) all the way through until Monday evening. There really is something for everyone at DragonCon. Just this year alone, tracks were added for video games as well as puppetry (think Muppets). I, even met, one of the puppeteers from The Muppets in the lobby of the Westin. There are events and tracks for those who love anime, science fiction, podcasting, reading. The list could go on forever. There is even a science track where scientists from NASA come to the con to speak. A number of bands join in on the festivities as well. The CruxShadows are always a major part, but my favorite is the Celtic band, Emerald Rose. If you are in a giving mood, the annual DragonCon Blood Drive is open all weekend as well. Most people that go to the con for panels usually go for the big panels with stars, but there is a lot to be said for the fan run panels. I was on two fan panels this year. One for Eureka and the other for Game of Thrones for the American Sci-Fi Media track. The one for GoT was packed and we had a great discussion going. I popped into a few other fan run panels by the Star Wars track among others. The wealth of information that your fellow geeks withhold is amazing. If you do attend popular panels, be prepared to wait in line. Get there early and keep some water with you. Most of the lines end up snaking outside into the humid Atlanta air. You'll thank me for reminding you to grab that bottle. Badges are important, get them early. Do not wait until the day of and go stand in line. I did this my first year and it is the biggest waste of time when you can just do it all online months before you go. There is so much to see that you should just get one for the entire weekend if you can. Food wise, I suggest that if you want to eat that you head just up the street to the Peachtree Center's food court. Lots of options and much cheaper than trying to buy food inside the hotels. Try to keep water on you, if you can't and want a drink, there's a little store inside the Hyatt that sells fountain drinks. This is much cheaper on the pocket than buying bottled. This year was cool for the fact that there were people handing out free samples of Sun Chips and hummus to con-goers. It was nice to have while waiting in line for my next panel. If you have yet to go to DragonCon, you need to go. DragonCon weekend is quickly becoming my most favorite weekend of the year. read more

See all

I just remember buying tickets and being super excited. Then I had a some skin cancer removed and was told I couldn't be in the sun.. the line to get in was about 2 hours long in the sun. They wouldn't refund me or help in anyway, and were extremely rude about it. read more

It's been on our radar for years and this year we FINALLY went. Nuts is not the word for it! It was great. The event takes place over the span of 5 days and unless you booked a hotel room right after the last one or have friends that will let you crash... it is expensive!!! And that is why we saw tons of folks with coolers raiding the CVS for supplies to help with budgets. It goes on for 24 hours at a time. Not only will you see tons of cosplayers but there are also celebrities, workshops to learn how to make a cosplay or make a film, movies, dances, Battlebots (that was cool to see!) and vendors selling everything from tees and art work on up. Oh and the annual parade is something not to miss but it's best to get there as early as possible for a spot on the sidewalk, garage, whatever else you will see a lot of backs of heads. And it is spread out over 5 hotels so you will be doing lots of walking, in shoulder to shoulder crowds a lot of the time. Get ready to stand in long as heck lines for long times in order to get into one of the ballrooms for panels. Tip: If you don't want to or can't afford to pay for a celebrity picture then go to the Walk of Fame where some of the celebrities will be and you can pay far less for an autograph or selfie! WINNING! As big as this thing is they keep a pretty good grip on things as far as safety and security goes but there's always an idiot or two somewhere but don't let that deter you. Go, see, enjoy! read more

See all

This was my first con of any type. Attendees did an amazing job of dressing up and I loved how everyone was genuinely kind to each other. I attended with friends from TN, PA, and NC. Was great spending time with everyone. The board game area was what I was most looking forward to and overall I felt like the offerings were good not great. My crew divided up for seminars and the general feedback was the content was meh and the presenters weren't prepared and/or didn't stay on topic. The DJ Saturday night was great but we were up on the balcony at 1am and there were only a handful of people dancing. The lines were intense - especially for shopping. Overall I just feel like it wasn't worth the price of admission. I feel like I got rights to meander between all the hotels but no real substance. Sorry but I won't be back. read more

