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What Is Dragon*Con

Page history last edited by Garand 10 years, 1 month ago Saved with comment

Dragon Con is an annual Sci-Fi and Fantasy convention held in Atlanta over Labor Day Weekend. Dragon Con started in 1987 as an outgrowth of a local SF and gaming group, the Dragon Alliance of Gamers and Role-Players. Over Dragon*Con Logo from official Press Kitthe years, the convention has grown to cover more than just Science FictionFantasy, and gaming. Besides those original programming tracks, Dragon Con now covers over 30 additional areas of interest. This essentially makes Dragon Con 30+ conventions in one! Key events at Dragon Con include several Costuming Contests, including the MasqueradeIndependent films, 3 dealer rooms, art show, and of course, the famous Dragon Con Parade. Growing in size from the 1,400 people attending the inaugural 1987 event to over 46,000 at recent events, Dragon Con has a long history of being the greatest Sci-Fi and Fantasy convention.

 


 

The Basics

While the convention began for Science Fiction and Fantasy enthusiasts, it has morphed into something vastly larger and more impressive. A vast number of topics can be seen covered in panels, displayed with costuming, and argued at the bar all hours of the day. Topics now range from Comics to British Television, and Young Adult Literature to the ParanormalOnline Rights to Robotics, and onward. In the end, it has become a convention for anything and everything that a geek, or the geek-minded, may want to experience.

 

For a more in-depth history, read the History of Dragon Con. 

 

When?

Traditionally, Dragon Con is held every Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, GA. Dragon Con 2013 will be held from August 30th through September 2nd. Why Labor Day? This was once the slowest time of the year for the Atlanta hotels and thus made it easier to secure a room block of sufficient size.

 

Where?

 Dragon Con is held at the Marriott Marquis Atlanta, Hyatt Regency Atlanta, the Atlanta HiltonSheraton Hotel Atlanta, and the Westin Peachtree Plaza. This is essentially  4-6 block chunk of downtown Atlanta, just off of Interstate 75/85.

 

Why 5 hotels and not at the <insert desired convention center here>?

The astute reader may have picked the fact that the convention is spread across 5 hotels. Why not use a convention center? Simply put, using the hotels offers many advantages. Large conventions held in convention centers have to shutdown at some point in the evening, typically somewhere between 5 and 7:30pm. Dragon Con does not. Something is going on somewhere nearly 24 hours a day. Further, hotels near many convention centers may not have sufficient rooms in close proximity. Dragon Con's downtown location offers a multitude of lodging options. A similar fate may befall dining options. Not so much a problem at Dragon Con. Five hotels,each with their own restaurants (and bars), plus the downtown location means that everyone should be able to find food that suits them somewhere nearby. In fact, it is entirely possible to travel from the Hyatt, obtain food from a food court, and then proceed into the Marriott, without stepping outside. Hosting in the hotels also allows for Dragon Con to offer unique items, such as Dragon ConTV, the convention's own in-house TV network. It also allows you to locate yourself in close proximity to the items that interest you most, since programming is divided amongst the hotels.

 

How? (Attending/Registration)

Attending Dragon Con requires a membership. These are available from the Dragon Con store on the official website. Membership rate increase over time, buying early is advised.

For more in-depth information about registration and memberships, see the article Registration FAQs.

 

I want to know more! 

So your interest is piqued? You want to know more about the convention? Below are a selection of articles in the wiki to get you started.

First-Timer FAQs

FAQ

Registration FAQs

Food and Restaurants

Dealer Rooms

Tips and Tricks

Health and Hygiene

Hotels

Overflow Hotels

Travel

DragonCon LiveJournal

Dragon ConTV

Daily Dragon

Con Etiquette

Programming Tracks

 

I know more about things than what's written here!

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