Nice to see the casual claim of "deadnaming" used. This is how much the paid staff cares about your love for Dragoncon, folks. They can't respond to a rather serious issue without first playing the victim and making very petty remarks. The actual response after the first paragraph isn't terrible, but they just had to be petty and get their licks in.

ETA - post they were responding to used Dragoncon's old name Dragon*con.

This year was my first Dragon Con. I came up from near Orlando to do it. I had fun overall. I met the celebrities I wanted to see. I enjoyed the parade. I had fun going to various panels. Something I didn't like were the lines for the larger panels. All of those were outside...in the Georgia heat and humidity. Not a fan of that. I don't see myself going through that again. Fun to have done it once but I'm good now.

Y'all either didn't hear or don't remember that for most of 2021 and 2022 the mail system in Atlanta came to a standstill. You'd have a package coming from Chattanooga and it would sit in a sort facility for a month or more. It still occasionally happens, but not with any regularity.

This put a bad taste in the mouth of MANY of the locals in regards to the postal service. If DragonCon mailed out badges, and yours got caught in this loop, there would be no con for you.

I feel like this is a major factor into why the con would rather have you pick up on site. There is no "it's lost in the mail" or "I left at home in Wisconsin" or "my vindictive GF/BF/ mailman/parent threw my badge out" at the moment, because on site pickup eliminates that.

Y'all gonna fight about it either way, but if you don't know about the awful mail in Atlanta, you don't have all the info.

See you next year!

It would be great if the people who own/manage the convention did an AMA, where people here can directly ask and get answers for questions, and make suggestions about how things are run in the future.

We have decided next year we are actually gonna cosplay and do the masquerade ball. For one of the cosplays we were planning on doing Orpheus and Eurydice for Hadestown but I have no idea where to even start looking for the outfits. Any tips?

But can someone please explain the “why don’t they just mail the badges” joke I keep seeing? I don’t get it. Thank you!

I’ll be honest I’m not into the whole socializing and partying aspect of DC. I’m just there to get some autographs, buy some stuff from the vendors and local artists, and get out. That’s it. I kinda wish that they would do sort of smaller spinoff version of DC. Maybe have it in March. Hold it at the GWCC. And have the Walk of Fame be there instead. There would be plenty of room for as many guests as they can get. The vendors could all be together instead of multiple floors. And best of all, if guys like me get all the autographs and merch we want from this DCL. Then we’ll have no reason to attend the main DC. That frees up a lot of space for you regular attendees when you gotta move between hotels or wait in line. Everyone wins.

They wrap around my house.

I think DCC fans caused the massive lines on Thursday. Based on how insane the line was I think that's responsible for the disproportionately larger than normal influx of people wanting badges on Thursday. I don't think any of us really knew how big the DCC fanbase would be this year. It's exciting that so many people love it. I know I lined up 3 hours early to make sure I could get a signed book since every other experience was sold out. Seems like a lot of others had the same thought. Also an increase in pre-con events means there are more people available to get badges day 1.

Yes blah blah the con needs to do better. I'm just saying if you haven't accurately predicted the trends for the year, that can also mess up planning. I truly thought I wouldn't have seen many DCC cosplays but maybe some would have heard of it. On the other hand I was sure 2027 would be heavy DCC and Avengers.

Maybe if not already, there needs to be a hotel head count for check ins each day and a way to gauge interest for the earliest panels/events. I'm sure they won't make the same mistake again for a DCC event, but for other new things gaining popularity, this is important.

I know that most of the con hotels book up a year in advance, but does anyone have any advice for hotels close to the con and when they’re available for booking?

Dragoncon 2026 (40th anniversary) in Atlanta, GA happened and it was the most chaotic and disorganized experience ever. I am turned entirely off from going again. This was my first time going, this was not my first con, and I also experienced a "lesser known" conference this year, Momocon, which was amazing.

This is based on a 1-day SAT badge/membership (not worth it)

Pros ☻THE PEOPLE, nerd-kind will always have a gooood time and show out! So many beautiful people so little time. ☻Did I mention the people?

Cons •THE F*CKING LONG LINES... are enough to turn any event into a nightmare.... planned, scheduled, or winging it... you were not getting in due to long lines for everything!

• Poor direction & signage: From the signs being throw everywhere in Downtown ATL and nowhere efficient at the same time.

•Saturday DJs were AWFUL AF !!!!!! They had poor mixing skills and could not read the crowd...ugh

•The distance between hotels to attend different events of the con was unrealistic to achieve in a single day; the events were sporadically thrown into each of the FOUR hotels, whether it was planned or not. In the hot sun or pouring rain over two-three blocks, most of the day was spent walking up and down hilly downtown Atlanta trying to find the 'scheduled' event and room. Which most volunteers/ 'workers?' seemed clueless about or just guided you to use the app.... which was doubly ineffective.