2014 is my 8th year at DragonCon, but I went only one day this year. It's starting to taper off for me, I'm sad to say.. So, I guess it's time to review! Probably the first thing you need to know is that it gets bigger and more expensive every year. So, if you're reeeeally into it, you should consider getting next year's pass as early as possible. In 2007, "next year's pass" was $35 and a Lifetime membership was, I believe, $500. In 2014, the 2015 pass is $75, and [I don't even see any proof of a Lifetime membership existing anymore.] EDIT: I've been corrected. James H says the Eternal Membership is now $2,000. THAT is commitment! Here is the proof: http://www.dragoncon.org/?q=node/500 If you're staying downtown for Dragon Con, whether you already live in Atlanta, or not, you'll want to plan to book your room around early-mid October, if not earlier. The hotels release the following year's rooms about 11 months early. Need to know what to put in your DragonCon survival kit? Well it depends upon how awesome you are and what you dress up as. ...and you SHOULD dress up. Each of these items, depending upon how important to you they are, can help dictate what you dress up as. First thing you need, is your badge. Just accept it that you'll be wearing this thing or you won't be able to get into some sessions, cool dance parties, other hotels or Rocky Horror singalongs, in the convention halls. It's going to make your character look like they're signing into work or are on sale or something. Deal with it, everyone else will. Next: Your alcohol. You'll want to pre-game, fill a cooler, flask it, brown bag it, airplane bottle it, red solo cup it, etc. What can you be? Castaway - Cut open that Wilson to stash your flask. Ghostbusters - Proton Pack? More like POTION pack, EhhhhhH!?! Am I right!? Okay...... Anything you can hide a hiking-hydration pack underneath: transformers, godzilla, storm trooper.. "HULK CHUG!" Your wallet or purse is going to be important as well. Where do you put your money for purchasing expensive hotel cocktails, 15-sided die, and signatures from Jean Luc Picard? Play a pregnant character (Zombie Mom?) and hide it in your belly. Play a superhero and get one of those jogging belts that hold your keys, money and CCs. (SCORE!) Good shoes, are also important. Consider how long you'll be at the con, how long you'll be in costume, how willing you are to deviate from the original costume the later it gets into the evening. Your platform heels may not be practical for the rave you want to go to at 3am, but going back to "where do I stash my stuff?" - I think someone makes platforms with secret compartments, don't they? Moving along. Gender-specific tips. *CHICKS: If you don't like being photographed, wear more clothes. The amount of skin you show is directly proportionate and related to the amount of times you'll be stopped and asked for photos. It has nothing to do with your rights as a woman to walk around naked, but accept the fact that 1. you look hot, and 2. many of the people you will encounter may have never seen as much skin and curves in real life, and the results are inevitable. *DUDES: Do everything in your power to downplay how creepy you might be around scantily-clad women. Despite the fact that a woman may want to feel sexy and show off her assets (and it is acceptable here at the Con) do not expect that you can do what you want. Do NOT stare. DO be polite when asking for a photo. Do NOT touch. If you're in the photo with her, do everything in your power to not be weird. What else? You can buy art, watch a kilt-blowing competition, eat a ton of pizza, dance til 6am, take pictures with your favorite heroes and villains, become your favorite heroes and villains, play nerd games, hear your favorite actors, actresses and pop-culture icons speak in real life about their lives, their work, their favorite beers.. meet other nerds, geeks, dweebs, goofs, artists, creatives, drinkers, partiers, etc.. Overall, this is a vacation for most. It's a big expense for those who travel, and even for those who live in Atlanta already.. It's a lot of preparation for many who make their own costumes, and the hours of fun are pretty endless. This review is just the tip of the iceberg.. OH yea, DON'T FORGET TO SEE THE PARADE ON SATURDAY MORNING!.... and enjoy the con! read more

Zero safety standards. No one check bags. 3 hour lines in the heat just to get into the vendor hall. This is not a convention. The attitude is more of a cult. The vendor quality is more of at renaissance fair. If you are use to a conevtion experience sace your money and go to the Altanta Comic Con or Momocon. Not a family event. Amazing there is zero police or security presence in the hotel areas. This is a disaster waiting to happen in today's environment. read more

Dragon*Con keeps getting bigger and better. The con is such a blast and I look forward to it every year. When I discovered it, I sadly had to tell all of my friends and family, "Sorry, my Labor Day weekends are booked from now until infinity." I went all four days this year, Friday through Monday, and was completely wiped out by the end. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are the days to go. Monday is the wrap-up and move-out day. The parties and activities go late into the night the first three nights. This makes it difficult to wake up and attend the annual parade at 10am on Saturday morning on Peachtree St, but DO IT because it's well worth it. The advantages to attending the con on Monday are: (1) discounts at the Dealers Room and Exhibit Halls (Marriott) and (2) maybe catching a celebrity with little to no line at the Walk of Fame (Hilton). Just like every year, there were lots of great highlights and memories at Dragon*Con for me this year. The costumes and props were amazing, as always. I noticed a lot more Captain Americas this year, which is natural since the movie just came out in theaters a couple months ago. I saw one set of Batman and Catwoman that looked like they had just walked off of Christopher Nolan's set. The attention to detail was impeccable. Some of my favorite costumes from this year (in no particular order) include: 1. Zombie Wendy, Ronald McDonald, and Colonel Sanders, who ate the Burger King and were carrying around his body parts. 2. William Shatner Action Figures (still in the box!). 3. Kick-Ass girl. 4. Rodney Dangerfield's character from Caddyshack, complete with golf bag and gadgets (telephone, etc.). 5. Three generations of Indy: Sean Connery, Harrison Ford, and Shia LaBeouf. 6. Rosalina from Super Mario Galaxy. 7. Head-to-toe bodypaint woman with head feathers. 8. Biff's futuristic punk gang complete with hoverboards from Back to the Future Part II. 9. Goldie Hawn's character from Death Becomes Her. 10. Fran from Final Fantasy XII. 11. Lumbergh (the boss) from Office Space. He leaned against walls with coffee mug. 12. Sweet Pea from Sucker Punch (there were cute ones all over the place). 13. Statler and Waldorf (two grouchy old guys) from The Muppet Show, complete with theater chairs. 14. Pee-wee Herman and characters from Pee-wee's Playhouse, including Jambi and Chairry. 15. Cookie Monster from Sesame Street sitting in Chairry. 16. GizmoDuck from Duck Tales. 17. Rooster Cogburn from True Grit. 18. 1980s WWF Superstars! I ran into and spoke with Hip-Hop Stormtrooper, now even more "famous" after the Buckhead IHOP incident this past April (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9shJZCnPr9s). Also, shout-outs to Yelpers Tom C. (Bruce Lee) and Ivan S. (Mountie Stormtrooper). At the Walk of Fame, I unexpectedly met former NBA player and Dancing with the Stars contestant Rick Fox. Long story short, I asked him what the heck he was doing at Dragon*Con and he pointed to the girl sitting two chairs away from him signing autographs -- it was Eliza Dushku, his girlfriend whom he travels with to conventions around the world. Since I'm a huge basketball fan and Rick was getting no love from any of the con-goers, we chatted for quite a while about college basketball and the NBA. Last year, Dragon*Con started to enforce badge-only access to the Marriott and Hyatt during the nighttime. This year, they started to officially enforce this rule between 7pm and 1am. If you want to enjoy Dragon*Con without purchasing a badge, go during the daytime. If you want to enjoy the nighttime festivities, enter the Marriott before 7pm. If you buy a badge, the best deal is to pre-register. You save the most money this way. Pre-registration gives you a full 4-day membership to the next convention for only $60. In comparison, single day badges for Saturday are $50 during the convention. Friday and Sunday are $40. The badges give you access to everything at the convention including the already-mentioned Walk of Fame, the dealers room and exhibit halls, artist gallery and art bazaar, and all panels, events, and other activities. MARTA is a great way to get to the convention since there is a stop at Peachtree Center. It's best to take MARTA to the parade. The big drawback to MARTA is it stops running at 1am, so if you party late, you'll have to find another way home. Other than the parade, this year I found myself parking the rest of the time. It's more convenient and despite what you'd think, traffic isn't bad. Some of the turning lanes on Peachtree might get a little backed up due to pedestrian traffic during peak times, but other major streets such as Courtland and Peachtree Center are free-flowing. Parking in the various lots and decks around the hotels runs anywhere from $9 to $20. I recommend parking in the Georgia-Pacific ($9) deck on Courtland and the Peachtree Center ($10) deck on Peachtree. read more

