Dragon*Con reaches silver status as it celebrates 25 years!
It's hard to believe that a quarter of a century has passed since the indescribable annual pop culture spectacle known as Dragon*Con awakened the minds and imaginations of entertainment fans the world over. An event truly unlike any other, Dragon*Con draws fans and fanatics from every aspect of science fiction, fantasy, film, television, music, wrestling, costuming, art, comic books, horror and practically every other genre or medium to Atlanta for a Labor Day weekend that would dazzle even the most jaded spectator. Have you ever yearned to spot Wonder Woman sharing a cocktail with Papa Smurf while enjoying a drum circle where grass skirted Wookies dance with the Spartans of "300" fame? This may be the event for you!
From humble beginnings in 1987 as a sci-fi and gaming event which drew less than 1000 people, Dragon*Con has mushroomed into a behemoth that defies categorization, with an annual attendance of over 40,000 people and a footprint that covers five major downtown Atlanta hotels. Literally running around the clock, the show features 35 fan-based tracks spotlighting various aspects of fandom, as well as celebrity autograph signings and massive exhibit halls featuring vendors from across the country. Costumers both amateur and pro flock to this mecca every Labor Day weekend to strut their stuff and celebrate at what has become THE party to be seen at - one unlike any party you've ever attended. Imagine a mix of equal parts Mardis Gras and Disneyland, and you may begin to get an idea of what Dragon*Con is all about.
There are many things in life which spark the phrase "you have to see it to believe it". I would hazard a guess that Dragon*Con initially inspired those words. Where else could one be serenaded by a troupe of Shakespearean Klingons singing traditional folks songs with flutes, lyres and mandolins, or toss change into the intergalactic guitar case of a helmeted Darth Brooks (or was it Garth Vader?) as he belts out a Death Star-inspired rewrite of "The Thunder Rolls"? The answer, for the uninitiated, is NO WHERE ELSE!
Dragon*Con is an ever-changing beast. -By day it's chock full of fun the whole family can enjoy, with celebrity appearances, educational panels, robot battles, exhibit halls, costumes - the list goes on and on. And by night, it's more of the costumes - lots more - but there are also live concerts, parties of all kind, DJ's spinning into the early morning and the best people watching you could ever hope for. There is not enough film or digital memory available to properly document the marvels of human imagination unleashed at this show. There is absolutely something for everyone at this event, and it is likely that this is the very reason Dragon*Con has flourished for so long. There are no outcasts at Dragon*Con. Nothing is "uncool" or "not hip enough". I can honestly say that I have never been anywhere else in my entire life, for any type of event, that I have felt more at home, more embraced by complete strangers than at Dragon*Con. It is quite possibly the single largest extended family reunion known to man...
Simply stated, Dragon*Con is an enigma. Over the course of the last 25 years it has hosted such notable and diverse personalities as William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Mickey Rooney, Alice Cooper, Timothy Leary, Stan Lee, Terry Gilliam, Tippi Hedren, Scott Bakula, Dean Stockwell, and Jefferson Starship. Outdoing itself in 2011, the event features appearances by film legends Ernest Borgnine, Carrie Fisher, Christopher Lloyd and Martin Landau, as well as cast members from True Blood, Smallville, Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, Start Trek, Star Wars and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
If you've not taken the opportunity in the past 25 years, you owe it to yourself to make a point of coming out this Labor Day weekend for an anniversary celebration that'll make your parents' silver anniversary dinner look like a trip to the anesthesiologist.
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