In less than 3 days, the annual descent into the dragon’s den will commence in the heart of the Peach state. Dragon Con will once again be taking downtown Atlanta by storm – seeing crowds as high as 60,000 in attendance. Spanning over four days, beginning Thursday, August 31st through Monday, September 2nd – not even counting all of the pre- and post-convention shenanigans. And once more with feeling, yours truly will be back in the infamous dragon’s lair for a weekend to remember.
But first, to address the proverbial hidden thief in the room…as many of you know, there is a current and much needed Writers’ Guild and SAG-AFTRA strike still ongoing. And while we don’t do a deep dive into that; we first & foremost fully stand with and support both guilds as they continue to fight for a long overdue fair share of the pie. There are many outstanding and informative articles out there that explain, in detail, what has happened and is continuing to happen. With that being said, there will be noticeable changes to how – in particular- panels are run.
For example, fans won’t be permitted to ask those celebrity guests, who are all virtually both SAG-AFTRA and WGA members – any questions pertaining to any past/present/future works that are entangled with the strike. The good news is that they will still be interacting with fans, much like in years pass. Another difference is when it comes to having autographs signed. You may notice that your usual 5×7’s and 8×10’s prints of your favorite celebrity in that show – won’t be available at their respective tables. More likely in their stead will be that person’s headshots and or stills from their independent projects. Fans can still bring their own stuff to sign – posters, prints, etc – and it will be, of course, at that guest’s discretion if they will sign that item.
Ahem, now that that’s been addressed – time for the juicy bits. This year’s Dragon Con will have no shortage of events that will satisfy one’s truest desires. With well over thirty-two different tracks, ranging from horror, urban fantasy, animation, anime/manga – you name it, they have it. Honestly, I can not think of another fan convention that has such detailed itineraries. Another fun fact is that Dragon Con is virtually nocturnal as well. Are you a night owl or another with an aversion to sunlight? Then kind folk, you are in luck. In our humble opinion, that is the cherry on top.
Without further ado, here from the mouth of the dragon is their official press release from just the other day:
“DRAGON CON EXPECTING 65,000 FANS TO GEEK OUT IN DOWNTOWN ATLANTA
Cosplayers, Gamers, and Pop Culture Enthusiasts Come from Across the Country for
Annual Celebration of Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Gaming
ATLANTA – August 23, 2023 – Dragon Con, the internationally known science fiction, fantasy, and gaming convention, returns to downtown Atlanta for Labor Day weekend, bringing with it some 65,000 pop culture fans.
Dragon Con attracts fans from all 50 states and several foreign countries who come to Dragon Con to meet their favorite actors, artists, authors, creators, and experts, show off their latest cosplay, make new friends, and revel in the joy that is Dragon Con.
Dragon Con 2023 runs from Thursday, Aug. 31 to Monday, Sept. 4 with events and activities across five host hotels – Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Hilton Atlanta, Westin Peachtree, and Courtland Grand (formerly Sheraton Atlanta) – and AmericasMart Buildings Two and Three.
Guests – Cultural icon George Takei, fan favorites Elijah Wood and Sean Astin, and Andy Serkis, the performance capture specialist known for bringing monsters to life are among the most recognizable stars and celebrity guests headed to Dragon Con this year, leading a legion of actors who are well known to fans for their work in television, animation, and movies.
They will be joined by Paul Bettany, Gina Torres, Bruce Boxleitner, Adrianne Palicki, Anson Mount, D.B. Woodside, Ian Anderson, Tom Cavanagh, Tested.com’s Adam Savage, and 1970s action tv stars Lee Majors and Lindsay Wagner. In all, there will be more than 100 actors on site leading panels, signing autographs and taking photos.
Marty Krofft, of Sid & Marty Krofft Pictures, will also be in attendance. Often referred to as the Kings of Saturday Mornings, they dominated children’s television with programs including H.R. Pufnstuf, Lidsville, Sigmund & The Sea Monsters, Land of the Lost, and Mutt & Stuff – a run that started in 1969 and ran through 2015 – plus primetime variety shows including Donny & Marie, the Brady Bunch Variety Hour, and Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters.
In addition, Dragon Con will host some 300 authors, artists, game designers, puppeteers, scientists, engineers, and other experts to lead panels and talk with fans across 38 tracks of programming, from high fantasy to hard science.
Cosplay – Dragon Con is well known for the quality of its cosplay and that tradition will certainly continue. The nation’s top cosplayers will show off their best work during the show, participating in costume contests every night of the convention and promenading throughout the five host hotels and the streets of downtown Atlanta.
Cosplay competitions remain a mainstay of Dragon Con, including the queen of competitions, Dragon Con Masquerade, the oldest continuously-run competition in fandom, the craftsmanship-focused Friday Night Costume Contest, and the low-key and fan-voted Hallway Costume Contest.