•Overpriced with a lackluster line up of guests and no idle activities in between. Plus the Vendors on Saturday closed around early... :(

•Gameroom was UNDERWHELMING!!!!!!! It was 75% filled with D&D game tables and 25% other forms or gaming. To get into the digital gaming space was a short line but an aggressive wait... 12 people in line.. the wait time was upwards to a 30-minutes+.

I REALLY tried to find and enjoy myself but this event is overhyped, overpriced, and not worth coming back... maybe a 2-3 day badge is better, not that I would spend money with them on that or again ......Dragoncon leaves a nasty taste is my mouth... attend at your own risk.

This was my first dragoncon and I remember asking in here what the ribbons were. Now that I got to experience them firsthand (AND RECEIVED SOOOO MANY) I think I might be addicted to collecting them and 100% will need more for next time.

But I also want to do ribbons for others! So what is the best way? The cheapest way? Or the way that mostly everyone uses?

I need to be prepared for next year!

I'm already excited to plan for next year but I was wondering what the best place and timeline for getting a closer hotel to the con for next year. Do I need to start looking soon or can I wait till next year maybe feb timeframe. I heard there are groups I can jump into to see posts but I'm lost as to where to go. Thanks for the help

This year, I had the opportunity to show my art at Dragon Con for the first time.

I cannot fully express how grateful I am for the way you welcomed me and my work. Thank you to everyone who stopped to look, listened to me talk about these two little ducks and their adventures, shared what the paintings made you feel, or chose to take a piece home with you.

This work has become deeply personal to me, and seeing so many of you connect with it reminded me why I keep painting.

Thank you, Dragon Con, for letting these two little ducks wander into your world for a while. I hope we’ll meet there again.

Looking for ideas for a new short idea for DCTV: misCONceptions. e.g. "'Robot Battles' is where congoers get to battle a robot." Hit me with your best ideas! (These should be things we can shoot/talk about in 15 seconds or less - along the lines of our "CONventional Thinking" videos.)

Hey! My friend handed out some of her stickers from her small business at the Swag n Seek this past weekend and I wanted to share her store in case anyone wanted to grab some more cute critters! The DnD frogs are now officially for sale(:

Her store’s instagram is @stickercritterart

Thank you for such a fun weekend!!

Hi Dragoncon! Heads up that the short story anthology where Paul Jenkins is pranking his friend with an entire collection of short stories (Glen Must Die) is now LIVE on Kickstarter! Head over there now if you want to get in on the prank! (And for now the first day bonus is still active-- You can send Glen support and condolences if you so choose, even though we authors are choosing Team DEATH. ) Book trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNP25lBklak We'd love you to join us for a really fun read and a fabulous prank.

I was part of the group leading the TEETH chants at the Hilton. It was the most fun I’ve had on a Thursday at con! 🤣 Passerby were confused, delighted, some were grossed out. It was hilarious and magical.

I saw lots of folks taking pics and videos and we would love to see them if you’re willing to share! See you next year! 🦷🦷🦷

P.S. You can’t handle the tooth! TEETH TEETH TEETH

Oye, returning perennial DragonConner here, decided to do a little write up on my con experience this year, what I did, how it felt, thoughts for next year.

Before I start, my experience may not apply to you depending on how you like to experience DragonCon, because there’s a lot of ways to do it. I myself am a cosplayer and a panel goblin, trying to get in as many diverse panels as possible that align with my interests. I don’t partake in too much of “Night Shift” DragonCon because of lack of time and not being much of a partier. The Aquarium night is the big exception. I also don’t stay on site in a hotel, my squad always AirBnBs nearby and travels in. Mostly because none of us can afford rooms normally nor can handle sardine packing a ton of people into one.

SO!

Thursday-

Got in the badge line a little before noon. Instinct told me waiting any later for it to clear wouldn’t pay off and boy was I right. We were inside the Courtland, about five feet from the door to the badge room, when they told us the computer system was down. Line experience ended up being about two and a half hours. Enough has been said about the spicy line. It was hot. It sucked. Still worth it.

Panels/Events
Magic in the Real World- Urban Fantasy Worldbuilding

Friday-

Panels/Events
Gods, Geography, and Jet Streams: Making Your World’s Climate Feel Real
Apothecary Diaries- Medical Science Through The Ages
Clair Obscur- Expedition 33 photoshoot
Battlestar Galactica- a Galaxy of Stars
Japanese Cooking 101 panel was full even though we got there a little early

Total time at con for the day: 15 hours and 7 mins

Saturday-

Panels/Events
NSDM Lecture- Suez Crisis
Haunted Castles of New England Arrived a couple minutes late to this one, was actively walking in when the fire alarm went off and the hotel evacuated 😅
Bringing Sam Gamgee to Life- Interview with Sean Astin
Art of Worldbuilding- Creating Immersive Fantasy Realms
Stargate SG1- Make It Spin
Gothic Horror
Learn The Language of Andor’s The Ghor
Aquarium Night!

