**Navigating Dragon Con: Tips and Tricks from a Seasoned Veteran**

As any seasoned fan knows, navigating Dragon Con can be a daunting task, especially for first-timers. With hundreds of thousands of attendees, sprawling convention floors, and countless panels and events to choose from, it's easy to get lost in the chaos. But fear not, dear reader, for we've got some insider tips and tricks to help you make the most of your Dragon Con experience.

**Finding Quick Ways Around**

The key to navigating Dragon Con is to find out all the quick ways to get around. Elevators can be jammed up, and bridges can become crowded, so it's essential to plan ahead. Take a moment to study the map of the convention floor, and figure out which routes will get you where you need to go quickly. Use online resources, such as the Dragon Con app or social media groups, to stay informed about traffic and crowd patterns.

**The Parade: A Key Event**

One of the most iconic events at Dragon Con is the parade, which takes place every year in downtown Atlanta. The parade route winds its way through the streets, featuring elaborate floats, marching bands, and costumed performers. But be warned, the parade can take up to an hour and a half to complete, and it's essential to plan your day around this event. Many fans choose to eat breakfast early or grab lunch before the parade starts, so you can avoid the crowds.

**Meetups and Cosplay Communities**

One of the unique features of Dragon Con is the prevalence of cosplay communities. Fans often gather in designated meetup areas, such as the "meetup space" at the Hilton hotel, to share tips, advice, and photos with fellow attendees. These gatherings can be a great way to meet new people, join forces with other fans, and even score some exclusive merchandise.

**Panels and Events**

Dragon Con features hundreds of panels and events throughout the convention, ranging from science fiction and fantasy panels to live performances and autograph sessions. Some of these events are more popular than others, so it's essential to plan ahead and register for your favorite panels early. The "face-off" panel series is a particular fan favorite, featuring debates and discussions between experts in various fields.

**The Merchandise Market**

For fans who love buying merchandise, Dragon Con has some amazing options available. From exclusive cosplay gear to rare collectibles, the convention floor is home to many vendors selling unique items. Be sure to set aside time to explore the market stalls, where you can often find great deals on everything from t-shirts to art prints.

**Photography and Videography**

If you're a fan of photography or videography, Dragon Con has plenty of opportunities for you to capture some amazing footage. From live performances to cosplay shoots, there are many vendors and photographers willing to share their expertise with attendees. Be sure to check out the convention's social media channels, where you can find tips and advice from other photographers and videographers.

**A Tour of Dragon Con**

As we made our way through the convention floor, we couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and wonder. From the elaborate cosplay displays to the massive crowds of attendees, Dragon Con is truly an experience like no other. We stopped by the "GI Joe Meetup" area, where fans were gathering to show off their Cobra Commander gear. We also caught a glimpse of the Mad Max meetup group, complete with replica vehicles and costumes.

