Another Dragon Con Weekend in the Books

This past week was all about Dragon Con.

Holly and I have been going to Dragon Con in Atlanta for years, and it has become one of our favorite annual traditions. Between getting costumes ready, checking into the hotel, spending time with the Spartans, and marching in the parade, the entire week seemed to revolve around the convention.

It was busy, hot, and a lot of fun.

Getting Ready for Dragon Con

We spent the beginning of the week getting everything ready.

Dragon Con is a huge science fiction and fantasy convention that takes over downtown Atlanta every year. It used to feel like more of a Friday through Monday event, but over the years it has continued to grow.

Now, people can pick up their badges on Thursday, and activities begin Thursday night.

That means the preparation starts even earlier.

We spent the first few days packing costumes, making sure we had everything we needed, and getting ready to spend several days downtown.

We headed to Atlanta on Wednesday morning, with my dad driving us down.

Staying Right in the Middle of Everything

We always stay at the Hyatt in downtown Atlanta.

Dragon Con has several main host hotels, including the Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, and Westin, and we prefer staying in one of them because of the convenience.

Once you arrive, you are right in the middle of everything.

You do not have to worry as much about getting back and forth to the convention, and when you are finally done for the night, your room is only a short walk away.

The host hotels also have Dragon Con TV.

Dragon Con takes over a few of the hotel television channels and broadcasts panels, previous events, and other programming throughout the weekend.

If there is a panel you cannot get into, or you simply decide you would rather relax in the room for a while, you can sometimes watch it from there.

It is one of the small things that makes staying at a host hotel worth it for us.

A Weekend Away From the Phone

Years ago, Dragon Con also became one of the few times when I would completely separate myself from my phone.

At the time, I handled much more business directly through my personal cell phone.

When Dragon Con came around, I would sometimes leave my phone with one of my staff members so I could have an actual weekend away from work.

That probably sounds strange now, but it gave me an opportunity to completely disconnect for a few days.

Dragon Con has always been something Holly and I enjoy together, so having that time without constantly checking emails or taking calls made the weekend even better.

Getting Ready With the Spartans

One of the biggest parts of Dragon Con for me is spending time with the 300 DC Spartans.

The Spartan group had spray tanning scheduled on Wednesday, so that was one of the first items on my schedule after arriving.

We picked up our convention badges on Thursday, and then Friday night was the big Spartan reveal.

That is when everyone puts on their gear and the group makes its way through the hotels.

We take pictures, interact with people around the convention, and officially kick off the weekend as the Spartans.

It is always one of the highlights of Dragon Con for me.

Marching in the Dragon Con Parade

Saturday morning was parade day.

I marched with the Spartans again this year, which has become one of my favorite parts of the entire weekend.

It was extremely hot while we were waiting for the parade to begin, and it stayed pretty warm once we started marching.

Wearing Spartan gear does not exactly help with that.

Still, once the parade starts, the heat becomes a little easier to forget.

There are families and kids lining the streets, people taking pictures, and thousands of attendees enjoying the different groups going by.

We try to put on a good show for everyone who comes out to watch.

No matter how many times I do it, marching in the Dragon Con parade is still something I look forward to every year.

Seeing Familiar Artists Again

Another part of Dragon Con we always enjoy is the vendor hall.

There are artists and vendors we have seen year after year.

One of the interesting things about returning to the same convention for so long is getting to see how some of those artists change over time.

Their work improves, their styles develop, and every year they bring something new.

Sometimes we recognize someone we have purchased from before and get to see what they have created since the previous convention.

It makes the vendor hall more than simply a place to shop.

After enough years, you begin recognizing the people behind the work as well.

Having Sam Back at Dragon Con

Sam was also able to come down for part of the weekend this year.

That was especially nice because I do not think he has been to Dragon Con in four or five years.

College at High Point made it more difficult for him to attend, so having him back for part of the weekend was fun.

Dragon Con has been a family tradition for so long that it is always better when the kids are able to be part of it.

We are already looking forward to hopefully having Noah and Carly there next year as well.

Having everyone together would make an already fun weekend even better.

Final Thoughts

Dragon Con once again lived up to being one of our favorite weekends of the year.

We spent the beginning of the week preparing costumes and getting everything packed before heading downtown on Wednesday. From picking up our badges and spending time with the Spartans to the Friday night reveal and Saturday parade, there was plenty happening throughout the weekend.

It was hot, crowded, and busy, but that is also part of what makes Dragon Con feel like Dragon Con.

We got to revisit artists we have followed for years, spend time with people we have gotten to know through the convention, and have Sam back for part of the weekend.

After going for so many years, you might think it would start feeling routine.

Somehow, it never really does.

Every Dragon Con feels a little different, and every year gives us another reason to look forward to coming back.

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