Thousands travel to Atlanta for football, Dragon Con, Pride

ATLANTA - Thousands of people traveled to Atlanta during Labor Day weekend for two major college football games, Dragon Con, black gay pride events, and to celebrate the long weekend.

The increase in people in downtown Atlanta saw a rise in traffic and security throughout the downtown area. One of the college kickoff games took place Saturday, and another one is being held Monday. Dragon Con is a weekend-long event.

The college season opens with a pair of prime time Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games when top-ranked matchups Florida State vs. Alabama and Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech start the year off as the first college football games played in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The Florida State-Alabama Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game kicked off at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 2. while the Tennessee-Georgia Tech game will be featured in prime time on Monday, Sept. 4 at 8 p.m. ET.

Organizers are expecting the 31st Dragon Con to draw more than 82,000 people to downtown Atlanta for the four-day event, which takes place in several downtown venues from September 1st through the 4th this year.

The convention celebrates everything sci-fi and fantasy, and brings several hundred celebrity guests to lead panel discussions and sign autographs. Notable guests this year include actor John Cusack, Star Trek icon William Shatner, and several cast members from Star Trek: The Next Generation, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary.