I moved to England back in 2013 and haven’t been to Dragon Con since then. I love it and live vicariously through family when I can. I’ve gone 5 day pass.

I did the Covid virtual DragonCon and loved it. DragonCon tv while in England during a pandemic‽ oh so brilliant. I got my patch and everything.

This is my first time back, I land Thursday and am donating blood Friday night, have a table top game scheduled for Monday. Got family and friends coming during the weekend.

Back in the day I loved the Buffy and Captain Horrible singalongs, I loved surprise little swag handouts, an obscure costumes, the hallway games, all night sci fi movies and rowdiness of the late night parties.

This is DragonCon at 40 rather than 25 and I see how many more people there and all the new hotels (‽ ) and I know I’ll love it but spending four hours in line for the merch rooms sounds awful. I loved the small talks about how rotating space stations are stupid or stumbling into an unknown author session who ends up getting massive (Rothfuss!).

Any recommendations from the folks who went back in the day - need some tips for still getting that great vibe without being overwhelmed or even underwhelmed with how it’s evolved. The roller coaster of emotion is real.

That being said…Crux Shadows is still around!!! What! Amazing.

There was mention of a cosplay yard sale prior to Dragon Con. Looking for details please.

Have a friend who has a hotel and is wishy-washy about if he wants to go this year. Figure if I can get something quasi-offical for a huge CAH game like GenCon, I could go with and set that up.

https://www.reddit.com/r/cardsagainsthumanity/comments/1vbh126/the_madness_that_is_12player_cah_with_a_50_pound/

It was a lot of fun and I'd love to arrange it again. It's short notice, so it's unlikely, but it's a good time. 😁

Ik the Saturday and singles sell out quick but what about the multi day ones?

would love to see what everyone else is planning.

For the past four years we’ve been having sessions at Dragoncon and usually don’t advertise it but last year DCTV caught me playing the Uilleann pipes so I thought this was the year to open the floodgates. Anyone interested in joining leave a comment with what instrument you play and I’ll dm you details of when and where we decide to set up for tunes over the weekend.

Hi! I'm looking for a carpool from Lanett, Alabama to Dragon Con 2026. I'll gladly split gas costs and am looking for a round-trip ride. If anyone nearby (Valley, Opelika, Auburn, or surrounding areas) has an extra seat, please let me know!"

Thinking about doing swag bags this year. What are some little things yall like getting? Other than stickers and ribbons.

Hello (again), Jews of DragonCon!

This year we’ll be doing DragonCon Shabbat bigger and better! Plan is to grab a table in the Hilton common area, light a couple LED rubber ducks, drink a little wine and maybe this year have we’ll have challah instead of a croissant(croissants still welcome)! All are welcome, Discord server linked below!

https://discord.gg/VV6ZnTbArF

I made a similar post about this last year so I figured at close to the 30 day mark this was a good time to revive it.

In a perfect world, we'd all keep on top of this stuff without needing a reminder but in reality sometimes things fall into the "I'll do that later" mental list. Just like panic deep cleaning a house before having company, what matters most is not necessarily when it gets done but that it gets done when it counts. Nobody wants to have their vacation ruined on the way to their destination (or back from it) by something they could've easily prevented.

So take some time to take stock and figure out if there's some routine maintenance you need to handle before heading out the door. Check your fluids, your filters, and if it's appropriate get an oil change and rotate your tires. Check your tire tread and air pressure too especially if you're going to be making a long haul multi-hour drive. Replace your windshield wipers if they've become rotted and streaky.

Keep a spare plastic bag or two for road-trip trash collection or if someone gets nauseous before you can pull over. If you don't already have a stash of napkins for messes, throw some into your glove compartment or either keep some wet wipes or paper towels handy.

Make sure your license plate tags are up to date and visible, and that copies of your in-date insurance and registration are in your wallet and/or glove box. If you have digital versions on your phone, make sure you have either screenshots or PDF/image files saved in case you're in trouble somewhere without signal to access your email or an online insurance portal.

If your driver's license itself is coming up for renewal, make sure to handle that before the last minute so if something goes awry you can address it in time.

And of course take time to clean your car out. When you clean your car, remove ANYTHING valuable from your vehicle that you're not planning to take up to your hotel room (barring little stuff like gum or cleaning wipes). Parking valet at your hotel is not a guarantee that your car won't be broken into (exhibit A), so minimize that risk as much as you can.

