For five days, Atlanta is going to be the epicenter of pop culture. Cosplayers, tabletop masters, filk musicians, paranormal investigators, video game aficionados — all walks of life will be strolling into downtown by the tens of thousands to participate in an annual convention: Dragon Con.
Anticipated to be over 70,000 strong, it’s going to be a wild time. And Dungeons & Dragons is going to be the star of the show, so grab your D20s. Atlanta’s biggest pop culture convention might just roll a critical hit this year.
“Just like anything else, when you’re interested in something, people want to share it and tell you all the cool reasons,” Gary Con founder and game designer Luke Gygax told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “So you can find like minded folks and probably make some new friends and learn a bunch of cool stuff. So that’s why you should go to Dragon Con. It’s fun and you’re going to meet cool people and make new friends.”
The son of legendary Dungeons & Dragons late creator Gary Gygax, Luke will be championing his father’s legacy at Dragon Con for the 50th anniversary of D&D. He will be leading an ensemble of designers and writers of the tabletop roleplaying game, who will be hosting tournaments and panels throughout the week.
But that’s just a single slice of what the convention is bringing to downtown this year. The whole pie? Over 3,500 hours of comics, film, television, costuming, art, music, and gaming programming is heading to the Peach State’s capital city.
What is Dragon Con?
Dragon Con is a five-day annual pop culture convention that takes place in Atlanta every Labor Day weekend. It’s hosted at five of the city’s downtown hotels, with additional space reserved for nearly three acres of gaming activities.
The convention attracts stars from various walks of life, including best selling authors and legendary actors. But it also hosts a bevy of unique events, ranging from a knight tournament to a Star Wars-themed dance party. If it’s found in popular culture, it is probably represented at Dragon Con in some way. This year, D&D is taking center stage.
“I can’t say enough good stuff,” Luke said, speaking on his love of the game. “And that’s why I’m out there. That’s why I’m coming to Dragon Con.”
The late Gygax’s iconic tabletop game from 1974 spawned the role playing genre, starting a chain reaction of inspirations that would influence music, movies and games for decades to come. It’s seen a massive resurgence, most recently following the dragon-sized success of Baldur’s Gate 3 — a video game set within the world of D&D. Having sold “way over” 10 million copies, the game’s reach represents over a fifth of the number of people believed to have ever played D&D since its creation 50 years ago: 50 million.
“I think none of us were truly prepared for the level of success this game was going to have,” the game’s biggest star, BAFTA-nominated Astarion actor Neil Newbon said. “I think all of us believed that. The endeavor we were doing, the passion that was being put in there, the level of quality of talent from developers to writers, directors, as well was so high that we thought this is going to be something special.”
Newbon will be at the convention doing panels alongside many of his Baldur’s Gate 3 companions — a classic representation of how Dragon Con’s star-studded offerings go far beyond the average TV and film fair.
“My craft work was better than it ever has been,” Newbon said, speaking on his experience jumping from TV and film into the world of video game voice acting and motion capture. “And I found the ability to take my face off and be a character unbelievably liberating. I think that was the thing that gave me more than any other medium I’ve experienced before. As long as it’s appropriate to my ethnic background casting, I can be anybody of any age. I can play any kind of creature. All I have to do is have the will and the craftwork to back it up, to do it and then just have fun with it. It’s been an amazing ride. It really has.”
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Credit: Steve Schaefer
When is Dragon Con?
The annual convention takes place every Labor Day weekend, extending five days in total. This year, it begins Aug. 29 and runs through Sept. 2.
Where is Dragon Con?
The convention is hosted at five downtown Atlanta hotels: Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Hilton Atlanta, Westin Peachtree and Courtland Grand. Dragon Con’s vendor hall, art show, comics, Pop Art Alley and nearly three acres of gaming will be available at AmericasMart buildings two and three.
For quick access to the various hotels, visit dragoncon.org/travel/hotels.
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Credit: Steve Schaefer
When is the Dragon Con parade?
