Dragon*Con, one of the largest science fiction and fantasy conventions in the nation, took over downtown Atlanta Labor Day weekend as fans celebrated an extensive canon of their favorite pop culture figures and themes.
The conference encompasses five large downtown hotels: The Marriott, the Hyatt Regency, the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, The Hilton and The Sheraton. Visitors to the conference often make appearances masquerading as their favorite characters. It attracts thousands of fans to Atlanta each year, clogging the streets with costumed revelry.
With Dragon*Con taking place so close to campus, the event attracts a number of Georgia State students each year.
Georgia State student Samantha Osburn was one of the students The Signal caught up with at the convention this year.
This year was Osburn’s first year at Georgia State, and also her first time attending the convention. She was dressed as Sailor Venus from the popular anime show of her childhood “Sailor Moon.”
“Sailor Venus was always one of my favorites, so its really exciting to get to portray her…I was more excited about dressing up than actually going,” Osburn said.
Her friends shared her excitement about getting dressed up for the convention.
Georgia State student Brendan Lindsay said his portrayal of Captain Jack Harkness from the cult favorite British television show “Dr. Who” took a lot of time and effort to put together, but he still managed to save money on his costume.
“It was very cheap…this jacket you can [get] for $300 online, but I went to an Army-Navy [surplus] and bought a 25 buck version…it’s fantastic,” Lindsay said. Although he got a bargain on his vestments, some costumed fans (or cos-players) admit to shelling out hundreds of dollars for their garments.
Lindsay’s friend and fellow student Alex Davis compares Dragon*Con to a holiday.
“This is indeed Christmas…it’s a three day long beautiful thing, it’s what we revolve our years around,” Davis said.
The excitement of planning echoed in the other student’s sentiments as well.
“Planning the costume is just as fun as wearing it,” Osburn said.
This year marked Davis’s sixth Dragon*Con. Davis first attended the conference at the age of 16 with his friend Matt Quinones. Now Georgia State students, Davis and Quinones attended this year’s convention together.
Both Davis and Quinones chose to attend the convention dressed up as different manifestations of “The Doctor” from the “Dr. Who” series.
Quinones said the he first went to the convention at the age of 14, and he has been hooked ever since.
Osburn explained that attendees get excited about imitating their favorite characters because they get to “see other people living their childhoods through us.”
All of the students shared the same sentiment about Dragon*Con: it isn’t just for nerds.
“It’s for anyone that enjoys pop culture,” Lindsay said.
Georgia State senior Camille Jenkins attended the conference for her first time this year alongside the other students. She said there was “definitely” something there for everyone.
“Dragon*Con is amazing,” Davis said. “I hope that anyone who has some kind of interest here will actually come experience it.”
