Another epic convention has passed, so how was it? The crowds were back, the guests were more incredible, and a world record just may have been accomplished. If you ask me, Dragon*con 2009 was a huge success. Not able to make it this year? Here’s just the tip of the iceberg of what you missed.

Watchmen Group

The following is more a recap of my personal experience, as this convention is too colossal in size for me to give an impartial overview of everything there was to offer. In its 23^rd year, Dragon*con returned to the Hyatt Regency, Marriot Marquis, Atlanta Hilton, and Sheraton Atlanta. With estimated attendee numbers again reaching over 44,000—the hotels swelled again with legions upon legions of dedicated fans covering just about any genre you could possibly think of.

While every year the convention gets criticized for getting much too large for its venue, the addition of the Sheraton as a 4^th host hotel last year has certainly helped spread out the crowds and this year was no exception. In fact, I felt it was slightly easier to get around the crowds, particularly later at night when the D*C nightlife is in full swing out in the lobbies. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still like trying to spawn upriver when you want to get anywhere, but I was always able to find a spot to jump out and get a breath of fresh air.

This steampunk group won best of show in the Masquerade.

Costumes are perhaps one of the number one attractions at D*C and every year you can tell what’s hot by counting the number of similar costumes. This year, steampunk was king. With the addition of a brand new track of programming (the Alternate History Track) and various events, everyone seemed to show up in their most creative steampunk finery. Myself and my costuming group included! The genre had such an explosive response that the Friday night “Time Traveler’s Ball” filled to capacity in no time flat. Hundreds of people waited lined up outside of the room that was much too small to accommodate everyone. My group and I were amongst those unfortunate enough to never see how it was like inside, for we still had not made it inside by the end of the party.

If there’s another thing you can count on at Dragon*con, it’s the sheer number of guests. The con boasted over 500 guests ranging from actors to authors, and the two that perhaps received the most attention were William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. Their joint panel kicked off the convention on Friday at 10 AM, and people began lining up at 5 AM. My group and I did not expect to be anywhere close to the stage when we got on line at 7 AM, but when they began to fill the room an hour later, we were only nine rows back. The ballroom for the event sat 1,000 people—and they filled it to capacity. Another ballroom was used for overflow, where giant screens broadcasted the panel live. Others could watch the live feed on their host hotel television via Dragon*con TV. That panel was certainly worth the wait, as the two old friends gave us all a glimpse into both their professional and personal relationship over the years. It was a spectacular start to an awesome weekend.

My view at the Shatner/Nimoy panel.

Lord of the Rings cosplayers in the parade.

Other highlights of course included Saturday morning’s parade, where over 2,000 D*C attendees marched down Peachtree Street showing off a wide range of costumes. Thousands of locals and convention attendees lined the streets in eager anticipation of seeing all the floats, dancers, and costumes. Despite a brief threat of rain, by kick-off the skies cleared and everything went off without a hitch. My group wore our Avatar: The Last Airbender costumes, which were a huge hit with the countless families lining the streets.

Dragon*con also offers your choice of several different costume contests throughout the weekend. Friday night is known for the craftsmanship costume contest, where D*C’s most exquisitely detailed and constructed costumes are put on stage to judge the best. Sunday night is the famous Masquerade, during which dozens of costumes from every genre can either walk-on or perform skits. There are many others, but my cosplay group entered Saturday’s cosplay contest—held jointly by the Anime and Animation Tracks. Dozens of cosplayers were pre-judged and later walked on stage to a jam-packed ballroom. Cosplay—as in anime, manga, Japanese video games, and general animation—is a small niche at this convention. It has grown exponentially every year, however. My group, Ketchup Kosplay, entered in our Avatar cosplay and were floored when we were award 1^st runner up for “Best Group”. There were some incredible costumes competing against us, so it was a huge honor.

My cosplay group won 1st runner up for "best group" in Saturday's cosplay contest.

For the first time, the Georgia Aquarium opened its doors for an exclusive Dragon*con night on Saturday. For a small ticket price, attendees had full use of the aquarium with cash bars and convention themeing. It was an enormous success and a ton of fun. The staff seemed genuinely glad to have the convention there and no doubt it helped alleviate some of the bottle-necked crowds in the hotels at that popular time. Perhaps the only downside was the infrequent shuttles back to the hotels at the end of the event. Something to keep in mind for next year.

My group and I attended in our steampunk costumes.

While there was a ton of confusion, mass chaos, and a lot of sweaty bodies, the Guinness World Record attempt for the most people in one place dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” was an enormous success. Myself and another friend from my group volunteered to do the initial demonstration to a jam-packed ballroom, as we had been practicing for the past month and considered ourselves “experts”. Due to our Kingdom Hearts costumes, however, we needed to conserve our strength for the actual attempt later that evening. Many willing volunteers took large groups to help either teach from the ground up or polish off, and it was amazing how well these eager attendees did after only an hour of instruction. The ballroom for the actual attempt held 1,000 people, and rumor had it that there were closer to 2,000 signed-up to dance. Ultimately, 903 made it into the room and 903 danced in a veritable sea of geeks. It was a mind-blowing experience that I will never forget. Confirmation on whether or not the world record was achieved is still pending.

Check out the official video here.  Then check out this video of the volunteer demonstration with myself dancing as Sora from Kingdom Hearts 2 to the extreme left!

Part of the Kingdom Hearts/Final Fantasy photoshoot. I'm the Sora on the left.

Overall, this was my best experience at Dragon*con. Every year, many question whether or not the convention has outgrown its venue. In all honesty, I agree that it has but the convention does an excellent job trying to come up with different ways of managing the crowds. Dealing with packed halls, crazy lines going everywhere, and no tables in the food court are all part of the experience. It’s the best Atlanta can do at this point, so unless the con wants to move to a city with a compatible convention center, it will continue to spread out the best it can in its current home.

You can check out a plethora of photos from this year’s con via Flickr.

Related Posts:

• Dragon*con 2009: Thriller World Record Attempt
• Dragon*Con 2009: 8th Annual Parade
• Dragon*con 2009 Preview
• Megacon 2009
• Phoenix Comicon 2009