This Labor Day weekend, Atlanta’s biggest and baddest pop culture convention is coming back with a bang. Cosplayers, science fiction and fantasy lovers, daytime autograph hunters and hard-partying night owls, get ready. Dragon Con is almost here.
The annual convention is a convergence of actors, writers and performers from every corner of contemporary entertainment. While fans flock to the five-day Labor Day weekend event during the day to pick up swag from their favorite show and to attend workshops focused to their most cherished hobbies, the convention takes on another life during the night.
Dragon Con’s daytime offerings are family-friendly and fun for all. Once the sun goes down though, it’s a raging party for everyone 21 and up.
An experience where people feel welcome
“I think it’s how inclusive it is for the adults, for the 21 plus stuff.” Burlesque dancing, cosplaying, modeling triple threat May Hemmer told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, explaining what makes Dragon Con’s nightlife so special.
“I feel like, yes, we can rage. We can party, but we can be in costume without it having to be Halloween. We can pick the parties that fit our nuances and still be adults, but nerd out and geek out at the same time. And I think it’s because the top tier level of professionals and artists and performers that they bring in...I feel like Dragon Con’s nightlife is one of the best nightlives that I’ve been to because of just how big they make it. It’s an experience where people feel welcome and they feel safe.”
From the Georgia Philharmonic Orchestra to Atlanta’s world-famous aquarium, it’s a scene with something for everyone — cosplayers, booze drinkers and performance patrons are all welcome.
“They feel that this is a judgment free zone. If I wanna dress up like Harley Quinn and go have some cocktails while listening to EDM, cool. If I wanna go and watch burlesque and dress up and watch other people be nerdy and do burlesque, awesome. So I feel like it’s because not just the safe environment they provide, but the tier of entertainment that they provide.”
Dragon Con Burlesque: A Glamour Geek Revue
The glue that hold its all together each year is the world-famous “Dragon Con Burlesque: A Glamour Geek Revue.” This year Hemmer, a performer with experience in spades, is producing the show.
From seductively portraying Billy Dee Williams’ iconic Star Wars character Lando Calrissian to turning up the heat with a Deadpool performance, it’s a saucy show unlike any other in Atlanta.
“So we’re doing nerdlesque... which is nerdy burlesque, Hemmer said. “We like to take different pop culture characters and bring them to the stage... I did Lando Calrissian, like what else would I be other than Billy Dee with a bottle of Colt 45 trying seduce the front row, you know?
“Burlesque is about the artform and about the art of the tease and watching someone who’s putting an entire act together. So when you take that character aspect on the nerdy level, some people are going to be really excited to see... so like people are seeing different references for the mature audience that they can appreciate. So, yes, it’s sexy. It’s central. It’s a tease.”
This year, fans can expect to see a number of fun characters. Fans of IO Interactive’s “Hitman: Absolution” are in for a treat.
“And so this year, when I picked the cast, I try to pick stuff from varying fandoms,” she said. “I’ve got everything from TV to video games, to old school Disney. It should touch a lot of the mature age groups, like the 20 somethings to those in like their sixties and seventies that come to the show so everybody can relate to a character on that stage in a very positive and sexy way.
“I don’t wanna spoil anything. ‘Hitman: Absolution,’ the video game, you might see some of the saints there.”
The show takes place Sunday, Sept. 4, within the Sheraton’s Grand Ballroom at midnight. In order to attend, all you need is your Dragon Con badge. For more information, visit facebook.com/DragonConBurlesque/.
Pin-Ups by the Pool
Ahead of the big weekend, fans can relax at “Dragon Con’s Pin-Ups by the Pool Party.” Held on Friday, Sept. 2, at the Sheraton pool and in the courtyard, May Hemmer and her “bevy of bathing beauties” will be hosting poolside fun with prizes in tow.
“We have our performers on the Saturday night show (the burlesque event is at midnight Sunday),” Hemmer said. “They’re our judges. So they go around and pick people that are dressed up that they think would be great. And it’s all about fun. It’s nothing super serious.”
Mistress of ceremonies Phoebe Nyx will be kicking off the event at 8:30 p.m.
The Late Night Puppet Slam
If pin-ups by the pool and nerdy burlesque are too hot and heavy, “Mass Effect” actor and longtime Dragon Con guest Mark Meer will be hosting “The Late Night Puppet Slam” once again. It’s an 18 and up saucy puppet show filled with hilarity and inappropriateness.
