2008's D*Con Parade Pirates
Everybody loves a parade! And what do we love more than parades? Geeks on parade! When you have thousands of colorful geeky costumes running around a convention, it’s easy to miss out on some of the best. It’d be much better if they could parade in front of you, and at Dragon*con, that’s exactly what they do on Saturday morning.
For the past eight years, Dragon*con has hosted an annual parade the Saturday morning of the convention. Free to the public to view and open to all registered attendees to participate, the streets of downtown Atlanta are closed so that thousands of costumes and a few hundred vehicles can show off every pop-culture icon you can think of.
There are multiple Star Wars groups.
It has grown substantially since its inception, with well over 2,000 marchers last year and more expected for 2009. Local and national news usually covers the event, which helps to bring out large crowds of the general public. Marchers usually toss out candy for children and some of the convention’s guests usually put in an appearance riding a motorcade.
The parade begins from Woodruff Park in downtown Atlanta and marches up Peachtree Street, turns onto Baker Street, then ends on Courtland Street in the back of the Marriot Marquis. Spectators can watch the parade from any location along that route outside of Woodruff Park (only marchers/vehicles with ribbons will be admitted past that point). Officially, the parade begins at 10:00 AM Saturday. The Atlanta police department generally closes the roads being occupied starting around 9:30 AM when all parade participants must be present, and the moment the end of the parade reaches the dismissal point, the roads are immediately opened back up.
YA Literature Track marchers.
Typically divided into categorized groups, it is up to the participants to decide how to march. Some toss candy, as already mentioned. Others dance, act in character, and even interact with the crowds. Most just walk the route and smile for the countless cameras going off. This year, since many D*C attendees are still asleep (or recovering from their hangovers) in the morning, D*CTV (the convention’s own closed-circuit television coverage) is planning to tape the parade to be played later.
Are you attending the convention and want to march? It’s too late to pre-register for the parade prior to the con, but walk-ins are welcome at the parade’s registration table in the Sheraton Thursday evening and Friday. In the past, CNN has covered the parade (when there’s not a major news story happening), so keep your eyes peeled on September 5th!
Expect a personal review of Dragon*con next month! Additionally, you can expect more highlights focusing on some of the more unique features of Dragon*con leading up to Labor Day.
Check out a preview of what to expect here. Want to see video of last year’s parade? Check them out on YouTube!
