Dragon Con returns: Supermen, panthers and hobbits, oh my!

ATLANTA - If downtown Atlanta looks a little bit like your favorite science fiction of fantasy movie this Labor Day Weekend, don’t panic – it’s just the 85,000 fans packing into the city for one of the country’s largest pop culture conventions.

We’re talking about Dragon Con, of course, which is back in Atlanta for another long weekend of celebrity guests, games, shopping, and cosplay.  The annual event runs through Monday, September 3rd, taking over five downtown hotels and AmericasMart Buildings 1 and 2.  A record crowd of more than 85,000 fans is expected this year, along with hundreds of celebrity guests from popular sci-fi and fantasy television shows and movies including the locally-filmed Ant-Man and the Wasp and Netflix’s “Stranger Things.” 

Special events this year include celebrations for the 80th anniversary of Superman (with appearances by two former Men of Steel, actors Tom Welling and Brandon Routh) and the 50th anniversary of “Sesame Street,” including famed puppeteer Caroll Spinney (Big Bird!).  Gaming fans can check out the convention’s more than 140,000 square feet of arcade, role-playing, and board games, and the popular Dragon Con parade will take place Saturday starting at 10 a.m.

Good Day Atlanta’s Paul Milliken never misses a chance to hang out at Dragon Con, meeting fans and admiring the amazing costumes they come up with.  So he spent the morning in downtown Atlanta getting a first look at this year’s much-anticipated event!