In its 35th year, Dragon Con 2021 runs from Thursday, Sept. 2 to Monday, Sept. 6 with events and activities across five host hotels – Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Hilton Atlanta, Westin Peachtree, and Sheraton Atlanta, and the AmericasMart Buildings 1 and 2. The Dragon Con parade will be returning this year but with new Covid safety precautions. The parade, which used to be free to the public, can only be attended by Dragon Con badge holders. Also, the parade will be smaller than in past years with fewer marching participants, and spectators will not be allowed on the route.
If you are not a Dragon Con badge holder, there are still options for you to enjoy the parade. The TV station CW69 will broadcast the parade live at 10 a.m. with additional feeds on YouTube and other social media platforms. Fans who purchase a Dragon Con Goes Virtual membership ($10) will also have access to the parade through their subscription platform.
Dragon Con is also adding new safety protocols to this year’s convention to ensure all guests are safe. All attendees must follow these procedures in order to participate in the con fully.
All guests MUST wear an appropriate face covering. If you are unsure what counts as an appropriate face covering, you can check out the CDC’s Guideline.
This year, Dragon Con will have a reduced capacity compared to previous years. The hotels and AmericasMart will determine how many people are permitted in the buildings each day and at a given time to reduce capacity to allow for personal spacing. All panel rooms and other programming venues will have a reduced 2/3rds maximum capacity at all times. In the Walk of Fame, they will have approximately 50 percent fewer guests signing to provide better spacing, personal distancing, traffic flow, and line management. There will be a one-way flow enforced throughout the room and limited capacity at all times. Additional safety precautions may be enforced, including temperature checks. Attendees’ badges will be checked across the show to support the capped attendance and spacing.
Some elements of Dragon Con will not be returning this year or will be modified in keeping with the new safety protocols.
There will be no Saturday-only membership sales before or during the convention. One-day badges will only be available for Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and Monday. The Kids Track will not be hosting the Kids’ Character Encounter or Family-Friendly Dance. The Chosen Costume Contest, hosted annually at Dragon Con Night at the Georgia Aquarium, will take a hiatus to prevent crowding. Fan tables will not be openly available for 2021 to reduce lobby congestion and improve traffic flow.
Joystick Game Bar will move from AmericasMart to a unique pop-up experience at 161 Peachtree Center Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30303, with activities going on from 10a – 4a daily. Dragon Con members get in free. Epic Photo Ops has adjusted its policies with the safety and wellbeing of guests and fans in mind, including limiting the number of individuals in a photo op. The Concourse Stages will have longer breaks between each performance, rotating between locations with fewer bands and performances overall.
Dragon Con 2021 will be frequently and thoroughly performing deep cleanings to ensure the safety of all guests, vendors, celebrities, and staff. All panel rooms and programming spaces will be closed twice a day for deep cleaning – once during the day and once overnight. These closures will happen on a rolling basis, with specific times indicated in the app, so there will ALWAYS be lots of programming options to choose from. Gaming in AmericasMart Building 1 will have limited hours to meet their cleaning commitments and other enhanced safety measures. The building will be closed from 2 am – 8 am daily. Open gaming will be available in the Savannah Ballroom 24 hours a day, except during daily cleaning periods.
Dragon Con 2021 promises to be the same amazing event you’ve come to love but with a little extra care to keep fans safe. For additional information, updates, or to buy tickets, you can check out their official website.