See all

This was my first Dragon*Con in my 30+ years life as a geek. I don't know why I avoided for so long. I kick myself for not enjoying this in my earlier, geeky, (and single) years. It would've been a blast. I bought the 4 day pass for 100-something bucks. Was it worth it? Maybe, if you like cosplayers, partying, listening to panels, and walking around for miles. If you're a true geek, you will love it. First, let me go over some bad stuff about Dragon * Con. Getting the badge is one of the worst experience you can have. I suggest taking a day off of work and getting in line. The line this year was about 1.5 hours long. It wrapped around the Sheraton 1.5 times. However, people seemed patient and courteous. Fortunately, the line moved fast. Even though the line flowed nicely, the volume of people made the wait grueling. I don't understand why they don't just FedEx the badges. I'm sure people would pay a bit more to get that convenience. Although, they might not do it for forgery issues. The Saturday Morning parade is a nightmare. Since all of Atlanta comes out to see this, you won't have place to see the parade unless you come 2 hours early. Yes, you have to come 2 hours early if you want to find a good place to see the parade. The number of people is insane. It's an agoraphobic's nightmare. However, once the actual parade starts, it's pretty awesome. The costumes and floats all look spectacular. Just bear the sweat and stank from the people bumping into you. If you make it through those grueling events, everything else seems golden. If you have the badge, you can go to every venue freely. Beware for non badge holders, the security is strict. They will check every person entering the hotels for their badge. They will humiliate you if you don't have it and kick you out. Don't try to sneak in unless you're a ninja. So what can you do at Dragon Con? You can buy artwork from famous and not-so-famous people. One example is Don Rosa, who seems to be at Dragon*Con consistently. Also, you can go to the walk of fame and meet your favorite celebrities for some cash. I think this is a rip off. It's $20+ to get a picture taken with them with your camera. Unless you're a super fan, you shouldn't really do this. You can go to panels that talk about various geeky stuff. They have interesting ones. You can play games at the board game room. They have tons of board and card games of your choosing. If you're a gaming geek, this is a good place to go and play. They have other stuff you can do, but the main event is the people watching. It's fun to cosplay and see other cosplayers. Here are some of my favorites of this year: 1. Rocksteady and Bebop from TMNT 2. Muppet Storm Troopers 3. Cogsworth, Lumiere, Belle, Beast, and the Feather Duster Maid from Beauty and the Beast. 4. Ohmu and Nausicaa from Nausicaa 5. Yep Yep Yep guys 6. Daft Punk 7. Various robots that look like robots 8. Rorschach 9. Rorschach Groupies 10. Megpoid Gumi I forgot a bunch more awesome costumes. But a lot of people had great costumes and showed creativity. We got to meet some famous cosplayers like Yaya Han, Ms. Riddle, and Nicole Marie Jean. Also, the food and drink prices didn't seem overpriced. If you go to the food court in Peachtree Center, the prices looked normal. I think it's cool they didn't gouge their prices for the huge crowd they had. The food they served in the hotels were pricy, but they could've gouged it more. So for an event like this, I thought the prices looked reasonable. I liked my first Dragon*Con experience. It was exhausting and my feet hurt, but it was a great time. read more

