Dragon Con 2024 taking over downtown Atlanta on Labor Day weekend
ATLANTA - Dragon Con, the internationally renowned science fiction, fantasy, and gaming convention, is set to return to downtown Atlanta over Labor Day weekend, drawing an estimated 72,000 pop culture enthusiasts from across the globe.
The five-day event kicks off on Aug. 29, and will run through Monday, Sept. 2, spread across five host hotels—Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Hilton Atlanta, Westin Peachtree, and Courtland Grand—as well as the AmericasMart Buildings Two and Three.
This year’s guest lineup features a trio of living legends: John Cleese, Walter Koenig, and action movie icon Danny Trejo. They will be joined by fan-favorites such as Giancarlo Esposito, Doctor Who’s Jodie Whittaker, Marvel stars Vincent D’Onofrio and Cobie Smulders, Disney princess Ming-Na Wen, and Firefly’s Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk. Additionally, comics legend Jim Steranko and puppeteer Karen Prell, along with the Fraggle Rock puppets, will engage with fans through panel discussions, signings, and special events.
For those with a nostalgic connection to the 1980s, the cast of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series, including Barry Gordon, Cam Clarke, Renae Jacobs, Rob Paulsen, and Townsend Coleman, will reunite at the convention.
Dragon Con is also known for its extensive gaming offerings, spanning more than three acres in AmericasMart Building Three, with additional programming at the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel. This year, the convention will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons with special events, panel discussions, and appearances by key figures such as Luke Gygax, son of D&D creator Gary Gygax. The latest D&D-based video game sensation, Baldur’s Gate III, will also be well represented by its voice actors.
The highly anticipated Dragon Con Parade will take place at 10 a.m. Aug. 31 in downtown Atlanta, showcasing a colorful array of costumes along a route that remains unchanged from previous years. The parade is free and open to the public with streaming options available through DCTV and Dragon Con’s streaming membership.
PHOTOS: Dragon Con Parade 2023 takes over downtown Atlanta
Attendees can look forward to several cosplay competitions, including the Dragon Con Masquerade, the Friday Night Costume Contest, and the fan-voted Hallway Costume Contest.
This year’s official charity is the Georgia chapter of the Arthritis Foundation. Dragon Con aims to raise significant funds for the foundation through auctions, merchandise sales, and other charity events, with a dollar-for-dollar match up to $125,000 from the convention. Over the past decade, Dragon Con has donated more than $1.3 million to Atlanta-based charities.
In addition to fundraising, Dragon Con will host the largest convention-based blood drive in the nation, benefiting LifeSouth, which serves hospitals in the Atlanta area and the Southeast. Last year, the Robert A. Heinlein "Pay It Forward" blood drive collected more than 6,000 units of blood and blood products from 3,000 donors.