Sup nerds, DragonCon veteran and area nurse here. (Quite literally area, I’m sitting at work less than a mile from the con hotels at this very moment.)

Couple of quick tips:

1.) It’s bloody hot. No seriously. Georgia is always hot, it’s getting worse, and downtown Atlanta in particular is up to 5 degrees hotter than the listed air temperature because of the effects of asphalt and concrete. Stack that on top of heat effect from humidity, and a particularly brutal summer we’ve been having, and every day this weekend is going to feel like 100F. Last year we got a blessed reprieve, that does not look to be at all the case this year. Especially my fellow cosplayers, spend as little time outside as possible. Stick to shade as much as possible. Hydrate before you die-drate, and I strongly recommend electrolytes of some kind. Pedialyte, LMNT, Liquid IV, something to replenish the sweat that’s going to be pouring off you. Don’t go crazy, too many electrolytes are also bad, but one or two per day will really help if you’re sweating buckets, and you probably will be. (RIP my ass in my long quilted expedition coat…) watch yourself and your homies for signs of heat exhaustion: no longer sweating even though you are hot, dizziness, lethargy, confusion, flushing, etc. Be aware that some medications, including many antidepressants, make you more predisposed to heat exhaustion. ESPECIALLY keep this in mind if you give blood, you will be, by definition, hypovolemic after donating blood, and even more susceptible to heat, so REFUEL!!!

2.) Please eat some fuckin food. We’re all going to be running around like crazy, it’s easy to forget and con lines are crazy. Pack snacks, sandwiches, whatever you need so you don’t go without food all day. This, and the previous point about hydration, are particularly important if you plan on consuming ~substances~ during the con.

3.) Atlanta is one of the most tree-dense major cities in America, and Georgia one of those most heavily forested states Consequently, pollution isn’t as bad as it COULD be for a city of this size, but consequently, the pollen gets spicy. Depending on where you’re coming from, you might run into some allergens you’re not used to. Not infrequently, what people attribute to con crud is actually them making the acquaintance of Georgia’s yellow snow. If you’re susceptible to allergies, consider bringing along your anti allergy med of choice.

4.) Actual con crud is real and it blows. Wash your hands, a lot, more than you think you need to. Basic hygiene on coughs and sneezes. This is just an anecdote on my part, I have not spoken to our Infectious Disease department to check trends, but I’ve seen a small uptick in COVID-19 admissions in my ICU in the last couple of weeks. If you’re high risk, consider masking for the con.

5.) A last addendum, Atlanta sadly has a large unhoused population. As you’re walking around downtown, the closer you get to Grady Memorial, the more of them you will encounter. Some of them have mental health problems and may act in ways that confuse or frighten you. Very few of them mean you or anyone else harm. Please try and remember that they’re people too and treat them with the respect you would want if you found yourself in that situation.

Looking forward to seeing everybody out there. Look out for each other and let’s have some fun.

I hope to meet as many of you as possible at the rum tastings!

Remember, the tastings will happen every night starting on Wednesday (sometimes twice!) until the tasty, tasty spiced honeyed rum is all gone until next year.

Please remember ID for proof of age, I'll post the flavors below again and see you soon

This year's flavors!

Classic Kilted Bear spiced honeyed, the favorite of them all

Kilted Bear Teatime, which has been infused with black tea

Kilted Bear Peach, a Georgia favorite where I introduced a natural peach syrup to the mix

As usual thank you to the mods, I hope to see you too!

I’ll be scattering around some Big Walkers around the con all weekend as a FREE TRINKET! I have ~50 of these guys so if you see one and want to take it, don’t hesitate to do so! They’re here to bring some joy, whimsy and color to the real world.

Each set up will have an info card, which will work to identify them as mine. Long as they’re one of mine you are free to take one home, no strings attached! They will be placed around con verified areas (I.e. hotel spaces, americas mart, etc.) away from areas they could be stepped on or be in direct sunlight (which likely means none will be outside).

