Dragon Con

Dragon Con (previously Dragon*Con and sometimes DragonCon) is a North American multigenre convention, founded in 1987, which takes place annually over the Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. As of 2017, the convention draws attendance of over 80,000,[1] features hundreds of guests, encompasses five hotels in the Peachtree Center neighborhood of downtown Atlanta near Centennial Olympic Park, and runs thousands of hours of programming for fans of science fiction, fantasy, comic books, and other elements of fan culture. It is owned and operated by a private for-profit corporation, with the help of a 1,500-member volunteer staff. Dragon Con has hosted the 1990 Origins Game Fair and the 1995 North American Science Fiction Convention (NASFiC).[3]

Dragon Con
StatusActive
GenreMultigenre
VenueHyatt Regency Atlanta, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Atlanta Hilton and Towers, Courtland Grand Hotel (Formerly Sheraton Atlanta), Westin Peachtree Plaza, AmericasMart
Location(s)Atlanta, Georgia
Coordinates33.761397°N 84.387536°W / 33.761397; -84.387536
CountryUnited States
Inaugurated1987
Attendance80,000+ in 2017[1]
Organized byRachel Reeves, David Cody Co-Chairmen[2]
Filing statusFor-profit
Websitewww.dragoncon.org

History

Dragon Con was launched in 1987, as a project of a local science fiction and gaming group, the Dragon Alliance of Gamers and Role-Players (DAGR). It was founded by a board of directors including John Bunnell, David Cody, Robert Dennis, Mike Helba, Pat Henry, and Ed Kramer.[4]

The name "Dragon" for the club was derived from Kramer's Dragon Computer, which hosted a local Bulletin Board System ("The Dragon") that initially served as a central hub for both organizations. The inaugural Dragon*Con flyers debuted at the 1986 Atlanta Worldcon, ConFederation. Within a year, Dragon*Con had been selected to be the host of the 1990 Origins convention,[5] to take place at the Atlanta Hilton.

Cosplayers dressed as a Spartans, inspired by the movie 300, at DragonCon.

The 1987 inaugural Dragon*Con took place at the Pierremont Plaza Hotel, drew 1400 fans,[6] and featured Guest of Honor Michael Moorcock, Lynn Abbey and Robert Asprin, Robert Adams, Ultima creator Richard "Lord British" Garriott, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons Gary Gygax and Toastmaster Brad Strickland. Miramar recording artist Jonn Serrie delivered his keyboard arrangements from within a real NASA flightsuit and Michael Moorcock performed onstage with Blue Öyster Cult's Eric Bloom, singing "Veteran of the Psychic Wars" and "Black Blade". Thomas E. Fuller's Atlanta Radio Theatre Company performed H. P. Lovecraft's Call of Cthulhu, which was broadcast via radio live from onsite.[5] The 1988 convention included guests Alan Dean Foster, Fred Saberhagen, Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman, Gary Gygax, and Larry Elmore.

The convention grew rapidly. In 1989, it drew 2,400 fans (many to see Guest of Honor Anne McCaffrey), and the event had moved to the Omni Hotel and Convention Center. In 1990, the convention had doubled again, added a Comics Expo, hosted the Origins convention, this time with Guest of Honor Tom Clancy, and expanded to include the Atlanta Sheraton hotel. In 1991 the first "Robot Battles" robotic competition event was added to the list of Dragon*Con events, making it the second oldest robotic competition event in the world.[7]

In 1993, Dragon*Con was the home of the Wizard Fan Awards.[8]

By 1995, when Dragon*Con hosted the North American Science Fiction Convention, attendance had grown to over 14,000 fans, and Dragon*Con was also hosting the International Starfleet Conference. In 1999, Dragon*Con's TrekTrak introduced the first Miss Klingon Empire Beauty Pageant, an annual event that has since garnered national media attention.[9][10][11][12]

In 2000, Ed Kramer ceased to have an active role in managing the convention, but still owned 34% of the company. In 2011, Kramer sued the organizers, leveling charges that he was not receiving his fair share of the con's profits.[13] Kramer's relationship with the convention was fully severed in July 2013 in a cash-out merger, at which point the name of the convention and business officially changed to "Dragon Con" (replacing the asterisk with a space).[14]

At the convention's 20th anniversary in 2007, there were 22,000 attendees, and the convention continued to grow, drawing 27,000 attendees in 2007, 40,000 in 2010, 57,000 in 2013,[5][15] and over 80,000 in 2017.[1]