See all

After going on DragonCon hiatus for the past couple of years (a wife will do that to you), I returned to find.....very little has changed. Well, some things have changed, but I'll get to that. But for the most part, it's still the NerdFest we all know and love. There are people in costumes (the more obscure the character the better); there are people without. There are people who show wear ironic t-shirts emblazoned with obscure nerd iconography and there are people who let their freak flags fly. There are people with BO problems and, well, that's most of them really. There are the hardcore, there are the rubberneckers. There are celebrities and there are "celebrities." This year, there were Bama and Virginia Tech fans thrown into the mix (with predictably hilarious results.) All in all, it's DragonCon. A few observations new from this year though: 1) The security wasn't nearly as obnoxiously tight as in years past. Oh, it's still nigh impossible to get into the speakers' rooms or attend a track without a pass, but it's now back to easy rubbernecking if you just want to hang with the nerds in the lobby. I prefer it this way. It's like a stealth indoctrination of the mundies. They end up having a good time and, before you know it, you have girls (Yes! Actual girls!) planning their costumes for next year. Way to pull that bat'leth out of your ass, DragonCon! 2) The drinking focal point seems to have shifted from the Hyatt (as in years past) to the Marriott and their fancy new Pulse bar. This development I didn't like. I preferred the Hyatt's more claustrophobic lobby; it allowed for more interesting mingling. Not to mention, the Hyatt has enough to sense to have a bar every ten feet., a lesson the Marriott needs to learn for next year. 3) I know nerds love lines, but either the ubiquitous lines are getting longer each year, or I'm getting older and less patient. I think it's a little of both. The line on Saturday for the Hall of Fame? Ree-donk-ulous. 4) I'm glad to see Cruxshadow still playing because aging Goths entertain me on a primal level. Not to mention, they started in Tallahassee at the same time Creed did and it appears that Cruxshadow has more of a following than them now. 5) The celebrities this year were pretty impressive. While it's no San Diego Comicon, for a con outside of California, it's all right. Props for getting Shatner AND Nimoy AND Stewart to the same con. One anecdote while cruising the "Hall of Fame:" I wondered aloud to myself, "Is this line for Bruce Boxleitner?" A woman in line answered with an enthusiastic "Yes it is!" I don't think she understood that what I REALLY meant was, "There's a line to see Bruce Boxleitner?" 6) One final piece of advice to those attending future DragonCons. Don't forget the hand sanitizer. "Con crud" is a very real phenomenon and I think I'm battling a cold now. Or I'm just allergic to work. Or both. Anyway, you get an extra star out of me, DC, even with all the lines. Keep on being you and I'll see you next year. read more

I'm typing this up literally on the heels of just getting back home from Dragon*Con 2012 Sunday, so a lot of things are fresh on my mind. This was 4th Con, but my first year being able to go on a Sunday (on top of Fri and Sat). This was also my first year taking pictures. I would definitely recommend taking a camera and taking pictures (it'll last longer ;). D*Con still remains as my favorite holiday of the year, topping Halloween, Christmas, whatever other holiday you can think of, and even my birthday. Who cares about that stuff when you have people dressed up in every costume you can think of and even more you would have never thought of? One thing I change about my last review is that I would HIGHLY recommend getting a badge, preferably 4 day if you can go to all 4 days. Its around $120 if you buy it on the weekend, but $65 if you pre-register. I somehow got my hands on one using my feminine wiles, just kidding, but I did get one, and things were much smoother. Even if you get into one of the hotels, they check badges when you take the skybridges to the other hotels, and if you stay late like me, they start doing random checks by the volunteers at ANY time. I have't been to the panels yet, but I saw the schedule and they look pretty cool. I'm considering going to some next year. One that caught my eye was "Awesomely bad J music videos" Lol My main focus when I go is to people-watch, admire costumes, and stay late for the dance party. The hyatt is cool, but the Marriott is where most of the action goes down, with 2 huge main bars. The pulse loft sits a level above the atrium and is great for watching people. The hilton seems to be more of a chill area. There is also karaoke action going on in here. Its nice to take a break from the insanity in the Marriott. Also: side note: there are skybridges that connect the Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt. I've still never been to the Sheraton. I've also never been to the parade, (too.. ehem.. tired), the pix look great, but I'd imagine it'd be a little bit of a cluster*uck with all the people. "Excuse me, did you see which way pedo bear went?" "I just got blessed by Raptor Jesus". "Oh that's just regular Jesus, I already got blessed by Raptor Jesus" I still emphasize that D*Con is all about having a good time. I've yet to see a fight or anything like that. This is big because I know there is a lot of alcohol that is involved at the night scene. Sometimes the volunteers get a little abrasive, but probably because they're extremely tired. One thing I learned is that if you have the time, you can volunteer (you have to commit 20 hrs) and you can buy the badge for $25. But I don't know about that, because they do work a lot. Also if you like to bring your own beverage, you should backpack for convenience. I would just recommend pacing yourself and staying hydrated if you plan on staying late like me. I feel like those people who get blackout drunk at Con are wasting their money because they don't remember anything later. I don't want to repeat from my last review, but I think the football fans can be annoying. Since it takes place the same weekend as the chic fil game or whatever, this year we encountered many UTC fans. They're either freaked out or love it. I was standing outside of the Marriott and saw some UTC fans get out of the cab and one man actually staggered. It was a small step, but still. If you're into the dance hall, the ballroom in the Marriott is open til 7am (I'm assuming) on Saturday. (i'm not sure of the hours on Friday), and 5 am on Sunday. Its really a lot of industrial/ techno/ trance/ Rammstein/ that du haus song/ type stuff. Although I did here some main stream pop remixes here and there. I also heard them play Kangnam style twice, which the crowd went wild for, which was awesome. They usually have 'performers' girls who are dressed up in skimpy crazy outfits on stage with the dj. They also had one on stilts at one point, it was pretty cool. The front area becomes a sweat factory, so stick in the middle. Also be prepared for glow sticks. One of my favorites this year was Raptor Jesus. He was incredibly nice. Dressing up is fun. However if you go with a friend who did and you're not dressed up, it might not be fun because your friend will get stopped for pics and you'll just be waiting a lot. One thing I discovered this year was gyro king. I believe it's on Courtland near the Sheraton and diagonal from Harlem nights (which, by the way, was funny to see the crowd going to this grown and sexy club with people in crazy cosplay outfits). It stays open til 5am and serves decent gyros, wings, wraps (for those with drunk munchies). I will be uploading a review shortly. I quote fellow yelpers: "Sorry, my labor day wk end is booked from now til infinity". and "let your freak flag fly". I'll shortly be experiencing D*Con withdrawals, I had an amazing time, Yes I will return again, and yes I'd still give it 10 stars if I could. read more