**Conclusion**

Dragon Con is a convention that's full of surprises, from the parade route to the cosplay scenes. By planning ahead, using online resources, and joining in on meetups and events, you can make the most of your Dragon Con experience. Whether you're a seasoned fan or just starting out, we hope this article has given you some valuable tips and tricks to help you navigate the convention floor with ease.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey it's no one from tested right from tested Frank we're DragonCon yes we are Dragon Con 2015 and one of the things we wanted to do is give you guys a walking tour of Dragon Con not everyone can make it all the way to Atlanta Georgia for Labor Day weekend where thousands many many thousands in their terror center it's really like the opposite of comic-con it's completely fan-run not corporate but let's just give you a tour of what this event is like so follow us yeah so Frank you've been a trend comic for three years right oh yeah this is the third third year my second year I was here two years ago when Adam was here you know you did a panel you did one of his live performances and I helped do the makeup for him when he does go and incognito and the Incognito's are perfect is the first thing I talking about drunk on is the cosplay now we're obviously dressed up today I'm in a no votes original series Star Trek uniform and I have the new Innova shadow trooper it's awesome it was great on it really wear a costume totally fits in because I would say out of every convention I've been to does a Dragon Con has highest percentage of people attendees wearing costumes yeah it's like one out of five we're in the hospital it's not 50% exactly right we're here on Sunday morning people are still wary because trend cons basically the best describe it it's one big party non-stop now tranquol it's actually not in a big convention center since Thomas from steampunk hey judges and steampunk nice to meet you nicely John from tested my income what's that like the one time I'm not wearing anything and this is the one time I am wearing soccer actually I've never seen you in it here we go he looks good yeah what isn't in a row you're walking running to people yeah run in tons of people this is the Hyatt Regency Hotel one of the three main hotels at DragonCon the way the convention is run it's all in hotels and they're connected so we're actually gonna walk through here and walk from the Hyatt - Jemaine hung sky bridge one of the sky bridges Atlanta as you may have heard is a hot place it's humid in the summer to reach 90 100 degrees but everything like that column is all mostly indoors so warmest sky birds and we're really lucky that we're starting on this Sunday as a sky bridge is not packed on our normal day it's just a straight line all the way just all the way they person-to-person park it can take you maybe 15 minutes just to get from one hotel to the next just in the sky bridge but we're good it's rewarding it's it's only about loving it right now if we're still waking up putting on their costume if they're even up yet from last month end up yeah so as I mentioned earlier drank on basically the best way to describe it one big nerd party for three days so four days yeah for day long costume party for day long across a part of Halloween but for days and epic and athlete every obscure thing I haven't seen a record Ralph today you're gonna go see a rocket round maybe two minutes three and it's so fun to walk around side spotting costume because you know there are stormtroopers or people in Star Trek costumes you're you're pretty standard nerd things but they're also really clever things yeah what are the coolest things you've seen so far ah oh the robot or the machines yeah from coasteering yeah it's giving people the finger yeah all day long awesome yeah things that can be topical it's really like meme flash in the moment stuff or even some really nostalgic thing there's a lot of lint last year I think I saw the character from Caddyshack with the golf bags and everything and it's fun just don't be able to recognize that like I think the people who put on this costume and put all that effort into making those costumes they feel great if they just get a few people recognizing oh my god you're miss Frizzle from Magic School Bus sir oh my god you're that one character at Dragon Con someone's gonna recognize it and you're able to see it yeah so we're moving along that sky bridge we go along and heading to the Marriott the Marriott is the main hotel that's also where they have the famous carpet that Harrison Wright and a bunch of other people have dressed up through the carpet if you google image search Dragon Con most of the photos are gonna come from a Marriott not like and that's so great the Marriott but these hotels our atrium style gonna make a left here in that all the rooms are kind of exposed one hollow building that's like 40 something storeys tall and so the analogy I like to give is that Dragon Con is like being a giant space station in some warp alternate universe space station where you have you know Star Trek officers doctor Whooves aliens creatures mutants Ninja Turtles all sharing this one space and here we are this is the Marriott it's pretty amazing what you've seen uh have you seen the Hunger Games yeah this is actually where they shot the training center for all the tribute I didn't know in here so this whole room is basically the party central we were here last night maybe 2 2 or 3 a.m. and usually completely packed if you have the energy its hacked all the way the whole night maybe till 4:00 to 6:00 a.m. I know that I've stayed up till 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning before