DragonCon: The Father of All Party Cons

DragonCon is easily one of the bigger conventions in the country. With more than 70,000 people in attendance this year, DragonCon gets insanely more popular each year, and it has so many different fandoms on its roster, so it has been the must-attend con for a lot of older con goers. This was my second year attending DragonCon and last year’s show was my one of my Top 5 favorite con experiences. So how does this year’s stack up? DragonCon 2015 has to have been my favorite convention experience since I started congoing.

DragonCon is THE party con! It’s next to impossible to not have fun at this con. Whether going to the Hilton for the game room and giant comic book photoshoot meetups, or going over to the Marriott for the Pulse Bar and Lounge — where I spent the majority of my night at the con — there is something to do always. Even the dealers room was impressive.

The big thing I hear people say about DragonCon is that it is a con you get in cosplay, go drinking, and have fun. I may not drink at all but yes there is a lot of partying going on at this con. Because of this, one thing I find funny is that sometimes I forget DragonCon is an actual con. It feels more like a gigantic party spanning the course of a 4-5 day weekend, which is a good thing in my book. If I can just hangout with friends and have fun for a whole weekend that is good enough for me.

The cosplay of DragonCon has to be one of the best aspects of the con. Being based on comics, sci fi, and pop culture, you will find a plethora of amazing costumes that you would most likely not find anywhere else. Some of the most intricate and amazing cosplays I’ve seen come from DragonCon. For example, someone actually cosplayed the Phoenix Force from X-Men at the Marvel Gathering, there was also a Sailor Moon-inspired Ginyu Force, or one of my favorites, the DNA strand from Jurassic Park. They’re so many creative fun costumes that come out of this con. It’s like Katsucon in terms of cosplay — you will see some of the best of the year.

DragonCon will only grow more and more, becoming increasingly more popular. I expect next year to be even bigger. Which probably leads me to one of my only complaints about the con. Since it’s so big there are certain areas with heavy traffic flow. Getting through the sky bridge walkways connecting the main hotels, or even navigating the Marriott Atrium level, is pretty hectic. Doesn’t help that there are badge check points at these locations. Funny enough, the checkpoint system itself is pretty flawed. I saw people easily walk right past security guards with no badge, several times, making the system kind of useless. In all honesty it felt like this held up moving around, and was more annoying than helpful. Some people say cons like New York Comic Con and Katsucon are crowded. In my opinion I never felt either of those cons to be crowded to the point I am uncomfortable or couldn’t move. So this isn’t really an issue for me, but for some who may not deal with crowds well it could be at DragonCon. Especially considering that there is a LOT of drinking at this con and 9 out of 10 times people around you will be intoxicated, DragonCon might not be the crowd for you.

But if that is my only complaint, you can see why DragonCon is one of my favorite cons. I may not drink at all but even I am able to have the time of my life at this con. Whether it’s just hanging out with friends, cosplaying, or dancing the night away at the Pulse Lounge, there is always something to do. Not to mention having the food court in the Peachtree Mall — also just a sky bridge walk away — so close to a con is a huge plus in my book.

DragonCon may not be for everyone, it’s more geared towards older crowds, I’d say maybe 21 and up. So if you are into almost anything nerdy, drinking, partying, or the con itself I say go check out DragonCon. While it may not be as heavily focused on cosplay like Katsucon is, DragonCon is a must go if you are into any of the before-mentioned things.

Dragon Con is the best way to end the summer. However if you plan to attend in 2016 start planning it now — it is not a con you can plan to attend last minute. I know I am already looking forward to next year’s DragonCon and I hope to see you doods there.

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