Dragon Con - truth. - Festivals Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

I went Friday and Saturday night to Dragon Con and had a blast!!! It was so much fun! To be honest, I had no idea about Dragon Con, until a friend shared it with me. Most people have no idea what Dragon Con is. For those who are unfamiliar with Dragon Con. For those who are wondering why so many people in the city of downtown Atlanta are dressed so odd for labor day weekend every year? A great blog reported "Dragon Con is now the largest multi-media, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the US. Every Labor Day weekend, from Friday afternoon until early evening on Labor Day itself, Convention-goers flood the streets, halls, ballrooms and rooms of the major hotels at Peachtree Center. The four hotels that host the convention are the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Atlanta, the Hilton in downtown Atlanta and the Sheraton Atlanta hotel." Now For Every Dragon*Con-goer who likes to dress up and want to continue the party! Mark your calender for the next upcoming event! Kimchi Promotions is throwing the Ultimate Halloween Party!!! It Will Be An Absolute Thriller..... Kimchi Promotions is getting into the spirit of Halloween at Tongue and Groove Saturday, October 31st! read more

While I didn't technically attend DragonCon this weekend, I did attend the free parade Saturday morning to really kick it off right. And after a crummy week weather-wise, the day of the parade dawned sunny, hot and promising to attempt to make at least one furry or ewok pass out during the course of the festivities. Since my friends had gone last year, they had staked out the best parade spot to watch that wasn't too insanely crowded or overrun with people. And there was a parking garage right down the street so Marta wasn't necessary (always a plus, always). The parade began at 10 AM, so to be safe, we all convened at 9:30 near the corner of Courtland and Baker Street where the parade was supposed to wrap up. True to form, that part of the parade route wasn't jam-packed with onlookers and we were able to get a relatively good, shady view of the street. And then the epic-ness of Dragon Con began. It all started with a teaser: a street sweeper when down the street to the cheers of all. The guy grinned and waved like it was the best day of his life and about five minutes later, the real parade began, and continued, and continued, and continued. And believe me, every possible facet of geek-dom and fan-dom was represented: Game of Thrones, Ghotsbusters, Star Wars, Star Trek, anime shows, fairies, witches and wizards, superheroes, steampunk, video games, movies, TV shows, pirates, the periodic table of elements personified and more. There were enough storm troopers to make a battalion, box superheroes, a walking set of Tetris blocks, multiple outlandish automobiles including a Dolorean, Ghostbuster mobiles and cars painted like Star Wars ships, and costumes of God-only-knows-what. Even some big name stars made appearances: Stan Lee was there along with Lou Ferrigno (the original Hulk) and a few others I wasn't familiar with. That's pretty sweet! The whole spectacle lasted about an hour and was a total blast. It definitely made me regret not buying passes for this year and vowing to change that next year. DragonCon 2013 here I come. read more