and this completely open space it's amazing this if you come over here and you look over here the atrium levels are staggered so it's great just the costume and people-watch is to stand here leaned over the edge watch the escalators and try to spot costumes see who you can recognize and of course in the distance you will be able to see that iconic Marriott convention floor oh there goes a Doctor Who TARDIS walking around that's a character from How to Train Your Dragon and let's let's continue lots of people taking photos walking around look so cool if he maze if you could recognize maybe like you know one not ever 20 characters sometimes are some brilliant skiers well there's always the standard Harley Quinn yes Harley placing IV Deadpool's yeah there's absolutely man oh that's a good piece Deadpool's right there it's great that people actually use Dragon Con as like their showcase event oh you would think Comic Con is the place for costumes and cosplay but I think a lot of the professional cosplayers save their best stuff and we're like four or five or seven different costumes I'm gonna retire about I'm on my fourth for a weekend you're you're for costume later the first one was the carpet the second one was track okay third one I got initiated into the Stonecutters so now I'm one of the Stonecutters I'm number 38 Wow and then now I'm in shadow trooper that's on the floor oh my god this floor area just shoulder to shoulder costumes at night is that a Hello Kitty Deadpool there yes the valley is up here Hello Kitty Deadpool with another Deadpool hip hop blow-up Deadpool oh yeah the mashups are in abundance they ghost lobster mash classic Wolverine how many Wolverines are doing this year 10 10 different Wilbur's your cast oh wait we Nvidia right now video right now okay yeah I think I about 10 different ones this year alone and you'd make up change them throughout the entire day yes sir not me Rocky Balboa later tonight do you shave before that's change you got to wow that's a whole planning process yeah awesome awesome well hope you haven't read costume changes alone yesterday doesn't record for me at a convention which what were they I did classical over in the morning and then give my Gaston will green logo on yeah I know the Jedi will free tonight with the the shiny lightsaber for awesome squid people looking like also stake out their place at this house oops we'll hang out in one corner yeah the convention or a long one side of the balcony and just like hang out and sing or hold size others we were singing the stonecutter song and just walked through the ages that she marched around all 18 of us Wow there's eight there's 18 Stonecutters all together I love the big group cosplays yeah when you see four or five or ten of the same costume or the same genre and stuff it's it's like those groups can come from all across the country or the world yeah and they'll just use Dragon Con as a meet up period yep and they'll all get their costumes ready you know we said there's no real like unlike comic called there's no big zip it football not right it's nothing there is a dealer room there's tons of panels here panel its panel things yeah and so you and all the panels are in different tracks that's right yeah that's right so when someone asks you know what is the theme of Dragon Con you know is it comic books is it TV shows well I think it's it's fandom it's just it's all about a rainbow yeah and when you say different tracks you know there are tracks for podcasting science there's a makeup and costuming one that's right it's not fiction you know writing fanfiction and you see things like you told me this yesterday you know this video we've heard of steampunk you heard of go down one yes yeah one more there's Adam Punk yeah I Oh Punk yep all sorts of whatever theme you can think of so this guy goes for you guys Larry oh there you go Frank and all sorts of I mean we walked into a ballroom one night and there was a Monster Mash party Oh ruin of the ballrooms ahead that was the place where panels that's at one point it becomes a rave becomes a 90s dance party yeah they have concerts too there's like some industrial bands that play and certain nights palm storm are here that you basically a similar to like a Woodstock style though there's trivia shows enough ukyo's so that was the Marriott a true floor we're gonna continue along now and skybridge next head to them the third hotel you kind of have to like just navigate your route your way around yeah you have to the key is to find out all the quick ways to get places yeah because elevators get jammed up yes guy bridges get packed sometimes if you can kind of figure out like when and where the traffic's gonna be you can go other directions like the other morning when we were trying to make it to breakfast and then the parade is going to go like around a block and then try and like it's it jams it up with you pretty awesome cheese yeah looks like it's like what about an hour and a half long that's right parade downtown Atlanta basically shuts down and you have all the different groups working together invaders serve the Empire people really like to like stay in their roles - Oh fun like role playing aspect for me because I have this I think of Dragon Con is one giant Space Station my wake of the motel it's like I'm putting on a costume report for duty yeah reporting for duty keeping the peace keeping these brigands in line well your science officer you don't have to keep people well then that I'm here for mission of exploration I'm trying to learn cultures yeah what are some of the other cool things you've seen at this your strike on I doing wertham panels you did a recording at the creature yeah we heard that yeah we