On July 6, 2020, it was announced that Dragon Con had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a virtual event being organized in its place on the original dates.[16] The event announced that it would return for 2021 with enhanced health and safety protocols; the event will be capped at around 40,000 attendees, badges will only be sold online and not on-site, masks will be mandatory within indoor spaces, and the Dragon Con parade will only be open to those who hold badges. Some of the virtual features from 2020 will also be maintained, including a "virtual marketplace", and streaming content (including free content, and a paid "DragonConTV" streaming membership). On August 17, it was also announced that all attendees must present proof of vaccination for COVID-19 or a negative test from within the past 72 hours in order to claim their badges.[17]

Dragon Con Date, Location, and Attendance[18][19]
Year Date Location Estimated Attendance
1987 October Pierremont Plaza Hotel 1,400
1988 October Pierremont Plaza Hotel 1,700
1989 October 6 – October 8 The Omni Hotel & Convention Center 3,200
1990 June 28 – July 1 Atlanta Hilton & Towers, Atlanta Radisson 6,900
1991 July 12 – July 14 Atlanta Hilton & Towers 5,200
1992 July 17 – July 19 Atlanta Hilton & Towers 6,100
1993 July 16 – July 18 Atlanta Hilton & Towers 8,000
1994 July 15 – July 17 Atlanta Hilton & Towers, Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta Civic Center 11,000
1995 July 13 – July 16 Atlanta Hilton & Towers, Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta Civic Center, Atlanta Ramada 14,000
1996 June 20 – June 23 Atlanta Hilton & Towers, Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta Civic Center 13,400
1997 June 26 – June 29 The Inforum Convention Center, Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta Civic Center 18,000
1998 September 3 – September 6 Hyatt Regency, The AmericasMart 18,000
1999 July 1 – July 3 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Atlanta Merchandise Mart, Atlanta Apparel Mart 19,000
2000 June 29 – July 2 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Atlanta Merchandise Mart, Atlanta Apparel Mart 20,000
2001 August 31 – September 3 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis 20,000+
2002 August 30 – September 2 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis 20,000+
2003 August 29 – September 1 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis 20,000+
2004 September 3 – September 6 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis 20,000+
2005 September 2 – September 5 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Atlanta Hilton 20,000+
2006 September 1 – September 4 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Atlanta Hilton 25,000+
2007 August 31 – September 3 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Atlanta Hilton 30,000+
2008 August 30 – September 2 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Atlanta Hilton, Sheraton 30,000+
2009 September 4 – September 7 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Atlanta Hilton, Sheraton 30,000+
2010 September 3 – September 6 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Atlanta Hilton, Sheraton 30,000+
2011 September 2 – September 5 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Atlanta Hilton, Sheraton, Westin Peachtree Plaza 46,000+
2012 August 31 – September 3 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Atlanta Hilton, Sheraton, Westin Peachtree Plaza 53,000+
2013 August 30 – September 2 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Atlanta Hilton, Sheraton, Westin Peachtree Plaza, AmericasMart 57,000+
2014 August 29 – September 1 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Atlanta Hilton, Sheraton, Westin Peachtree Plaza, AmericasMart 62,000+
2015 September 4 – September 7 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Atlanta Hilton, Sheraton, Westin Peachtree Plaza, AmericasMart 70,000+[20][21]
2016 September 2 – September 5 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Atlanta Hilton, Sheraton, Westin Peachtree Plaza, AmericasMart 77,000+[22]
2017 August 31 – September 4 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Atlanta Hilton, Sheraton, Westin Peachtree Plaza, AmericasMart 80,000+[1]
2018 August 30 – September 3 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Hilton Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Sheraton, Westin Peachtree Plaza, AmericasMart 1 & 2 80,000[23]
2019 August 29 – September 5 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Hilton Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Sheraton, Westin Peachtree Plaza, AmericasMart 1 & 2 85,000+[24]
2020 September 3 – September 7 Held Online due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 September 2 – September 6 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Hilton Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Sheraton, Westin Peachtree Plaza, AmericasMart 1 & 2 42,000[17]
2022 September 1 – 5 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Hilton Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Sheraton, Westin Peachtree Plaza, AmericasMart 2 & 3 65,000[25]
2023 August 31 – September 4 Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Hilton Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Courtland Grand Hotel (Formerly Sheraton), Westin Peachtree Plaza, AmericasMart 2 & 3 70,000+[26]

Scheduled events

Programming
Artist Don Rosa at the artist area of Dragon Con in 2009
Voice actors D.C. Douglas and Maurice LaMarche, Dragon Con, 2021.