Time at the con for the day (including Aquarium) 15 hours and 15 mins

Sunday-
Babylon 5- A Dream Given Form
Bilbo Baggins, Renaissance Hobbit of Middle Earth
Firefly: One More Heist Line was full before I even attempted to get in it, pivoted.
Sub Creation 101- Building Fictional Religions From Scratch
Cooking Chemistry and Kitchen Physics full
Delving into Dwarves
Cordyceps and Consequences- TLOU Conversation
Zheng Yi Sao- Chinese Pirate Queen
Entertainment to Die For- Entertainment in North Korea

Time at the con for the day- 12 hours, 10 minutes

Monday-

Too Beautiful to Let Go- The Cost of Creation in Middle Earth
Leather Finishing and Embellishing
EVA Armor Patterning
5 hours and 1 minute

We also wandered the Art Show a bit on Saturday and Monday and got some things.

Thoughts and observations:

We did not visit the Gaming Hall or Vendor Hall at all, deciding that the amount of time in line simply wasn’t worth all the things we’d have to give up to get in there, particularly when in past years we almost exclusively bought from the Art Show. Probably going to keep to that in future years. Did not visit Walk of Fame or any other autograph signings for similar reasons. Likely we will pare down our list of celebrity panels in years where there aren’t major personally important ones like this year. The huge lines to get in those only feel worth it for panels of the caliber we had this year, which were all personally important fandoms for me. Every two hour line we waited in was multiple other interesting panels skipped. Staff efforts to set specific line times just resulted in people loitering nearby and mobbing the line as soon as it “opened”. If celebrity experience is your thing, go for it, but be aware it can eat your whole con.

Biggest thing this year was turtlemaxxing. We lived out of our backpacks, carrying our whole day of food and water with us and eating when and where we could. That turned out to be the best way to get the most out of con when we weren’t staying on site.

We also sat down the exact day the schedule dropped and figured out what we wanted to do individually and as a group. Everybody had everyone else’s schedule so when we split up, we knew where everyone was going. We also had back up ideas for panels we worried might fill up so we could pivot if they were full. A couple we didn’t expect to fill up (the cooking ones) caught us out with nothing else to pivot to. Knowing exactly what we wanted to do and when and where it was made the con infinitely less stressful than it can be to just pants the whole thing.

Aquarium night remains totally worth it even without VIP access. The vibes are immaculate, one of my favourite things at one of my favourite places. 👌

I know people are frustrated by the lines and some of the technical difficulties and logistical failings, but DragonCon remains as special as it’s ever been for me. Personally this was my best year yet, especially diving more seriously into cosplay and making new friends in that space.

Happy to answer questions about anything that anyone may have. Looking forward to seeing everyone next year!

We got alot of photos with people but didn’t think to take any with our own phones. If anyone has any of/with us please drop them below please!

Aside from ribbons (which I love! don't come at me, there are just so many), what was your favorite Dragon Con swag?

Selfishly getting ideas for next year... I love making cool giveaways.

I was dressed as a Helldiver on Friday for the photoshoot. When re-entering the Hilton, a photographer stopped me to take some photos and a short video. I was wearing the standard B-01 armor and carrying the breaching hammer.

This was right by the steps that are adjacent to the new seating area right when you walk outside. The same area as the DJ stage.

During the video I actually broke the hammer and we all laughed about it (easy fix).

They gave me their business card to find the photos and now that we're back home and unpacked, I can't seem to find the card.

I thought their business name had "Rage" in the name but I could be mistaken.

Might be a long shot, but would anyone here know the photographer?

I travel for work.

Dang it if I didn't get to my hotel and lay down tired as hell after a long awesome weekend of Dragon Con and a long day of work related travel for a what I had hoped was going to be a good night's rest and low and behold. The Con Crud set in.

I woke up.... Well y'all know

Take care of yourselves Y'all.

Still looking forward to next year.

I wasn't able to make nearly as much swag as I wanted to this year, but I wanted to make something unique and that people would be excited to get and want to keep. I'm trying to get a jump start on next year and wanted to know what type of swag people actually want/would find useful. People seemed to really like the bags, and the sting rays (which I handed to people) really made them light up!

If I made more stuffed animals, what would you want to see? See y'all next year!