“You are already home when you’re at Dragon Con,” Meer told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution when asked about Dragon Con’s nightlife offerings. “I think that contributes to, essentially, the party atmosphere that Dragon Con has. It’s been compared to a five-day-long Halloween party, essentially. Because again, the percentage of people in cosplay is noticeably higher than at a typical convention. In general, even big cons, they don’t quite have the same sort of nightlife and party atmosphere and, let’s face it, family atmosphere that Dragon Con has.”
According to Meer, the puppet slam — which had nearly 900 attendees in 2019 — has been growing within the con’s nightlife scene at a rapid pace over the years.
“I’ve been doing the puppet slam since it’s inception,” he said. “Even before I was an official guest, I was in the very first one that was held in a much smaller room than the one it’s currently held in...I think we turned away at least two or three times as many people as we let in that first year. So the second year of the puppet slam was immediately in a much bigger room. It’s always a popular destination, I think, for Dragon Con attendees. And, I always have a great time.”
“The Late Night Puppet Slam” begins at midnight on Monday, Sept. 5, from within the Westin Peachtree Ballroom.
Live Music
Dragon Con will also have roughly 30 bands playing day and night across the convention’s stages, as well as DJs helming its many parties when the sun goes down. Among them, multi-hyphenate entertainer Jason Charles Miller will be making a stop on his tour for two different Dragon Con sets.
From founding Godhead — the only band to ever be signed to Marilyn Manson’s Posthuman Records — to hosting Geek and Sundry’s “Starter Kit” web series, Miller is a D&D playing, guitar-wielding entertainer reminiscent of the romanticized bards of old.
“I’m gonna play songs from different points in my career,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Obviously some of my solo material, I’m also gonna play some Godhead songs. I’m gonna play some songs from some different TV and video games that I have sung on more recently, because I know that they’ll want to hear that too. So I’m not gonna leave them out in the cold. I’m definitely gonna add those to the set. What I like to do, especially at conventions because the fandom is so widespread, I try to throw a little bit of everything into the time allowed.”
Miller will be performing an acoustic set at the Hyatt Convention Concourse on Friday evening and a full set on Sunday evening at the Atrium Ballroom within the Marriott at 11:59 P.M., just before midnight.
“It’s nonstop,” Miller said when asked about Dragon Con’s nightlife offerings. “So people go there with the intent of like, I mean, I don’t know when they’re gonna sleep exactly. I think they go there with the intent of like, ‘we’re not gonna sleep for the next four days and that’s just how it’s gonna be.’”
Miller will also be doing a panel Saturday afternoon.
“I plan on being at my booth a lot,” he said. “So if people want to come by and say hi at the booth, please come by. I’ve got merch and autograph photos and things like that.”
Georgia Philharmonic Orchestra Presents
For music fans with more classical tastes, the Georgia Philharmonic Orchestra will be performing symphonic renditions of iconic film, television show and video game scores for the convention. The melodic 90-minute event will take place at 7:30 p.m. from within the Hyatt Regency Centennial Ballroom on Saturday, Sept. 3.
Dragon Con Night at the Aquarium
Dragon Con is also bringing back a classic Atlanta tradition, “Dragon Con Night at Georgia Aquarium.” It’s over 11 million gallons worth of fun.
“Here, you can experience exclusive after-hours views of the Aquarium galleries, with ambient music and food and drinks available for purchase with a General Admission ticket,” Dragon Con said on its website. “To take your experience to the next level, consider the VIP experience which includes food and open bar located in a private ballroom with upgraded décor. Don’t miss this mystical and magical experience as you journey through 11 million gallons of wondrous water. We can’t wait to see your creativity in all things Dragon Con on this special night.”
The event runs from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3. General admission and VIP tickets can be purchased here.
Something for everyone
“I love the daytime, super family friendly,” Hemmer said. “If my kids were old enough, I would probably bring them, but they’re still itty bitty. But nightlife is where you can truly be an adult while being a kid, you can dress up, you can watch great shows, listen to good music, have fun drinks.
“You can just be with your fellow nerds who can appreciate burlesque, and if it’s your first time seeing burlesque, come see it in a fun and fantastical way of what burlesque is with just a nerdy twist.”
Dragon Con starts Thursday, Sept. 1, and ends Monday, Sept. 5. The convention will be held across five of Atlanta’s top downtown hotels — Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Hilton Atlanta, Westin Peachtree and Sheraton Atlanta. AmericasMart Buildings Two and Three will host the convention’s vendor hall, art show, comics, Pop Art Alley and almost three acres of gaming.
To join the estimated 65,000 pop culture fans expected to attend, tickets can be purchased here.
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