See all

I've been putting off doing a DragonCon review for the longest because once I get started talking about it, I don't know when to stop. In a city that's known for conventions, DragonCon is by far the best convention Atlanta has to offer. The fun is not only contagious, but addicting! I attended my first Con around 2006 and have gone almost every year since. DragonCon is a four day cosplay convention held annually on Labor Day weekend. It officially begins on that Friday and ends Labor Day afternoon. Its host hotels are downtown and within walking distance of each other (Hyatt Regency, Marriott Marquis, Hilton, Sheraton, and Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel). Most of those hotels will be sold out by January for this September event. That's how big it is. The DragonCon website www.dragoncon.org has a list of several other hotels nearby that may have vacancies but you need to make your reservations early or they'll be sold out too. Some of these hotels will also have shuttles that'll take you to the host hotels. The best days to go to DragonCon are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Saturday is the best day because around 10am they have a parade on Peachtree Street that lasts nearly two hours. I usually get to the parade route two hours before it begins just to get a good place to stand and take pictures. Yes, it's that serious. I have to say that fighting off people who try to weasel their way in front of you time the parade begins is the worst part of DragonCon. But anyway, the parade is free and open to the public. In order to attend the rest of DragonCon you must purchase a membership badge. The worst day to attend is Monday, when things are winding down and people are checking out of the hotels to go home. There is something for everyone here: Kids who'll stare in awe at the superheroes as if they think the person they're looking at is actually Spiderman, expensive costumes worn by attendees that cost thousands of dollars, men decked out in complete Chewbacca costumes despite the fact that it's usually 90 degrees that time of year in Atlanta, robotic Transformer costumes that'll leave you wondering how the person wearing the costume can even see, and for the adults there is eye candy galore. Women checking out shirtless men dressed as Conan and the cast from 300 and men drooling over Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn and Supergirl. Many nerds these days actually work out so they can look good in their form fitting outfits. Also, DragonCon is popular with the horror movie and Goth crowd. I want to make sure and say this: The later it gets in the evening, the more DragonCon becomes more adult oriented. This is when the cosplay fetish crowd starts feeling frisky. Some of the nighttime costume contests are raunchier in tone and more suggestive. Also, some of the attendees staying at the host hotels have been known to have wild parties in their rooms. My favorite part of the Con is walking around and taking pictures. By the time it's over I'll have over 400 photos in my camera without even realizing I took that many. You'll sometimes see celebrity cosplayers (people who've become so successful at cosplaying that they're actually paid to show up at conventions) as well as famous actors. I've seen Lou Ferrigno, Billy Dee Williams, Judge Reinhold and Nichelle Nichols (Uhura from Star Trek) in the DragonCon parade. I met Adrienne Barbeau (from The Fog, Swamp Thing, and Carnivale) and bought an autographed copy of her book there. The cast of True Blood did a discussion panel at the Con one year. Celebrity panels come with the territory at DragonCon. The funniest part of the Con though is watching the hotel guests who have no idea there was going to be a cosplay convention trying to figure out what's going on. Mild issues I have with DragonCon is that it's becoming more crowded every year. That combined with some of the hot costumes being worn in the summertime heat creates a lot of body odor at the venues. And nerds aren't exactly known for their coordination, so you can imagine their clumsiness walking through a packed convention lol. Sometimes many of the paid celebrity cosplayers can be snobs. One admonished a regular cosplayer for wearing a "Party City costume." Also, there have been a few guys who've had too much to drink and think that just because a woman is wearing revealing attire that it means she wants to be touched inappropriately. This behavior is bad for the Con and only represents a very small fraction of the people there. But overall, DragonCon is worth the five stars I'm rating it. It's transformed (no pun intended) the city and made cosplaying a part of Atlanta's growing culture. I love it! read more

See all

I love DragonCon! I have been two years running, it is the only Con I have ever been to, and I'm the first to admit I'm not the world's biggest nerd. Sure, I enjoy reading/watching most mainstream fantasy/scifi stuff- but I'm by no means your hardcore nerd. But that's ok! DragonCon has something for everyone! Here's the scoop: There are these things called "tracks", basically a way of separating the different genres. You have the Young Adult Lit track, which will include Harry Potter and Twilight stuff. Then you have the BBC Track, including all things Doctor Who and Torchwood. The Star Wars track- obviously popular. Etc. Etc. Within each Track, you will find difrrent meetings, events, and panels you can attend. Panels are where someone famous (or at least, well-known within that particular subsect) will be interviewed in front of everyone and the audience members can ask questions. Meetings usually have a topic which is discussed by all who attend. And events can be anything from costume contests to trying to break the world record for the most people to dance to Thriller at one time (yep, 2009 was a fun one). Then there is my favorite part- The Walk of Fame. This is where you get to meet the stars up close and personal. Get autographs (bring cash!) and sometimes even pictures. Past big name stars have included Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, Brandon Routh (Superman Returns), Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter series), and many more. For those of you who have absolutely no history of watching the SciFi channel or reading anime, there is always just the enjoyment of people watching. Hundreds of costumes each year and parades too! So go ahead- find your inner geek, nerd, 10 year old; find that old star trek shirt, steal your kids' light saber, and head downtown. Because you are gonna be the coolest person at work on Monday when you tell everyone how you got drunk, went to a rave, and saw a storm trooper making out with that girl from avatar. read more

See all

Best convention ever. This is my seventh year. People-watching doesn't get better than at Dragon*Con.