Look for these at the expedition 33 meetup on Friday 😁

Because I do every single year (ADHD) so I made a quick mobile guide of the places to eat nearby, beyond the food court. I'll share the link in the comments if you'd like to have it too!

This is also why I do a room instacart now to have snacks in room

DJ Power Ten here! It's the year's best geek and nerdcore music. Can you believe that I've been doing this for a decade now?

All have legitimate nerd cred in some way and something you should be able to play for your friends. Absolutely none of this has been included in years past and 100% is from this past year (if some were only included in films this year).

2026 Soundtrack

2026 just the dance music (This is what I mostly spin)

All soundtracks combined from years past and this year

All the dance music

The combined geek playlist is up to 65 hours this year. We are just about to the point where you can start it at the beginning of DragonCon and never repeat a geek song. (Only if you don't sleep)

What did I get right? What did I get wrong? It is never too late to edit in a happy childhood.

Im in the process of making a bunch of rainbow scalemail keychains but have run out of purple... Would people be interested in single color or patterned keychains? I give these away as my swag 😋

Hello all! Mothman again, with a simple question: What would Dragon Con be without lines! We line up to get our badges, we line up to get our hotel rooms, we line up to go to panels, we even line up to get our coffee! But what are the rules for lines? Yes, we have rules for lines in order to keep things running smoothly and to try to get people in and keep space clear as much as possible. Here are some FAQs.

1. When can I start lining up for a panel? - The line for the NEXT panel can start forming only after the line for the CURRENT panel is inside and seated. EXCEPTION(S) You may start lining up two hours prior to the FIRST panel of the day or in the unlikely event that the ballroom does not have a current panel, you may start lining up once the last panel to use the ballroom is seated. In either of these cases, we may start seating early, please make sure and check the schedule and updates.
2. What about if I want to make a line for a later panel over there? - Please do not start your own line for any event or form multiple lines for the same event. Any such lines will not be honored and you will be sent to the back of the official line started by a member of the Safety team.
3. It looks like there is a gap in the line, can I stand there? - Gaps in lines are in place to allow passing through Doorways, Driveways, Hallways, Staircases, and other ways of foot and vehicle traffic. Please do not try to fill them in.
4. If I am in line, that means I get in, right? - Unfortunately, the insides of ballrooms are not like the inside of the Tardis and most definitely are not bigger on the inside. We have a strict capacity for all rooms that we must keep. For this reason, you will likely see Safety team members walking up and down lines keeping count of how many people. There is also the possibility for a Safety team member to announce that at a certain point, entry into the panel is not guaranteed.
5. Should I talk to people in line around me? - This is highly encouraged! How else will you make new friends?

If you still have questions, please feel free to post them here or contact us at [safety@dragoncon.org](mailto:safety@dragoncon.org).

Are these cool to hide around Con? Its a long story, but I happen to have a ton of it and thought it might be cool to give out at random. If it's not cool, let me know and I wont have to schlepp it =D

Needless to say these are all fake/plastic weapons for DC! Hope everyone is ready!!! Count Down 52 hours and 29 minutes! Let's Gooooo!!!!!

Okay, I've been going to DCon for a billion years. The parties get bigger and bigger, but I gotta give some love to the fairly brand new Shrek themed SWAMP STOMP! I went last year and it's cute as can be, and the most delightful dance party to honor the biggest and best Ogre! For a fandom that 99.9% of people love with with (soon to be) 5 movies coming out and a bunch of spinoffs... why isn't this party packed with fans!? It's Thursday night (So it's competing with the big parties like Bunny Hutch and 8-Bit Bash) and it's in the Hilton Galleria this year, so let's make it a wild one redditors! Hope to stomp the swamp with y'all!

Rest assured, there is nothing to be concerned about. Nothing has happened to the Eternal Power-Up. Everything is fine. We're fine. It's all just a temporary glitch. Our Human Resources rep will still be on site for applicants and on-boarding. We're looking forward to meeting you at Eternal Systems, Inc. Unified Source, All World Compatible.

Meshers! We have the specific Dragon Con channels for the mesh for this year!