As of 2008, Dragon Con was a four-day event comprising approximately 3500 hours of panels, seminars, demonstrations, and workshops, with over 30 specialized programming tracks that include writing, alternate history, art, anime, gaming, science fiction and fantasy literature, comic books, costuming, space, science, online media, independent film, podcasting, Asian cinema and culture, robotics, filk, scientific skepticism, Star Trek, Star Wars, Military Scifi Media, X-Files, apocalyptic themes, Anne McCaffrey's Pern, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, British and American science fiction television, dark fantasy, the Dragon Con Independent Short Film Festival, and general programming which specific Guests of Honor attend (e.g., Clive Barker's Lost Souls and Storm Constantine's Grissecon).[27][28][29]

As of 2017, Dragon Con is a five-day event, beginning the Thursday before Labor Day.[30]

Music and film

From its origin, music has also been a significant feature of Dragon Con, with performances by groups and artists such as Abney Park, Blue Öyster Cult, The Crüxshadows, Celldweller, Ego Likeness, I:Scintilla, Black Tape for a Blue Girl, Bella Morte, Chick Corea, Edgar Winter, Emerald Rose, Ghost of the Robot, Godhead, Iced Earth, Voltaire, Jefferson Starship, The Misfits, GWAR, Man or Astroman?, The Bloodhound Gang, Spock's Beard, and Mindless Self Indulgence.[31]

Audience for a 2011 Dragon*Con Panel

The Dragon Con Independent Short Film Festival presents the "finest independent short films of the fantastic".[32] Awards are distributed for a number of categories.

Gaming

Dragon Con hosts a variety of gaming sessions and tournaments. Opportunities include board games, miniature games, collectible card games, console games, live action and other role-playing games, and tables hosted by gaming companies, as well as panel sessions.[33]

Awards

In 1998, Dragon Con established the Julie Award, in honor of Julius "Julie" Schwartz, bestowed by a panel of industry professionals in honor of "universal achievement spanning multiple genres".[32] Schwartz presented the award each year prior to his death in early 2004. The inaugural recipient was Ray Bradbury; additional recipients of the award include Forrest Ackerman, Yoshitaka Amano, Alice Cooper, Will Eisner, Harlan Ellison, Neil Gaiman, Carmine Infantino, Anne McCaffrey, Jim Steranko, Peter David, and Paul Dini.

In March 2016,[34] Dragon Con announced the introduction of "Dragon Awards", a fan-voted award "to recognize outstanding achievement in science fiction and fantasy literature, comics, gaming and filmed entertainment". The award process consists of a nomination step, where each voter can nominate one work of choice in every category, and a voting step where the nominated works are voted for to receive the award. The nominations and votes are collected electronically. Participation is freely available to everyone, without any pay or requirement of membership.[35] The finalist shortlist for the first edition of the awards was announced on August 11, 2016;[36] the winners were announced on September 4.[37]

Additional awards include the Futura Award, paying homage to the Fritz Lang masterpiece Metropolis; the Parsec Awards; and the Georgia Fandom Award, renamed in 2008 as the Hank Reinhardt Award, after its first recipient.

Other

In 2002, Dragon*Con began hosting a parade through downtown Atlanta, which ran from Centennial Olympic Park to the Marriott Marquis, and featured thousands of costumed participants.[38] The parade is an annual event, which is also televised by WUPA-TV and streamed online.[17]

Economic impact

In 2015, Dragon Con attracted some 70,000+ attendees[39] and had a direct economic impact of $65 million, as reported by the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau in the Atlanta Business Chronicle.[40] According to statistics provided by Georgia State University, Robinson College of Business, Dragon Con brought in over $21 million.[41]

Dragon Con routinely raises funds for designated charities. In 2005, Dragon*Con raised US$20,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Charity efforts continued with US$104,000 sent to the Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency in 2016, including a US$50,000 corporate match. In 2013, fans voted in advance to determine the charities.[33] From 2005 through 2012, the con raised and donated almost $224,000.[33]

Cosplayer competing in the Page to Stage Contest,2023
A cosplayer competing in the Page to Stage Contest, 2023

