DragonCon in Atlanta, GA!

When August begins to draw to a close in Atlanta, you start to hear a familiar word start to float around conversations:

DragonCon. 

To those unfamiliar to "cons", this word might cause a lot of raised eyebrows. Con stands for "conference". Cons are typically gatherings of self-proclaimed nerds and geeks who are interested in video games, cosplay, comic books, and science fiction movies. And kilts, evidently. I don't fall into a lot of these categories, but I do get a huge kick out of seeing people dressed up as my favorite superheroes, and I have watched just a bit of Doctor Who so I appreciate BBC's sci fi TV fandom. My sister has been to DragonCon several times, so this year I joined.

First off, DragonCon is the size of a large city. The first year it was held (1987), there were an estimated 1,400 participants. Like, that's decent. But this year, there were an estimated 80,000 people who attended DragonCon. Talk about taking over the city! Anyone within Atlanta over Labor Day weekend is sure to run into some fantastically-dressed aliens and video game warriors, but you've really got to attend D*Con to see what it's all about.

We paid around $50 to get a day pass for the Sunday of DragonCon weekend. Since we live in the suburbs, we drove to the nearest Marta station and took Marta (our local metro) into Atlanta to avoid hefty parking fees and traffic. Best idea ever! A lot of people feel stressed when driving in Atlanta, especially visitors, so I recommend everyone to take Marta when attending big events. 

The first cosplay we spotted was on Marta, actually. At the back of our subway car was a Flash, a guy from Arrow, and an Agent of Shield. Their costumes were so awesome, and I was simply grinning from ear to ear at the fun of taking public transport with superheroes. 

Tip for attending: Before DragonCon, my sister and I downloaded the app and looked over the list of events and panels that would be held over the weekend. For actor panels with big-names, the wait can be hours, so we had to plan strategically and agree beforehand what we wanted to see. We chose to arrive early and go to Matt Smith's panel, and then we wanted to see Billie Piper in the afternoon. For Billie Piper, we arrived at the location of the panel about 1.5 hours early and ended up at the end of a huge line wrapping around the building. We decided the wait would be worth it, and we sat alongside the building and chatted with fellow attendees while we waited. The wait was worth it, but I was very glad that we had discussed our choices of panels before hand so that we didn't end up wandering a lot and then seeing nothing. 

My favorite parts:I simply loved seeing all the costumes. One of my favorite movies of the year was Wonder Woman, so I was on the lookout for a Diana and Antiope. We spotted them inside one of the hotels and I snagged a picture with them! 

We also spotted whole teams of Marvel characters, a real working R2D2, and lots of costumes that my sister just explained with, "Oh, must be from a video game." 

I also really enjoyed getting to hear Billie Piper participate in a panel discussion. She is very down-to-earth and was exactly as I had imagined her. I first saw her in the movie Mansfield Park and then later in Doctor Who. It was a very unique experience to be able to see her in person. 

Take-away from DragonCon: For me personally, the costumes are my favorite part of DragonCon. That being said, I will probably attend the DragonCon Parade next year which showcases all of the cosplay (for free!). For those who have their favorite actors or writers attending DragonCon, I would highly recommend attending if you will have the opportunity to see them at a panel or meet-and-greet. 

I will also remember to pack a lunch and plenty of water next year. I was worried that they would check bags and not allow food inside the hotels in which DragonCon occurs, but this wasn't the case. I could have brought lunch and had a more stress-free (and cheaper) dining experience. 

If you live in Atlanta, are visiting Atlanta, or are one of the many wonderful international students that we host every year, DragonCon is a unique experience that will definitely give you a lot of great memories (and photo opportunities) to cherish for years to come.

Have you attended DragonCon? What was your experience like? Comment below!