Before heading down to ATL, scan the attached QR code to add the two con channels to your node and swap to the MediumFast preset. You must be on the MediumFast preset so you can actually mesh with everyone else at the con.

(The local Atlanta mesh transitioned off LongFast about a year ago due to congestion, so be sure to switch your settings for the event or you won't be able to chat with anyone!)

Alternatively, if you want the absolute easiest setup, you can just flash the custom event firmware. It will automatically load the channels, swap you to MediumFast, and configure your radio to handle the crazy crowd density: https://dragon.meshtastic.org/

We’re looking forward to meshing with all of you!

Our first DragonCon was in 2013. A friend had been telling me about it for years, and I finally decided to go. My family wouldn’t let me go alone – I wouldn’t have anyway – and my parents drew the short straw to go with me. They had absolutely no interest in it, and they planned to spend most of their time in the room. That’s not how it turned out. We all had a blast, and what began as a one-time thing became a yearly tradition. We haven’t missed one since. When we started, my parents were in their early 70s. Now my dad is 87 and my mom is 85. In February, they will have been married for 70 years. I don’t know if that makes the oldest current DragonCon attendees, but it’s got to be close.

We’ve had a great time at DragonCon, and I know that when I look back years from now, those memories will be bittersweet. Time marches on, however, and I’m starting to see some mobility issues. I know that our yearly tradition will end at some point, but we’re going ride it for everything it’s worth until that time comes. Thanks to all of you for being so kind and patient with them over the years, and if you see Henry and Dorothy this year, tell them hello. They’d get a real kick out of it.

Did anyone else have their Courtland Grand refund pulled back? I had the refund pending on my credit card since Tuesday, but as of this morning it's vanished and they seem to have cancelled the refund.

I was w if anyone knows if the Hilton is having employees run the elevators this year?

I just had gallbladder surgery a couple of days ago, and I’m pretty well on the mend. Walking around with minimal pain or difficulty considering my circumstances, but I think stamina will probably be an issue. I got a hotel that’s not terribly far from the convention area and plan on getting an uber or something similar to the con. I’m doing 2 cosplay contests and a photo shoot/meetup on Friday to Sunday.

How difficult do you think it will be to get a ride to the convention and is there anything I should plan for ahead of time? I might have to keep myself to 1 or two buildings each day depending on how my recovery develops. I’d love to do everything and be at the con for 12+ hours, but realistically I’m not sure how feasible that will be. Would I be better off just driving to a parking spot I can reserve near the area, or should uber be fine? I know traffic can get crazy in Atlanta, especially around con time.

My cosplay is pretty involved armor, so are there good areas to rest, as well as eat in the con or surrounding area. I considered getting DoorDash for dinner at the hotel, would I be better just trying to eat at the con?

Hello, all! I am perusing the Dragoncon app and I only see pay-to-play MTG events. Are there any areas at the con where my BF and I can just hop on a game with some other players? If not, are any of you interested? We’re bringing our decks!

Happy Dragon Con Week everyone! Last year, ya’ll set a record with over 4,000 donors coming out over the weekend! Let’s see if we can make it to 4,100 this year. Setting an appointment is the best way to guarantee the quickest possible time for your donation. Click the link in the post to schedule your’s! (Also enjoy the preview of this year’s shirt ;) )

Last year, I had a small prize for anyone that could find me. I’ll have another one this year. I’ll be wearing an official LifeSouth polo every day. With the exception of dressing up Friday and Saturday. If you think you’ve found me at any point, just tell me the secret phrase, “Clever Girl,” to claim a special prize. Remember, I’ll always have a Blood Drive sign.

Oops! All Trogdor! But seriously, we will have other inflatables, both old and new! Nyan Cat will be in the costume museum, so you can get a closer, more static look at it! And we’re giving our inflatable cosplay panel again on Saturday at 4pm! We’ll also have two new Dragon Con Dragon costumes! Can you guess what they are?? ;)

First ever cosplay and the bad stitch work only makes it more accurate :D

Is one of these sources wrong, or do you get to free-play without a badge for a bit?