The Dragon Con parade is a unique spectacle for the Peach State’s capital city, drawing in even more spectators than the actual convention. Around 75,000 people will be taking to the streets as thousands of cosplayers show off their costume-making magic. Spectators will want to stay until the grand finale if they want to catch the iconic imperial march of the legendary 501st Legion of stormtroopers.
The parade will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday on Peachtree Street. For a map of the event, visit dragoncon.org/things-to-do/parade. Can’t make it? The parade will also be available to watch online.
“There is no doubt that the number of people seeing the parade exceeds the number of people inside Dragon Con, and the parade is Dragon Con’s gift to the city of Atlanta,” Dragon Con media engagement director Dan Carroll told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last year. “It’s a mile of people walking. We have 3,200 folks in costume. The people who march in the parade? That fills up in five minutes in February when the application goes online. And you’ve never seen anything like it anywhere else. It’s the largest parade in Atlanta, and it’s going to be available on TV (channel CW 69), but it’s also going to be available on DC TV.”
Dragon Con advised people interested in seeing the parade in person to take MARTA, as parking will be in short supply around downtown. Three MARTA stations will be in close proximity to the action: North Avenue, Civic Center and Peachtree Center.
Live parade coverage begins at 10 a.m. on Atlanta 69.
What is there to do and see?
From hard science to high fantasy, the convention will host around 300 authors, artists, game designers, puppeteers, scientists and engineers that will lead panels across 38 different genres of programming. And with thousands of hours of programming, there’s something at Dragon Con for just about anyone.
To stay up to date on it all, the convention advises guests to download its app, which can be found at dragoncon.org/resources/digital-resources.
While there is always something new on offer, there are plenty of common staples that draw in crowds every year. The Palmetto Knights Tournament is an international medieval combat sports event that will be hosted at the Courtland Grand on Saturday.
On Thursday, the Hyatt Centennial will host a “blowout” wrestling event in honor of DCW’s 19th year. Head on over to the Marriott Atrium Ballroom on Thursday for Twisted Toons, a “famous live movie read featuring the biggest voice acting superstars in the galaxy.”
For a full list of the convention’s events, visit dragoncon.org/things-to-do or dailydragon.dragoncon.org.
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Ticket information
As a five-day convention, Dragon Con tickets come in a variety of price points. The cheapest passes are for individual days, specifically Thursday ($35) and Monday ($35). Friday passes are a little pricier at $55, with individual day ticket prices maxing out on Saturday ($75) and dipping back down for Sunday ($65).
Visitors that want to experience the full extended weekend can pay $175 for Aug. 29 through Sept. 2 access. Want the highly coveted Eternal Membership that lasts a lifetime? That will run you $4,500.
Tickets can be purchased at dragoncon.org/buy-now/.
Parking information
Dragon Con suggested booking parking in advance through one of it’s go-to parking apps: ParkMobile and Spot Hero. Need to know how to get where you need to go? The convention offers travel tips and access to its parking apps at dragoncon.org/travel/transportation.
Those walking to the convention should head to MARTA’s Peachtree Center Station, which will drop them off near two of the convention’s prominent hotels: Hyatt Regency and Marriott Marquis.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
The bottom line
Dragon Con has a lot on offer, but not all of it can be found on an event page. Much of the experience can only be truly understood once you’re on the convention floor, meeting people.
“I love the fact that people can be who they are,” Newbon said. “If anybody ever doubts going to a convention because they think they might get judged, because they’re bullied in their real life or they’re judged in their real life... conventions, by and large, are places where people can be exactly who they want to be. And they’ll be celebrated for who they are. If anybody’s worried about going in cosplay or something, just do it. Go for it and have fun with it, because that’s the point.”
“If you turn up in an Astarion cosplay, and there’s 20 other Astarions, it doesn’t matter,” he continued. “People are going to love it anyway. Don’t worry too much about what people think of you. Be who you are and have fun with it. Enjoy the experience, because it’s awesome.”
Come on down to Dragon Con Labor Day weekend. It’s bound to have something you didn’t know you needed.
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