did a live creature geek on Friday at 8:00 like right after I got it on a plane yeah and I think will will probably end up doing more live podcast here in the future - yeah loved you like a still a title here in the future possibly yeah some of the panel rooms you know they can fit anywhere between a hundred people to 300 the final or there's like there's like a 750 1/7 left the past two years I've been on these face off panels where we fill up the big rooms yes yeah and then later on today I have a panel that I'm seeing that's in one of the memories yeah but pal small dick there goes a full furiosa that's a Margaux Furio outside national shops I'm mashups yeah you know what I want to do a mashup on my on my shadow trooper what are gonna match it up with I think I'm gonna do Tron trooper oh you know wait soon they see it's wrong and I check it out maybe maybe for later later next year so this is the Hilton the Hilton doesn't have that giant atrium space it's more like the ballrooms and the meeting rooms for the handles of we're gonna take the escalator down to the meetup area yes the meter area which is the coolest places at DragonCon if you can you then you could time it out right the meetup areas have some of the best gatherings of like all the characters at once because when you think of like the group to know how many DC characters making our way to Dragon Con how many more would characters and how do they get all together well they in their Facebook groups and then their cosplay we go to the forums they'll say you know at 2 p.m. on Saturday all the Game of Thrones people will go together in one area where else can you see like 50 Deadpool's together that's right that's right so so cool and maybe we'll catch up a meet-up happening soon right now there goes that theory her arm is it's a lot of Klan for Mario that's so great oh my god it's this one yeah let's go check this out soon ah it looks like there's a GI Joe meet up sometime in the future a lot of Cobra Coble members from Cobra Commander it seems some funkier ones but let's head outside this one let's see what's going on on Sunday morning I think we just might have run into a Mad Max meetup there's a lot of furiosa's around a lot of few euros if see what a Morton show is at Morton J yeah look there's a meme give them oh so many so many of the guitarists I'm gonna check that out yeah DragonCon so much fun every year look at the door fix the door max and the door and butters versus I know bolt cutters and they all gather photographers gather videographers grab there are great furiosa arms and you got guitars that's a lot that's a lot of them awesome well yeah let's do a loop around and then try to see the front you go catch a glimpse of all those the war boys everyone's taking their photos and videos all right well thanks for joining us for this quick tour and walkthrough of Dragon Con Frank is over there Frank let's say goodbye thanks for joining us we'll see you more on tested if you liked the video like it subscribe to our YouTube channel otherwise we'll see you next time look this is awesome made ithey it's no one from tested right from tested Frank we're DragonCon yes we are Dragon Con 2015 and one of the things we wanted to do is give you guys a walking tour of Dragon Con not everyone can make it all the way to Atlanta Georgia for Labor Day weekend where thousands many many thousands in their terror center it's really like the opposite of comic-con it's completely fan-run not corporate but let's just give you a tour of what this event is like so follow us yeah so Frank you've been a trend comic for three years right oh yeah this is the third third year my second year I was here two years ago when Adam was here you know you did a panel you did one of his live performances and I helped do the makeup for him when he does go and incognito and the Incognito's are perfect is the first thing I talking about drunk on is the cosplay now we're obviously dressed up today I'm in a no votes original series Star Trek uniform and I have the new Innova shadow trooper it's awesome it was great on it really wear a costume totally fits in because I would say out of every convention I've been to does a Dragon Con has highest percentage of people attendees wearing costumes yeah it's like one out of five we're in the hospital it's not 50% exactly right we're here on Sunday morning people are still wary because trend cons basically the best describe it it's one big party non-stop now tranquol it's actually not in a big convention center since Thomas from steampunk hey judges and steampunk nice to meet you nicely John from tested my income what's that like the one time I'm not wearing anything and this is the one time I am wearing soccer actually I've never seen you in it here we go he looks good yeah what isn't in a row you're walking running to people yeah run in tons of people this is the Hyatt Regency Hotel one of the three main hotels at DragonCon the way the convention is run it's all in hotels and they're connected so we're actually gonna walk through here and walk from the Hyatt - Jemaine hung sky bridge one of the sky bridges Atlanta as you may have heard is a hot place it's humid in the summer to reach 90 100 degrees but everything like that column is all mostly indoors so warmest sky birds and we're really lucky that we're starting on this Sunday as a sky bridge is not packed on our normal day it's just a straight line all the way just all the way they person-to-person park it can take you maybe 15 minutes just to get from one hotel to the next just in the sky bridge but we're good it's rewarding it's it's only about loving it right now if we're still waking up putting on their costume if they're even up yet