Gaming – Dragon Con, one of the largest gaming conventions in the nation, offers more than three acres of gaming in AmericasMart Building Three, plus additional gaming and game-related programming in the nearby Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel.
This year, gamers headed to Dragon Con will get a chance to experience Magic The Gathering’s newest new edition, Wilds of Eldraine, before it hits store shelves this fall. The convention will have special Magic The Gathering tournaments featuring the new Wilds of Eldraine edition as well as the recently released Lord of the Rings edition, which garnered worldwide attention when it was released in June. Fans will have exclusive access to purchase starter and expansion packs for Wilds of Eldraine, as well as tournament packs for Lord of the Rings. A full slate of Commander League, Convention League, Drafts, and Sealed Commander events will also be available.
The popular Artemis Bridge Game, in which eight players man the bridge of a USS Enterprise-like starship through its galactic adventures, is returning with two bridges, allowing cooperation or head-to-head competition.
From the latest video games to the most popular tabletop games, plus Japanese and classic American arcade games, ‘round the clock gaming is free to Dragon Con members starting Thursday, Aug. 31 at 4 pm.
Parade – The always popular Dragon Con Parade steps off on Saturday, Sept. 2 at 10 am. The parade is free and open to the public.
The parade route remains the same as in past years. Beginning at the intersection of Peachtree Street and Linden Avenue, the parade will head south on Peachtree, east (left) on Andrew Young International Boulevard and north (left) on Peachtree Center Avenue. It will end on Peachtree Center Avenue between John Portman Boulevard and Baker Street, in front of the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.
The route is convenient to three MARTA stations – North Avenue, Civic Center, and Peachtree Center. Parking downtown is expected to be tight. Dragon Con encourages parade spectators to ride MARTA.
The 2023 parade will once again be televised live on Atlanta 69. Live coverage will begin at 10 am and will remain on air through the entire parade, with a time-edited rebroadcast on Sunday, Sept. 3 at 10 p.m.
There are a number of live streaming options. DCTV will broadcast the parade live on a closed circuit to the convention’s host hotels, with rebroadcasts throughout the weekend. Parade coverage will also be available through Dragon Con’s streaming membership available at dragoncon.tv.
Official Charity – CURE Childhood Cancer is Dragon Con’s official charity for 2023. Through auctions, merchandise sales and other charity events, plus a dollar-for-dollar match up to $100,000 from Dragon Con, the convention will raise money to support this important organization.
Since 2013, the convention has consistently raised more than $125,000 for each of its annual official charities. In 2022, Dragon raised more than $206,000 for official partner Open Hand Atlanta.
Since CURE’s founding in 1975, it has raised millions of dollars to advance promising research, lobbied for important legislation, and provided tangible support to thousands of childhood cancer patients and their families in the Atlanta metro area and across Georgia. Over the last 12 years, the organization has invested more than $38 million in innovative research. Callaway’s law, which requires insurance companies operating in Georgia to pay for experimental therapies to treat childhood cancers is CURE’s signature legislative achievement.
In addition to fundraising, Dragon Con conducts the largest convention-based blood drive in the nation. In 2022, some 3,000 fans donated more than 6,000 units of blood and blood products in the annual Robert A. Heinlein “Pay It Forward” blood drive, benefiting LifeSouth, which serves more than 40 hospitals in the Atlanta area and 110 hospitals in the Southeast.
About Dragon Con:
Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day Weekend (Aug. 31 -Sept. 4, 2023) 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, Instagram and Twitter.”
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Folks, words simply can’t describe how excited we are to be returning to Dragon Con in just a few short days. And to think, it all started over a tweet posted a few weeks ago showing, well, this:
Naturally- we couldn’t pass up an opportunity such as this to meet some of the wickedly talented cast from Lucifer. It seems just yesterday we were watching the final season of that devilish show….ah, the memories 😈. This of course is simply a mere tasting of the full course that is Dragon Con.
Speaking of, here are a few important tidbits to remember this forthcoming weekend: Make sure you keep your personal affects, backpack, purse, etc with you at all times. And unless you are with someone, do not place that item on the floor even for a split second. Because, well, trust us, it will make like a tree and leave. Secondly – be prepared to get your steps in. You will do a lot walking/standing and waiting. Thirdly – stay hydrated! The weather this time of year in Atlanta is hot and humid. This is particularly true for Saturday morning during the highly anticipated Dragon Con parade. And perhaps last but not least- have fun! This convention is a safe and welcoming environment for you to have fun. And, don’t feel bad if you can’t make it to every single panel/event that you want to go to. Having a plan is great, alas, will probably change a few times during the weekend.
To keep up on all things Dragon Con– download the free app from your respective app market. There are still plenty of passes available for this event- so if you can, grab them while the getting is still good. One thing is for sure, you won’t regret it.
We hope to see you all there!