I had heard about Dragon*Con every year since I had moved to Atlanta about 3 years ago, but I never made the effort to check it out. Thanks to my awesome friends who showed me the ropes, I was able to experience a fraction of what Dragon*Con has to offer. After I got off work the Friday before Labor Day weekend, I met up with my friend and we carpooled. I highly suggest carpooling with a few friends because parking will set you back at *least* $10. If you want to grab a cheap, quick bite before heading over to Dragon*Con, the Peachtree Center food court is a good option. I was surprisingly satisfied with my meal at Malibu Wings and would recommend it to fellow D*Con attendees (http://www.yelp.com/biz/malibu-wings-atlanta-4#hrid:3YxTRVjNHt150OnzXv5ivw). For people who are semi-claustrophobic (like me), D*Con will definitely take you out of your comfort zone. People will bump into you, and many of them will be smelly from sweat. You'll just have to accept that and move on. I love taking pictures on my dinky old digital camera, and I definitely did that here. For the most part, people were really cool about letting you take pics of them and with them. There were oodles of amazing costumes, but the following were some of my favorites in order (best to least favorite): 1. Bane from "The Dark Knight Rises" 2. Alan (Zach Galifianakis) from "The Hangover" 3. Driver (Ryan Gosling) from "Drive" 4. Neytiri from "Avatar" 5. Fiona from "Shrek" 5. Marty and Jennifer from "Back to the Future" 6. Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg from "The Fifth Element" 7. April O'Neil and Casey Jones from "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" 8. Jawa from "Star Wars" 9. Chewie from "Star Wars" 10. SpongeBob SquarePants =) Other honorable mentions were the super hot Spartan soldiers from "300" and, although not a person in costume, I LOVED the life-size remote-controlled R2-D2! =) The Disney characters, Pocahontas, Ariel, Aurora, Rapunzel, and Gaston were pretty cool, too. There were dozens and dozen of zombies, but their novelty wore off immediately because there were so many. I didn't take advantage of any of the (overpriced) food and drink offerings, but one of my friends definitely did. Apparently, things can get crazy as it gets later into the night, but I didn't stay long enough to see. Overall, Dragon*Con gets 4 stars for providing an awesome opportunity to dress up and/or people-watch. However, as dorky as I can be, maybe I'm just not crazy enough about the very idea of having to pay to watch and take pics of people. You can do that for free during Halloween. Nevertheless, I can definitely see myself going back next year if I don't have other plans for Labor Day weekend. =) [Review 261 of 366] read more

See all

The ultimate escape-from-reality extended Weekend, Dragon*Con has never disappointed me. In reality ,this event is just a big excuse to party. There are several "host hotels" (I think there were 5 in 2011) but if you're up for the party atmosphere you'll want to stay at the Marriott Marquis. This open floor hotel (think of it like the Luxor in Vegas) allows you to see down from your floor to the main party levels, and honestly, if its a Friday, Saturday or Sunday you'll definitely hear the partying going on. Lower floors may hear noise even in their rooms late night. You have a chance to just stroll around in a variety of costumes with the goal of seeing how many people want to take your picture, or you can just walk around in amazement at the extensive costumes others choose to creatively express. There will be costumes from probably any comic book character, video game representation ,and my favorite and interest in the con comes from the scifi connection. Daleks, Classic Cylons (complete with the rotating red light and sound), Transformers, Xmen, and of course plenty of Star Fleet uniforms. While taking pictures each person comes to life with the persona of their character so this is truly your chance to become a superhero or villain for the weekend! The host hotels are located right in downtown near a big mall with a good sized but still not enough seats food court. From the airport you can take the Marta subway right there so you don't even need a car, everything is walking distance. Remember, there will be 50,000 plus people in town for this geek convention. Sometimes getting an elevator up or down in your hotel can take 20+ minutes so most opt for the stairs. Plan in advance the panels, actors, and events you want to attend. The convention usually draws some big name actors from sci-fi like William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Edward James Olmos, etc. Waiting in long lines for these big name events can eat up half your day though. There's also a "walk of fame" for autograph signings and the famous parade in the city streets if you can wake up early enough. So if you're proud to let your inner geek come out and play for the weekend, can handle crowds and non stop parties, this is the event for you. This year was my 3rd Con. As the Terminator says, "I'll be back"! read more

Dragon Con - Party Floor Marriott Marquis Hotel - Festivals Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

NOTE: this review is for the Parade only. Having done five consecutive Mardi Gras in New Orleans, I consider myself kind of a parade "snob", but even with my high standards, the Dragon Con Parade is well worth the effort to get downtown. I'll break this review down for ya: PARADE LOCATION: The parade marches through the heart of downtown Atlanta, which poses a real problem where traffic is concerned. However, the route is located right off of the Peachtree Center (and not far from Civic Center) MARTA stations, making it easily accessible via public transportation. This is the method we've used to get to the parade for a couple years now and I highly recommend it. The trains will be crowded, but you'll save yourself the hassle (and $$$) of finding parking near downtown. The route is not terribly long, so viewing "room" is somewhat limited, and people often line up four or five rows deep along the street. Arriving at the route early is recommended, but this year, we arrived 20 minutes before step-off (9:40 ish) and were still able to find a decent spot about three rows back. TIPS: +Arrive about an hour early for a good spot. +Bring folding chairs- you'll be happy, and the people standing behind you will be happy to see over your head. +bring snacks & drinks to keep ya happy. +Camp out near a place with a restroom (hotels will sometimes turn a blind eye, but there's always Starbucks and a few other bars/restaurants if you're willing to buy a drink) +OR camp out near a MARTA station for quick escape. PARADE "PLANNING": Atypical to what I expect parades to do, this one usually steps off ON TIME! Meaning, if you're further down the route, you won't have to wait hours until it gets to you. This is a big selling point. They also ensure plenty of police presence and some use of guardrail to prevent too much chaos. Overall, this parade seems well planned and well executed each year. PARADE PARTICIPANTS: It is evident (in most cases) that a lot of work goes into the costumes, floats and contraptions that march down Peachtree. Each group has their own flair, "festivities" and theme- and it's such a treat to crane your neck in anticipation of who is up next. Costumes/groups range vastly from "spot on" Character recreations and character "mash-up" costumes (e.g. Princess Darth Vadar, Steampunk Donald Duck, etc.) to "Pun" costume groups (e.g. Periodic table group) and just some downright random ones. read more

