At the time of publication, there are exactly 10 days until the kick off of the highly anticipated Dragon Con 2022. Since 1987 – over 35 years ago – this fan favorite convention has drawn people together from all over the world. It goes without saying that Dragon Con is well known throughout the multiverse as the place to be over Labor Day weekend. Last year alone, despite ye-olde COVID 19, there were quite a few people that made it out. And by quite a few, we mean over 20,000. This year, it is anticipated that over 60,000 fans will be in attendance – scattered throughout the five/six hotels that will once again be hosting these festivities.
Perhaps the most important question that gets asked year after year, especially by new attendees, is – “where do I even begin?” The uniqueness of Dragon Con is how it offers thirty-two different tracks, or be it, quests, for fans to enjoy. Everything from Star Trek, Star Wars – to genre specific such as Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction…just to name a few. Another flavor that is specific to this convention is the Kids Track. Have wee little ones in your family and want to bring them along? Then by all means – you will find plenty of family friendly programming throughout the weekend.
The 35th Dragon Con is set to leave fellow fans of all things geeky and awesome with some truly incredible memories. Thus far, over 162 guests have been announced and added to the eclectic roster, spanning multiple genres. Cast members from various incarnations Star Trek: The Original, Voyager, Picard, Strange New Worlds, and Discovery – are set to beam aboard. There are also folks from The Arrowverse – (Arrow, The Flash, Star Girl, and Legends of Tomorrow) slated to join the fun. A complete guest list and more, (which is always subject to change), can be viewed below in the official Dragon Con press release. Yours truly geeked out at a few names on the roster – especially Jennifer Morrison (Once Upon a Time), Anson Mount (Star Trek: Discover and Strange New Worlds), Anthony Rapp (RENT, Star Trek: Discovery), and Mark Sheppard (Supernatural, Doctor Who, etc).
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“WILLIAM SHATNER, WALTER KOENIG, MORENA BACCARIN, TOM CAVANAGH,
DAVID RAMSEY AND DANIELLE PANABAKER BRING OUT THE STARS AT DRAGON CON
Cavanagh, Ramsey, Panabaker Lead a Large Cast of Arrowverse Stars; Flanigan and Luttrell Will Lead a Meet Up of Stargate Atlantis Fans; And Encanto Castmates Will Charm Con-goers
ATLANTA – Aug. 8, 2021 – Two living members of the original Star Trek television series, William Shatner and Walter Koenig, lead a long list of celebrity guests headed to Dragon Con, Atlanta’s internationally known pop culture, fantasy, science fiction, and gaming convention, for Labor Day weekend.
Emmy-nominated actors Morena Baccarin and Tom Cavanagh, along with David Ramsey and Danielle Panabaker, will join Shatner and Koenig to meet fans, lead panel discussions and sign autographs.
Other top guests from television and movies including Charmed’s Holly Marie Combs; Stargate Atlantis’ Joe Flanigan and Rachel Luttrell; Encanto’s Diane Guerrero, Mauro Castillo, and Adassa; Stargirl’s Brec Bassinger, Yvette Monreal, Trae Romano, and Anjelika Washington; and Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD’s Brett Dalton, Jason O’Mara, and Briana Venskus; as well as voice actors Kaitlyn Robrock (Disney’s Minnie Mouse), Jim Cummings (Disney’s Winnie the Pooh), and Nolan North (Superman).
Several television shows filmed in Georgia will be represented including Doom Patrol, Stargirl, The Walking Dead, and Fear the Walking Dead, which recently moved production to Georgia after several seasons in Texas. Other media guests will represent Titans, Supernatural, Star Trek Picard, Star Trek Discovery, Stargate SG-1, The Magicians, Locke & Key, and The Expanse, as well as video game Red Dead Redemption.
An estimated 60,000 people are expected to attend Dragon Con over the five-day Labor Day Weekend – Sept. 1 to Sept. 5 – with events and activities across AmericasMart Buildings Two and Three and five host hotels – Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Hilton Atlanta, Westin Peachtree, and Sheraton Atlanta.
