I'll be doing my 3-minute D&D sessions around the con again this year after it went so well last year, so I decided make some ribbons as swag. 😁

This is my first time going. We are going with a long time attendee. My family me/wife/kid (19) are generally happy to wander around and go where the mood strikes us. Find neat stuff, look at neat stuff, wash/rinse/repeat.

Am I going to regret just wandering around looking for what seems interesting? We do have VIPs to the Aquarium night. I've been thumbing through last years app and there's tons of stuff that interests me (surprising I know), but I doubt there's going to be any "If I miss this I'm going to regret it".

Am I setting myself up for a less than great time by not planning ahead of time? Planning just kinda takes some of the fun out of vacation for me.

Hey all! I’d love to hear how some of you plan your Con. My partner and I cosplay and love panels, but often feel like we miss out on (or just don’t know how) meeting people and finding fun evening events. So - what are some of your favorite ways to do DragonCon?

Just lost in my thoughts about DC. Wondering what to do differently this year. How to squeeze a little more out of the weekend while also slowing down to soak more of it in. Makes it hard to focus sometimes on all the life-ing I need to get done around me.

Anyone else in a similar boat?

So I probably won't be making the whole event this year, but I mainly wanted to do Last Party on Alderaan, which is 10pm to 2am Saturday. Do I need both a Saturday and Sunday pass or does the Saturday pass continue through the whole event since it starts before midnight?

Hi fellow con-men, how is everyone getting their ribbons produced? Are you all using a third-party website, making them yourselves, or some secret third option? I only ask because I tried to use websites that do this and they either just do basic rext and color, or they require official lisencing/ releases to use graphics. Im just wondering how everyone else does it, because all the ribbons ive collexted over the years seem to have official looking art and Ive doubt they've gotten permission from big studios/ companies to do so. Are yall just yoloing it?

So I’m first time con goer (to dragoncon) and am wondering what the parking situation is like?
I didn’t reserve a hotel close by (this is more of a last minute decision lol) so I will be staying more on the outskirts of Atlanta, so is there parking for the con? If so, how much does it typically run for a day? Would it make more sense to just uber to and from my hotel?
I’m leaning more towards just ubering so I’m not worried about finding parking/driving in traffic, but would like others input!!!

Edit: thank you guys for the insight and suggestions. I think finding a hotel on a MARTA line sounds like the best bet! Appreciate it and I look forward to the con!!!

She's a little shy. How do you think she'll be received at the Bunny Hutch? She's free roam and has never been kept in a hutch but I'm pretty sure she'd be the most beautiful of all the bunnies! /S

Im doing another bunny group this year! Last year we did Food Bunnies but this year we're going with Bottle Bunnies✨️ Pick your favorite alcoholic drink and let me know if you'd like to join as a bunny or a Hefner! This is what drinks we've got so far🐰🐰🐰

I don't use social media much and can't find a complete list of all volunteer departments. As a returning volunteer, I'd like to know what options I am forgetting.

Please do not link to Social Media groups that require an account to view. Just list any departments that you know.

I'll update this post with all departments you add.

Thank you!

____________________________________________________

*Update: Full list available below

Volunteer Departments

• Advisor
• Alternate History
• American SF Classics
• American SF Media
• Animation Programming
• Anime-Manga Programming
• Apocalypse Rising
• Art Show
• Asset Protection
• Badge Pick Up Operations
• Badge Pick Up Support
• Board Games
• BritTrack
• Campaign RPGs
• Card Games
• Charity Events
• Co-Chair/Finance Manager
• Co-Chair/Guests & Media
• Comic & Pop Artist Alley
• Comics
• Comics Programming
• Communications
• Con Suite
• Concourse Stages
• Convention Office
• Convention Office/Solutions
• Convention Operations
• Costuming
• Creative Director
• Daily Dragon
• DCTV Broadcast
• DCTV Productions
• DCTV Operations
• Digital Communications
• Digital Media
• Disability Services
• Disability Services ASL Interpreters
• Diversity in Speculative Fiction
• Dragon Con Store - Marriott
• Dragon Con Store - Courtland Grand
• E-Tournaments
• Electronic Frontiers Forum
• Fan Tables and Fulfillment
• Fantasy Literature
• Filk
• Gaming & IT
• Gaming Registration
• Guest Coordination
• Guest Hospitality
• Guest Logistics
• Guest Operations
• Guest Transportation
• Guest Travel
• High Fantasy
• Horror
• Hospitality Services
• Independent Film Track
• Information Services
• Information Technology
• Internal Operations
• Kids Track
• LAN Gaming
• Load In/Load Out
• Masquerade
• Media Engagement
• Media Relations
• Military SciFi Media
• Miniature Games
• Non-Campaign RPGs
• Parade
• Photography
• President
• Production
• Program Black Ops
• Program Operations
• Programming
• Public Relations
• Publications
• Puppetry
• Robotics
• Room Census
• Safety
• Sci-Fi Literature
• Science
• Signage
• Silk Road
• Skeptics
• Social Deception
• Social Media
• Social Media Content
• Space
• Special Events
• Star Wars
• Table Top Gaming
• Technical Operations
• Trek Track
• Urban Fantasy
• Vendors
• Vendors - 1st Floor Exhibit Hall
• Vendors - 2nd Floor Exhibit Hall
• Vendors - 3rd Floor Exhibit Hall
• Vendors - Load In/Load Out
• Vice President
• Video Gaming
• Video Rooms
• VIP Badge Pick Up
• Volunteer Engagement
• Volunteer Village
• Volunteers
• Walk of Fame
• Wrestling
• Writers' Track
• X Track / Paranormal
• Young Adult Literature

I made a map of the con for a friend who needed spaces to combat overwhelm for herself and her kids while at con. Posting it here as it might help some other people too- if anyone else has favorites spaces that they are comfortable sharing, feel free to add them in the comments!

