A new convention focused on “The Walking Dead” is coming to the Georgia World Congress Center Sept. 17-19 called Fandemic Dead.
This particular convention has nothing to do with the former annual Walker Stalker conventions, which operated in different cities, including Atlanta, from 2012 to 2019. The Walker Stalker convention operator had financial issues when the show’s popularity waned and shut the operations down.
Over three days at Fandemic Dead, current and past cast members, producers, cosplayers and artists will mingle with fans for autographs, panel discussions and photographs. Among actors who are currently scheduled to be there are Norman Reedus (Darryl), Steven Yeun (Glenn), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Negan), Melissa McBride (Carol), Michael Cudlitz (Abraham), Tom Payne (Jesus), Michael Rooker (Merle), David Morrissey (The Governor), Jon Bernthal (Shane) and Chandler Riggs (Carl).
“Atlanta is the birthplace of ‘The Walking Dead’ series, so it only feels right to experience this here,” said John Macaluso, Fandemic Tour CEO. “Following Dragon Con, we’re excited to be one of the first, larger in-person events back on the books for Atlanta. We can already feel the support especially from diehard fans who have already helped spread the word about our convention.”
Fandemic day passes range from $40 to $60 with a three-day pass at $86. A VIP pass costs $175.
Macaluso, who worked for years in clothing manufacturing and ran Wizard World conventions from 2012 to 2015, started Fandemic Tour in 2017 and held sci-fi conventions in Sacramento, California, in 2018 and Houston in 2019.
In an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Macaluso said he hopes to attract 15,000 to 20,000 people to his convention and has sold plenty of VIP packages already.
The current and final 11th season of “The Walking Dead” is in production out of Senoia. The show debuted in 2010 and became the most popular basic cable series in history, peaking at 20 million viewers in season five. It now draws a quarter of that audience in a more splintered, streaming-focused world.
The “Walking Dead” universe also features multiple spin-off series, video games and planned movies.
About the Author