from last month end up yeah so as I mentioned earlier drank on basically the best way to describe it one big nerd party for three days so four days yeah for day long costume party for day long across a part of Halloween but for days and epic and athlete every obscure thing I haven't seen a record Ralph today you're gonna go see a rocket round maybe two minutes three and it's so fun to walk around side spotting costume because you know there are stormtroopers or people in Star Trek costumes you're you're pretty standard nerd things but they're also really clever things yeah what are the coolest things you've seen so far ah oh the robot or the machines yeah from coasteering yeah it's giving people the finger yeah all day long awesome yeah things that can be topical it's really like meme flash in the moment stuff or even some really nostalgic thing there's a lot of lint last year I think I saw the character from Caddyshack with the golf bags and everything and it's fun just don't be able to recognize that like I think the people who put on this costume and put all that effort into making those costumes they feel great if they just get a few people recognizing oh my god you're miss Frizzle from Magic School Bus sir oh my god you're that one character at Dragon Con someone's gonna recognize it and you're able to see it yeah so we're moving along that sky bridge we go along and heading to the Marriott the Marriott is the main hotel that's also where they have the famous carpet that Harrison Wright and a bunch of other people have dressed up through the carpet if you google image search Dragon Con most of the photos are gonna come from a Marriott not like and that's so great the Marriott but these hotels our atrium style gonna make a left here in that all the rooms are kind of exposed one hollow building that's like 40 something storeys tall and so the analogy I like to give is that Dragon Con is like being a giant space station in some warp alternate universe space station where you have you know Star Trek officers doctor Whooves aliens creatures mutants Ninja Turtles all sharing this one space and here we are this is the Marriott it's pretty amazing what you've seen uh have you seen the Hunger Games yeah this is actually where they shot the training center for all the tribute I didn't know in here so this whole room is basically the party central we were here last night maybe 2 2 or 3 a.m. and usually completely packed if you have the energy its hacked all the way the whole night maybe till 4:00 to 6:00 a.m. I know that I've stayed up till 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning before and this completely open space it's amazing this if you come over here and you look over here the atrium levels are staggered so it's great just the costume and people-watch is to stand here leaned over the edge watch the escalators and try to spot costumes see who you can recognize and of course in the distance you will be able to see that iconic Marriott convention floor oh there goes a Doctor Who TARDIS walking around that's a character from How to Train Your Dragon and let's let's continue lots of people taking photos walking around look so cool if he maze if you could recognize maybe like you know one not ever 20 characters sometimes are some brilliant skiers well there's always the standard Harley Quinn yes Harley placing IV Deadpool's yeah there's absolutely man oh that's a good piece Deadpool's right there it's great that people actually use Dragon Con as like their showcase event oh you would think Comic Con is the place for costumes and cosplay but I think a lot of the professional cosplayers save their best stuff and we're like four or five or seven different costumes I'm gonna retire about I'm on my fourth for a weekend you're you're for costume later the first one was the carpet the second one was track okay third one I got initiated into the Stonecutters so now I'm one of the Stonecutters I'm number 38 Wow and then now I'm in shadow trooper that's on the floor oh my god this floor area just shoulder to shoulder costumes at night is that a Hello Kitty Deadpool there yes the valley is up here Hello Kitty Deadpool with another Deadpool hip hop blow-up Deadpool oh yeah the mashups are in abundance they ghost lobster mash classic Wolverine how many Wolverines are doing this year 10 10 different Wilbur's your cast oh wait we Nvidia right now video right now okay yeah I think I about 10 different ones this year alone and you'd make up change them throughout the entire day yes sir not me Rocky Balboa later tonight do you shave before that's change you got to wow that's a whole planning process yeah awesome awesome well hope you haven't read costume changes alone yesterday doesn't record for me at a convention which what were they I did classical over in the morning and then give my Gaston will green logo on yeah I know the Jedi will free tonight with the the shiny lightsaber for awesome squid people looking like also stake out their place at this house oops we'll hang out in one corner yeah the convention or a long one side of the balcony and just like hang out and sing or hold size others we were singing the stonecutter song and just walked through the ages that she marched around all 18 of us Wow there's eight there's 18 Stonecutters all together I love the big group cosplays yeah when you see four or five or ten of the same costume or the same genre and stuff it's it's like those groups can come from all across the country or the world yeah and they'll just use Dragon Con as a meet up period yep and they'll all get their costumes ready you know we said there's no real like unlike comic called there's no big zip it football not right it's nothing there