References
  1. "Dragon Con Wrap Up 2017 final" (PDF). Dragon Con. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
  2. "Teams and Departments". Dragoncon. Archived from the original on 2015-02-08.
  3. Wurts, Janny; Resnick, Mike; Asprin, Robert (2008). Here be dragons: Tales of Dragon*Con. Wildside. ISBN 978-0-8095-7331-8.
  4. "$50K bond for DragonCon founder Kramer". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. September 16, 2011. Archived from the original on September 24, 2011. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
  5. "History of Dragon.Con". dragoncon.org via Wayback machine. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
  6. Smith, Ben (February 26, 2009), "Dragon Con founder sues successor over finances", The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, retrieved March 12, 2012
  7. "History of Robot Battles". Archived from the original on 2008-05-16.
  8. Wizard Fan Awards Archived 2012-03-04 at the Wayback Machine. Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  9. "Peculiar Pageant Queens". foxnews.com. 22 April 2006. Archived from the original on 20 June 2009.
  10. "6 Unusual Beauty Pageants". howstuffworks.com. 12 September 2007. Archived from the original on 14 June 2009.
  11. Watts, Eric L. "The 2008 Miss Klingon Empire Beauty Pageant". www.trektrak.com. Archived from the original on 2009-08-05.
  12. Kicklighter, Kirk (July 1, 2000). "Sci-fi fans find others of their world". Atlanta Journal.
  13. Simmons, Andria. "DragonCon faces appeal; Co-founder fights dismissal of case against event" Atlanta Journal-Constitution November 19, 2011 Archived November 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  14. Pantozzi, Jill (8 July 2013). "Dragon*Con Officially Separates From Founder, Accused Molester, Ed Kramer". The Mary Sue. Archived from the original on 9 July 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  15. "Sci-fi convention, now in 20th year, draws thousands". Associated Press. September 2, 2007.
  16. "Dragon Con canceled due to coronavirus pandemic". 11Alive.com. 6 July 2020. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  17. Wells, Myrydd (2021-08-01). "Dragon Con announces its 2021 Covid-19 guidelines: Vaccine or negative test and masks required, no public parade spectators". Atlanta Magazine. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  18. "DragonCon / History of Dragon*Con". dragon-con.pbworks.com. Archived from the original on 2015-10-11. Retrieved 2017-05-22.
  19. "Dragon*Con 2008 Information". FanCons.com. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  20. Boult, Adam (5 September 2016). "Anger over 'Twin Towers' cosplayers". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 3 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  21. Sandle, Tim (5 September 2016). "Dragon Con sci-fi fans trigger 9/11 controversy". Digital Journal. digitaljournal.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  22. "Dragon Con Wrap Up 2016 final" (PDF). Dragon Con. Retrieved 2016-09-07.
  23. Eric Mandel (2018-09-03). "Dragon Con misses record, but convention co-chair 'comfortable' with attendance". Atlanta Business Chronicle. Retrieved 2019-09-19.
  24. "Dragon Con breaks attendance record". Atlanta Business Chronicle. 2019-09-02. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
  25. "65,000 Stormtroopers, monsters and pop culture fans attend Dragon Con 2022". Georgia Public Broadcasting. 2022-09-06. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  26. "Dragon Con wraps up, raises more than $200K for cancer organization". Fox 5 Atlanta. 2023-09-05. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  27. "Programming Tracks". Dragon Con. Archived from the original on 2008-06-28. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
  28. Boese, Christine (2002-08-19). "DragonCon: All hope abandon, ye who enter here". CNN.com. Archived from the original on 2007-05-14. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
  29. Resnick, Mike (2009). "Dragoncon 2007". Always a Fan. Wildside Press. p. 71. ISBN 978-1-4344-0441-1.
  30. 2017 Dragon Con attendance badge.
  31. Newitz, Annalee. "Sex with storm troopers". Salon. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
  32. Foster, Eugie; Gordon, Cassy, eds. (August 2005), The Dragon*Con 2005 Program Book, vol. XIX, Atlanta, Georgia: Dragon*Con, Inc., retrieved August 24, 2018
  33. Dragon*Con Progress Report, Atlanta, Georgia: Dragon*Con, Inc., 2013, retrieved August 24, 2018
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  35. "Official Press Release". Dragon Con. 2016-04-04. Archived from the original on 2016-08-16. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  36. "The #DragonAward voting is up and running! Register for your ballot here: bit.ly/DCAwardVote". Facebook. Dragon Con. 2016-08-11. Archived from the original on 2018-05-13. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
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  40. EndPlay (4 September 2015). "Big events to bring 600,000 people to Atlanta this weekend". wsbtv.com. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015.
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