Your Complete 2019 Dragon Con Survival Guide
- Wheezinggirl
- Aug 2, 2019
- 4 min read
Dragon Con: smaller than San Diego Comic Con and less focused than Indiana’s GenCon. Dragon Con is unique in the con circuit as the biggest fan-run convention. The event takes place every Labor Day weekend in downtown Atlanta across 5 hotels. People from all over the world flock to the convention to see favorite celebrities, enjoy a 24/7 party atmosphere, and check out the amazing costumes put together by con-goers.
For newbies at Dragon Con, it’s helpful to understand what to expect. The entire experience is different than most other science-fiction fan conventions. Here is a Dragon Con survival guide for beginners.
Wait For and Download the App
It can be a struggle, but you need to be patient with the Dragon Con app. Its available for both Apple and Android devices and can be downloaded ahead of time. But the actual event information won’t go live until the weeks before con.
The earliest I’ve ever seen it drop is two weeks before the convention, but it may not be complete. Since Dragon Con is so large, there are a lot of moving parts in terms of scheduling panels, so they try not to release it until everything’s ready.
Once it goes live, you can scroll through the daily schedule or search by track or celebrity and add things to your personal schedule. You can also connect with friends and share your calendars with them.
Join the Newbie Tour
Dragon Con itself sponsors a tour just for new attendees each year. They often run multiple events on Thursday to acclimate anyone who hasn’t experienced Dragon Con before to the layout of the hotels, the tracks, the ballrooms and panels, and anything else that may be of interest.
You can also join the Dragon Con Newbie Facebook group to get more details.
Stay Hydrated
Dragon Con is in Atlanta in the summer. That means, no matter what, it will be hot. You will also be in and out of buildings across several downtown blocks, which means you’ll go from the sweltering heat of Georgia to the frigid air conditioned rooms in the hotels and local restaurants.
Throughout all of this, no matter how you think you feel, be sure to stay hydrated. If you can, bring a reusable water bottle with you and carry it from place to place. Most ballrooms and panels will also have free water available.
You’ll notice that alcohol is easily available across the convention. Dragon Con is known for its parties, so beer and liquor are consumed by congoers over 21 at all hours of the day and night. If you’re drinking, do so responsibly and be sure to drink plenty of water as well.
Know You Can’t Do Everything
When you fill up your schedule in the app, you’ll probably get the message that you already have something scheduled in that time slot. This will happen over and over again. There is so much programming at Dragon Con spread out across all 5 hotels and the center known as America’s Mart that you can’t possibly be everywhere at once.
In my friend group, we all spend time putting literally everything on the schedule ahead of the convention. But when the day comes, we barely do any of it and hang out with each other instead. There is no wrong way to do Dragon Con, but know that you can’t possibly do it all.
Make your priority list. There might be one celebrity you want to see at a panel or you might want to hit up the Walk of Fame or buy a photo op. Focus on those and any other events you attend will be a bonus.
Make Friends in Line
When you decide to go to panels, especially the big one for the big-name celebs, you will stand in line for a long time. The official con rule is that lines can’t be formed more than an hour before the panel starts, but you’ll definitely see people beginning to congregate. Even if you get there early, you’ll likely be pretty far back.
Don’t be shy. I know introversion can be the natural M.O. for geeks, but you can be pretty confident that everyone in line around you has at least one thing on common: they like the thing you’re about to go see. Talk to them. This is a great way to make new friends.
Cosplay for Fun
Dragon Con spans all aspects of pop culture, but it may be best known for its cosplay. Because of the unique structure of Dragon Con, people are often in costume 24 hours a day and you’ll see character from every possible corner of fandom. No matter how obscure, someone is wearing it.
But Dragon Con is also for multiple skill levels. Don’t be afraid to dress up even if you don’t think it’s professional enough or perfectly screen accurate.
And even if you’re not quite ready to take the leap into full cosplay, bring a collection of your favorite geeky tees. They’re a great conversation starter. And you can buy more while you’re there.
Whatever you do, when you attend Dragon Con, have fun. Enjoy yourself, take breaks, and breathe it all in. There is nothing else like it in the world.
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