Literary Guest of Honor Nnedi Okorafor, an award-winning science fiction novelist best known for Who Fears Death and the Binti trilogy, and Artist Guest of Honor Stephanie Law, a fantasy fine artist whose work explores mythology in next contexts, especially into the natural world.
For an older generation of fans, the convention also welcomes Sam J. Jones and Melody Anderson from the 1980 cult classic film, Flash Gordon.
Shatner is a cultural icon and best remembered as Capt. James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise in the Star Trek television series, the animated series, and seven motion pictures. He will be at the convention on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday only.
He will be joined Koenig, who played Ensign Pavel Chekov, who brought teen idol good looks to the bridge of the USS Enterprise. Koenig also appeared all seven motion pictures featuring the original cast. Later in his career, Koenig had a featured role in the science fiction television series Babylon 5.
Baccarin has a wide following in pop culture, having had lead roles in television’s Gotham and The Flash, two Deadpool movies, television’s Firefly and its follow up film Serenity, and the 2009 television reboot of V. Baccarin will be joined by Gotham castmate (and spouse) Ben McKenzie.
Cavanagh leads a strong showing of castmates from the Arrowverse, the CW franchise that includes several DC Comics-based shows including Arrow, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and several others. Cavanagh is an original cast member of The Flash, appearing as Dr. Harrison Wells and Reverse Flash, with appearances in Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow, Supergirl, and Batwoman. Cavanagh is also well known to television audiences from the shows Ed and Scrubs.
Ramsey plays the role of John Diggle (also known as Spartan or Green Arrow), initially on Arrow, which ran from 2012 to 2020, and continues in that role across the so-called Arrowverse programs, including The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, Superman and Lois, and Supergirl.
Panabaker, another The Flash original actor, played Caitlyn Snow (also known as Killer Frost) across the Arrowverse, also appearing in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, and Arrow.
Cavanagh, Ramsey and Panabaker will be joined by Danielle Nicolet (The Flash), Olivia Swann (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow), and Arthur Darvill (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow). Darvill is also well known in fandom as companion Rory Williams from the Doctor Who franchise.
About Dragon Con
Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day Weekend (Sept. 1 -Sept. 5, 2022) in Atlanta. Organized for fans, Dragon Con features more than 3,500 hours of comics, film, television, costuming, art, music, and gaming over four days. For more information, please visit www.dragoncon.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.”
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One can’t begin to describe the levels of excitement and other varying emotions as the date draws nearer and nearer. Thus, it is important to remember that there are countless people behind the scenes at Dragon Con, to whom we owe copious amounts of thanks and gratitude to. Like other fan conventions, Dragon Con is run by all volunteers.
Translation – don’t be that person who ends up escorted out of the venue, by security, for doing dumb stuff.
We hope to see you lovely folks in just a few short days at Dragon Con 2022. And as always, stay 2uned 😉.
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Dragon Con 2022 by the numbers – fun facts:
-5 days’ worth of special events and programming.
– A total of six hotels – Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Atlanta Marriot Marquis, Hilton Atlanta, Sheraton Atlanta Hotel, Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, and AmericasMart Building.
– 166 guests and counting, spanning from all genres of entertainment
– 322 vendors across three floors at the AmericasMart Building
– 32 unique tracks, dedicated to everything and anything, such as costuming, film production, cosplay, anime/manga, various & specific flavors of science fiction, gaming, etc.
– 1 intuitive, free app that is a MUST to obtain. It has everything you need to navigate the luminous proverbial waters that is Dragon Con. Create at custom schedule based on what you desire to see over Labor Day weekend.
AND perhaps the most important “fact” of them all – a safe place for one to let their freak flag fly free.
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(All photos: Courtesy Dragon Con Photography (c) Dragon Con, Inc.)
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