Labor Day weekend means Dragon Con is back in Downtown Atlanta, and the 2024 edition is underway. The four-day gathering, billed as the largest science fiction and fantasy convention in the Southeast, fills the neighborhood with costumed fans, gamers and panel-goers well into the evening.
The convention is homegrown, and it is one of the city's standout annual events. It also gives Downtown's convention hotels and the wider Atlanta economy a significant boost every year.
The most public piece of the weekend is the Saturday morning parade on Peachtree Street, where Storm Troopers from Star Wars march alongside elves. For plenty of Atlantans it belongs on the bucket list.
The guest list for 2024 leans heavily on screen talent. Giancarlo Esposito, known for "Better Call Saul," "Do the Right Thing" and "The Mandalorian," is among the featured names. So is Ming Na Wen of "Mulan" and "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." Fans of "Firefly" can look for Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk, and the full roster runs much longer.
Deep fandom is optional. A single-day ticket is enough to sample the programming, though many attendees commit to the whole weekend. The gaming track alone spans Dungeons and Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, vintage arcade games and live-action roleplaying werewolf games.
The panel schedule is a draw of its own. Sessions on fantasy literature and space exploration sit beside a track devoted to filking, the tradition of writing original folk songs about science fiction and fantasy fandom. Not every room is about fictional worlds. Other panels take up skepticism and how technology is policed, including a look at the Georgia laws that govern protests.
Dragon Con also has its own customs. One long-running favorite is designing costumes that match the patterned carpets of the convention hotels, a tradition that turns hotel decor into source material.
Programming does not wind down at dinnertime. Evening crowds head to Trader Vic's, join the late-night rave, or try to talk their way into one of the private parties held in the hotels.
Even the everyday moments become part of the show. Wheatley counts the sight of attendees dressed as anime characters waiting for a MARTA bus among his small joys of the weekend.
For a look back at a previous year, see downtownATL's coverage of Dragon Con 2022.
Original reporting by Thomas Wheatley for Axios Atlanta.