I still think DragonCon has grown too big for its own good. But it was fun, even if it is terribly crowded. I mean this, the world's biggest, costumed, cocktail party makes for really good people-watching and photography. And I did take a ton of pictures this year (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dalaimickey/sets/72157631330939228/). My registration process was over in less than five minutes. Add another five to pre-register for next year. Speaking of which, next year I promise to do more than take pictures. Like maybe do a little gaming or something. I hear they're expanding the space a little bit. Maybe that will help with the overcrowding thing. We'll have to see. Holler if I'll see you there... read more

One of the best events in the year in Atlanta. Over 50,000 registered participants, as well as many thousand others there to just people watch, partying in 4 of the downtown Atlanta hotels. 2009 had a Guiness World Record attempt for the Thriller dance too, which i participated in and was an awesome experience. I've convinced some of my neighbors and friends to go with me over the years, and every time they always think "oh, this is going to be a geekfest" and every last one of them, before they're 10 minutes into it, all started planning on what they're going to wear next year. Fantastic time! Here's a vid someone edited with a glimpse at all the fantastic costumes, sexy ladies, and fun times: http://multimedia.studiocreations.com/dc2007_costuming_musicvideo.mov read more

See all

At the beginning of the summer, I thought Bonnaroo was my happy place. At the end of the summer now, and Dragon*Con has taken it's place. Thanks to D*Con for restoring my faith in Cons, post FandomFest shitshow. Organization! Knowledgeable staff and volunteers! Things starting on time! An awesome-sauce parade! Parties and balls for nerds of all types! It's something you really need to experience to understand, but it was fun and amazing. The people attending were all pretty great as well, and when everyone is pleasant and calm it makes large scale events even better. The only reason this isn't 5 stars is because there was a severe lack of information regarding photo ops. No sign until you got to the registers at the front of the line that it was cash only. No schedule online. And only a few schedules on paper at the front of the line. Very inconvenient. And I did not care for the photos just being laid out on tables for you (or anyone) to claim. Ours was lost and we had to get it reprinted, which the man at the printer seemed supremely annoyed by... But overall, a fantastic experience. I already have my ticket for next year! read more

I purchased tickets, understanding policies and rules at the time tickets were purchased. A month after purchasing the tickets new policies were added, directly affecting entry to the event. These changes prevented me from attending the event and DragonCon refused to provide a refund or reasonable accommodation. I spoke with the director and he was very rude, while stating it was their policy to not provide refunds and failed to provide customer service. They have been reported to the better business bureau and have stolen my money. BE WARNED read more

Always such an experience. All the participants are so talented and creative when it comes to their cosplay costumes. A huge fan & I just want everyone to know that they should deff keep up the great work and efforts!! read more

My first experience ever thanks to a friend of mine who had a 4-day weekend pass to Dragon*Con 2013. It was AMAZING. I'm really considering to buy tix for next year just to attend panels and check out people's costumes. I also want to meet more actors/actresses/celebs that come through for the meet and greet. I've always seen the costumes/cosplay every year since I attended GSU and the hotels are nearby, but I never really knew the in and outs of what was going on. Cool experience. Cool people. Cool atmosphere. read more

I've attended Dragon Con every year since 2012, and every year it's different, but it's always a blast. Yes, it's crowded. Yes, the hotels are expensive. But buy your badge early and the cost is nothing compared to other large conventions (for example, San Diego Comic-Con, or corporate conventions like Wizard World). Also, this is THE convention to attend as a fan. You'll be completely immersed in a world of fellow geeks, awesome panels and parties, guests galore, and some of the best cosplay you'll ever see, for the entirety of Labor Day weekend. Just make sure you start your plans early...hotels book up almost a year in advance! (They're harder to get than tickets, trust me.) I actually wrote a survivor's guide that I highly suggest checking out if you're interested in attending and haven't been before: http://thegeekiary.com/tara-lynnes-dragon-con-survival-guide/26484 read more

First time at the parade! It was pretty Spectacular. So many people! I think even more than the Peachtree Road race. Go early to get a good spot. Prepare to be squished in a very crowded area. Took Lenox mall Marta station to peachtree center station to avoid traffic. I highly recommend doing this. Remember it's Labor Day weekend. It's also the start of football season and tailgating. It seems everyone is pooling into downtown Atlanta so it's very congested. Was able to find a decent spot in front of the Hard Rock Cafe to get a good view. Next year will definitely plan to attend the convention too. read more

See all