Dragon Con is one of the largest geek conventions in the nation, and this year had an attendance of over 80,000 people. I had heard a lot about Dragon Con in the past couple of years, and once was like every other Atlanta native who was wondering where all of these wild costume goers were coming from ( as they flooded the Atlanta streets for the weekend).

I finally got a chance to see what all the hype was about for myself, as Dragon Con was full of surprising guests, events, partying and just plain fun. Below I will detail The Good, The Bad and The Verdict of what you can expect going into Atlanta’s biggest geek convention.

THE GOOD

The Cosplay:

 

 

As you can expect from just about any major Comic Con like convention, Dragon Con is full of some of the top cosplayers in the nation. People fly in from all over the world just to show off their  high end gear, as you will run into a lot of well known and top notch cosplayers from all around.

Not only is the cosplay it’s self high quality, but the variety in which the cosplay is debuted is beyond what your mind could ever imagine without actually being there. From everything to book characters to your favorite superheroes and cartoons, Dragon Con is no joke when it comes to top notch cosplay.

Before my going, my brother actually described the evnt as Halloween times 100, as he said tried to tell me just how extravagent, the endless costumes would be. There is literally no character missed here, as you will find something from eahc and every of the best movies you have seen.

I knew there would eb awesome stuff, but I was extremely surprised by just how much depth they had in featuring some of my favorite less well known characters.

Did I mention none of these folks are picture shy? Everyone here is super nice and ready to show off their awesome gear.

The Events:

Perhaps the most important part of the convention its self, the countless events are what brings in the multiude of people from all over the nation to Dragon Con.

From certified professionals, to straight up celebrity superstars, Dragon Con is full of multiple things that you are sure to be interested in.

 

The day is so full of events that you will actually not be able to see all that you are aiming for, as there are literally endless options at every hour for you to enjoy.

We sat in on everything from Star Wars: The Last Jedi theory panels, to a discussion with some of the orignal Star Wars cast itself, as we literally could not decide which event to go to and see over the other.

Even for the non movie fans, Dragon Con  is full of other exciting events as there was even an event called The Science of Marijuana where a professional scientist discussed some of the top questions and theories involving the plant.

The bottom line is, Dragon Con has so many diverse events and guests, that there is no way you wouldn’t be interested in something the convention has to offer.

Did I mention Stan Lee was there for his own personal panel? I’ll get to that later.

The Parties / Scenery:

Now this is the part that surprised me the most. While I did know that the parties were non-stop and supposedly pretty fun (as I was told by my brother ), I did not know that they were going to be some of the most “turnt” parties I have ever been to in my entire life.

He wasn’t lying when he described Dragon Con as like “the biggest Halloween party ever by far”. I have now come to realize nobody parties like Dragon Con goers, as we literally partied until 6 in the morning (well as much as we could). The parties are non-stop with music (of all kinds) blaring from hotel to hotel, as we got to hang in The Marriott Marquis and have an absolute blast.

The best part is you feel perfectly safe, but not like security is breathing down your neck, and the even better part is that it is just good vibes all around as we got to meet so many amazing and fun people. Ive truly never been to a place or party that had such a diverse group of fun people all around through the entire night/morning.

At Dragon Con it doesn’t matter if you’re a jock or introvert, this is a place for people of all kinds just come together and have the most fun you will probably have all year.

It truly amazed me how many different types of people were having such a blast together!

THE BAD

I hate to label this section bad, because it really should be called something more like, “what to be prepared for.”

There wasn’t anything actually “bad” about Dragon Con, but more so a couple of ways we could have improved our experience.

Popular Events:

While the popular superstars and events are what draw in the super crowds to Dragon Con, this can also be what causes some of the “problems”. For instance, we got there early to see Stan Lee ( as this was obviously one of the more major events of the convention), but we were bombarded with the bad news that the ballroom he was going to be speaking in was literally over capacitated even with an entry line expanded well outside the door.

Even with our media passes, they just weren’t legally allowing anymore people in. While this is understandable for fire marshall concerns, you would think they would allow media to get in in order to cover such a gigantic figure of the convention.

This is of course a lesson for anyone wanting to attend such a popualr event, to be more than just a half hour early, as superstars tend to draw in crouds that warrant you being over an hour early at the latest.

While this may seem like a serious hassle to some, we still managed to have lots of fun, even without seeing one of the most popular people at the convention.

THE VERDICT

Dragon Con is hands down one of the most fun and entertaining times I have experienced all year, as the cosplayers, events, and super fun parties and people, are something I will never forget.

From the grade A cosplayers, to the super fun partying and panels, Dragon Con is not something anyone with a certain taste for fun should miss.

Whether you are into Stranger Things, or just Rick and Morty and some Star Wars adventures, Dragon Con will have more than enough to peak your interests and give you some of the best memories of your life.

I personally cannot wait to return to the convention next year, as I will already have my calendar cleared for some of the most fun I will likely have again next year.