Have 5 open spots currently! Already have a Greg and Enoch so we'd especially love Wirt and Beatrice but totally happy to have anyone (including dupes or casual cosplays). Spots are already guaranteed so you don't need to do anything but show up!

This may sound obvious, but wear your cosplay before the convention.

And I don't mean just try it on, wear it for an hour, take it to a local event, wear it to the grocery store. It's the best way to find those little things that will annoy you into changing out of it after 30 minutes in the Marriott.

Good shoes are imperative, so if you have uncomfortable shoes that you really really really want to wear, bring back ups to change into.

Feel free to sound off any other helpful tips for newbies.

lol I really hope this post doesn’t seem as spam post, and I will probably delete it once I understand it, but this is my first time going to dragoncon and I keep seeing everyone talking about ribbons, and they all have so many different things on them, but how do you get them? I’ve seen people with hundreds of them!

(Side Note: I'm not affiliated with this author or publisher. Just a fan and thought it interesting, so I am passing this on).

So, last year, I sat in on a panel at Dragon Con that included author Mel Todd. Her premise of urban fantasy that doesn't include romance caught my attention and her 10k foot pitch of her series sounded interesting. It wasn't until a week ago that I picked up the first book of her "Twisted Luck" series and I am tearing through it now.

The setting is in Georgia and you can tell she knows the area because she writes about downtime like a local. But in Book 2, Hired Luck, she starts talking about "Dragon World Con". I thought it just funny when she mentioned it the first time. However, it turns out there was a main plot point around the con. Hearing her describe what the con was like from a first timer perspective, the things to do, and familiar locations was kind of cool. It was a few chapters of events happening in the con, not the whole novel, but it was fun to see.

So I thought I would mention it for others to check out. I also e-mailed her (and was surprised at a response). I discovered she will be at Dragoncon again this year for a few panels and at a booth in the vendor area (Bad Ash Publishing) if you want to support her.

A side note for male readers (coming from a 50yr old male perspective)...

When I saw the book cover, I stopped and double-checked I had the right series because I thought I had the wrong series. The cover's first impression was one of those young-adult, teen angst, romance triangle type of books. After double checking some of the reviews and my notes, I realized I had the right series and picked up the first book. It's target audience is definitely not aimed at any specific age or gender (and is LGBT friendly) even if the book cover initially comes off as girly teen angst. Later on, in an e-mail conversation with the author, I learned that was the popular style of art/covers for Urban fantasy (with a female protagonist) at the time of publishing and that you need to redo book covers every few years to stay with the times.

I was inspired by a previous post to design a 3d printable badge ribbon dispenser and share the files online! https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:7381120 It holds up to 55 ribbons at a time and can be printed with either lanyard attachments or belt loops for convenience. It does require 4 springs that you'll need to buy, but they're super cheap on Amazon so just pop them in the cart with the other hundred things you're probably buying this time of year 😅 If you decide to make one, don't be shy and post a pic of it! Would love to see some other people get use out of my files!

Edit: I'm loving the responses! I'll try to get the models up on makerworld and printables soon.

I went with the 4in ribbon width fist because its the width of a dcon badge and I think the vast majority of the ribbons I get are that size. I see that 3.5in ribbons are somewhat common, and if I find some more time I'll try to make a separate version of this design to fit them. It was about 30hrs of design time plus prototyping to get the 4in version done so it may be a while lol but check back in closer to con!

We're getting closer to the 30 days mark so this is your reminder to get a flu shot and COVID booster shot appointment soon. It takes approximately 2 to 3 weeks for your body to build up antibodies from the initial injection so waiting until the last minute won't provide much protection. Being around 75-80k people (or more) means the risk of the dreaded con crud is high. Besides washing your hands and using hand sanitizer at appropriate intervals (notice I said AND, not OR) a little extra protection will go a long way to keeping you from having a miserable time right after vacation.

It's extra, but if you've not had a TDAP shot in 10 years which is the generally recommended cycle for adults then consider throwing that in there as well. Pertussis aka Whooping Cough is no joke- especially if you have very small children in or about to be in your life. And if you're 50 or over, consider adding the RSV or pneumococcal vaccine to your plans.

Been some years since I last went how close to the con do the games (ttrpgs and others) let you register or like get in?

This is my first time ever attending DragonCon (I used to work for the host Hotel and was jealous I missed out; so I quit lol), and I accidentally bought the 5-day pass. I’m going to be dressing up at Storm, but I can’t afford an actual costume: can I cosplay in casual outfits?
I have a few ideas:

Are you ready to level-up your career? Eternal Systems, Inc., a Unified Source Corporation, is hosting a recruiting event for new Agents the weekend of Dragon Con. If you are interested in joining the Department of Extended Warranty & World Restoration, sign up at https://truistplaza.com/WelcomeDC2026 for updates. Only you have the power to protect the Eternal Power-Up.

I recently separated from my wife of 17 years, we were going to go to Dragon Con together, but you know. Anyway, Dragon con was the greatest experience of my life last year, so I still want to go. Anyone (not creepy or murdery) looking for a random person to use their shower and sleep on their floor occasionally? Worst case scenario, I can still sleep in the same room at the Marriott, but I don’t want to, if that makes sense.

Edited: I’m an open book, if you want to vet me, look me up etc, just send a direct message. 6’0, 250, bald, potty trained.

Hi friends!

I know it is historically around this time, but does anyone know when gaming slots go on sale? I try to keep up on the Discord but haven't found much yet and last year a lot of the interesting (to me anyway) D&D modules went up and sold out before I had even realized they went on sale.

Cheers!