is a dealer room there's tons of panels here panel its panel things yeah and so you and all the panels are in different tracks that's right yeah that's right so when someone asks you know what is the theme of Dragon Con you know is it comic books is it TV shows well I think it's it's fandom it's just it's all about a rainbow yeah and when you say different tracks you know there are tracks for podcasting science there's a makeup and costuming one that's right it's not fiction you know writing fanfiction and you see things like you told me this yesterday you know this video we've heard of steampunk you heard of go down one yes yeah one more there's Adam Punk yeah I Oh Punk yep all sorts of whatever theme you can think of so this guy goes for you guys Larry oh there you go Frank and all sorts of I mean we walked into a ballroom one night and there was a Monster Mash party Oh ruin of the ballrooms ahead that was the place where panels that's at one point it becomes a rave becomes a 90s dance party yeah they have concerts too there's like some industrial bands that play and certain nights palm storm are here that you basically a similar to like a Woodstock style though there's trivia shows enough ukyo's so that was the Marriott a true floor we're gonna continue along now and skybridge next head to them the third hotel you kind of have to like just navigate your route your way around yeah you have to the key is to find out all the quick ways to get places yeah because elevators get jammed up yes guy bridges get packed sometimes if you can kind of figure out like when and where the traffic's gonna be you can go other directions like the other morning when we were trying to make it to breakfast and then the parade is going to go like around a block and then try and like it's it jams it up with you pretty awesome cheese yeah looks like it's like what about an hour and a half long that's right parade downtown Atlanta basically shuts down and you have all the different groups working together invaders serve the Empire people really like to like stay in their roles - Oh fun like role playing aspect for me because I have this I think of Dragon Con is one giant Space Station my wake of the motel it's like I'm putting on a costume report for duty yeah reporting for duty keeping the peace keeping these brigands in line well your science officer you don't have to keep people well then that I'm here for mission of exploration I'm trying to learn cultures yeah what are some of the other cool things you've seen at this your strike on I doing wertham panels you did a recording at the creature yeah we heard that yeah we did a live creature geek on Friday at 8:00 like right after I got it on a plane yeah and I think will will probably end up doing more live podcast here in the future - yeah loved you like a still a title here in the future possibly yeah some of the panel rooms you know they can fit anywhere between a hundred people to 300 the final or there's like there's like a 750 1/7 left the past two years I've been on these face off panels where we fill up the big rooms yes yeah and then later on today I have a panel that I'm seeing that's in one of the memories yeah but pal small dick there goes a full furiosa that's a Margaux Furio outside national shops I'm mashups yeah you know what I want to do a mashup on my on my shadow trooper what are gonna match it up with I think I'm gonna do Tron trooper oh you know wait soon they see it's wrong and I check it out maybe maybe for later later next year so this is the Hilton the Hilton doesn't have that giant atrium space it's more like the ballrooms and the meeting rooms for the handles of we're gonna take the escalator down to the meetup area yes the meter area which is the coolest places at DragonCon if you can you then you could time it out right the meetup areas have some of the best gatherings of like all the characters at once because when you think of like the group to know how many DC characters making our way to Dragon Con how many more would characters and how do they get all together well they in their Facebook groups and then their cosplay we go to the forums they'll say you know at 2 p.m. on Saturday all the Game of Thrones people will go together in one area where else can you see like 50 Deadpool's together that's right that's right so so cool and maybe we'll catch up a meet-up happening soon right now there goes that theory her arm is it's a lot of Klan for Mario that's so great oh my god it's this one yeah let's go check this out soon ah it looks like there's a GI Joe meet up sometime in the future a lot of Cobra Coble members from Cobra Commander it seems some funkier ones but let's head outside this one let's see what's going on on Sunday morning I think we just might have run into a Mad Max meetup there's a lot of furiosa's around a lot of few euros if see what a Morton show is at Morton J yeah look there's a meme give them oh so many so many of the guitarists I'm gonna check that out yeah DragonCon so much fun every year look at the door fix the door max and the door and butters versus I know bolt cutters and they all gather photographers gather videographers grab there are great furiosa arms and you got guitars that's a lot that's a lot of them awesome well yeah let's do a loop around and then try to see the front you go catch a glimpse of all those the war boys everyone's taking their photos and videos all right well thanks for joining us for this quick tour and walkthrough of Dragon Con Frank is over there Frank let's say goodbye thanks for joining us we'll see you more on tested if you liked the video like it subscribe to our YouTube channel otherwise we'll see you next time look this is awesome made it\n"