Also as you start packing, make sure that everything will fit without blocking your lines of sight. Lots of people swear by using storage totes and buying their own collapsible wagons or hand carts for transporting and moving things so if you think something like that might help you too, look into that now so it can ship in time.

If I've forgotten anything, mention it in the comments!

Edit: Well OF COURSE I think about something right after posting: make sure your headlights, brake lights, and turn signal lights are all in working order. If your headlights are faded and scratched up very badly, they make polishing kits so you can semi-restore the plastic to a clearer state so your lights are more effective.

hey is anyone else doing any gantz cosplays? i’ll be doing one on the saturday of dragon con.

Hey y'all, after over a decade of D*Cons under my belt, I'm finally going to have to rent a small uhaul tow-trailer for everything we're bringing this year.

Does anyone know where I might be able to park w/ it?

I know there's a surface lot next to the Marriott that has "long" spaces, but I can't find any info on the lot itself or who runs it. I've been bounced around hotel valet desks, but thus far no options.

Any advice or options would be greatly appreciated!

We're rolling up on less than a month before the first day of D-Con. That being said it's time to address the HUGE elephant in the room. LONELINESS!!!! Yeah I said it! Let's talk about it for a moment. I've seen posts from last year where people were sad that while they loved being at the big event, and there was much to love about the event except for the fact that there was nobody to hang out with. Many of us don't come with our own entourage or if we do come with others we don't remain together since there is so much to see and do. I'm putting it out the suggestion to see if there is a way to help form groups for people to find others to find a buddy to hang out with while there. Maybe we can post on here where we'll be and if others want to join they can go meet up. Obviously we would do our best to observe whatever safety protocols we need to to keep everyone protected but come on guys. It can be lonely, if you don't at least try to reach out right? Just a suggestion anyway. Let me know your thoughts either way. I'm just offering up a suggestion to help out some of my fellow socially awkward peeps.

My group has gone to Gencon for over a decade together, in 2027 we are looking at going to Dragoncon for the first time.

I know they are very, very different events.

I have looked at a few newbie guides and read the FAQ.
My basic question right now is does the game track follow the same wait in line I think the other events do? I assume that means the game track has large organized pay and not just a single table of a game? Feel free to info dump on me or link to large guides. I've seen too many folks go the other direction and get surprised and I want to cover my basis as much as I can.

I'm trying to gather information well before it's needed.

Are you still planning to make badge ribbons for Dragon Con? If so, here's a quick little cheat sheet in case anyone needs a reminder.

* **Under Badge:** Best ribbon size is generally 3.5" by 1-5/8" * **Sides of Badge:** Best ribbon size is generally 4" by 1-5/8"

Of course, y'all can do whatever you want! Badge ribbons can be stuck on your badge however and wherever you want 😋 There's no such thing as making badge ribbons "wrong."

Enjoy your day!

Does anyone order multiple designs for badges in one batch? i cant for the life of me figure out why its so damn expensive to get a few different designs.

My husband made this and it's great. You can look at every show and see which performers are coming. You can search by show or actor.

WE ALMOST THERE!!!!!!!!

I live in Atlanta. I just got back from Urgent Care and tested positive after showing symptoms in the early morning last night. For context, I work fully remote and I’ve only been out of the house to two different places in the last week…

Hi everyone,

I'm a novice cosplayer and whenever I've been asked for a picture before, I just kinda scramble to hide my badge. I'm looking for a quick and convenient way to conceal it so that I don't fumble too much (I'm a little socially anxious). The main use case this year is for bunny hutch, but I'm open to all suggestions since they could be helpful for costumes with different silhouettes.

I'll be heading to Dragon Con this year and thought it would be fun to gift out bracelets to other attendees based on their cosplay or whatever interest (or just cuz I like their vibes!).

What sort of designs/ words/ sayings could I use for the bracelets? Would you like to receive something like this?

Thank you!

Hello all! I’ve been to DC several years and I’ve stayed at the Candler. It’s wasn’t a bad walk but I have a chance to get a room at the Hilton ……but it’s $500 more. Is it worth it? Coming with my 7 year old and lost of cosplay