CANDLER PARK MUSIC FESTIVAL BOUNCES BACK IN A BIG WAY, SEPTEMBER 10 AND 11, 2021

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 8/15/21

The Genre Diverse Lineup features: Galactic, Ripe, The Infamous Stringdusters, Spafford, and more
The Two-Day Festival Benefits City of Atlanta Parks, Atlanta ContactPoint, and Candler Park Neighborhood
 
After a year of bouncing around the room and off the walls, Rival Entertainment is pleased to invite fans back to Candler Park for two days of music, food, and art, September 10 and 11, 2021. A homecoming of sorts, this will mark the thirteenth edition of this neighborhood festival which will play host to a diverse collection of genres. The lineup includes Galactic featuring Anjelika Jelly Joseph; Ripe; The Infamous Stringdusters; Spafford; The Vegabonds; Voodoo Visionary; The Dirty Guv’Nahs; Marco Benevento; Hedonista; Webster; Airwolf, and Moneyshot. Accompanying the live performances will be a hand-picked selection of some of the City’s best food trucks and vendors, as well as an artist market showcasing a wide range of makers.
Candler Park Music Festival has recently announced that it would be featuring Scofflaw Brewing Co.  Four years young, the West Atlanta-based purveyors of tasty beverages will be the official beverage provider for those 21 and older. In addition to the widely enjoyed brews from Scofflaw Brewing Co., their hard seltzers, Flippin Bird Spirits, and ‘ready-to-drink canned cocktails, and All Nations Spirits will be on hand for purchase.
 
Advanced General Admission Weekend Passes with complimentary bicycle valet, festival entry, and access to beverage and food concessions, artist market, sponsor activations, and ten live performances are on sale now for $40, before fees. Advanced VIP Weekend passes includes everything that the General Admission pass has, plus: VIP security check and entry, exclusive VIP area with stage front access, Rival Skydeck access- 30’ above the festival for optimum viewing, private VIP cash bar, and VIP restroom trailer area, are on sale for $100, before fees. Advanced Single Day Passes are available now for $30 and $75, plus fees for General Admission and VIP receptively. Pricing for all advanced tickets increased on September 1. All ticket types are available online at www.CandlerParkMusicFestival.com. Candler Park Music Festival is an all-ages event.
 
Candler Park Music Festival proudly benefits City of Atlanta Parks, Atlanta ContactPoint, and Candler Park neighborhood 501c(3) organizations. Visit www.CandlerParkMusicFestival.com for the most up-to-date information. Stay connected on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CandlerParkFestival, on Instagram at @CandlerParkMusicFestival, and on Twitter at @CandlerParkFest.

ATLANTA GRILLED CHEESE FESTIVAL 2021 – POSTPONED UNTIL 2022

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 8/15/21

Saturday, September 11

Pinnacle Lot, Atlantic Station

Tickets here.

A FOOD FESTIVAL OF DELICIOUS PROPORTIONS

The Atlanta Grilled Cheese Festival is coming BACK in 2021 for our cheesiest fest yet on Saturday, September 11th! Join us to celebrate #NationalGrilledCheeseDay a little late this year with restaurants from all over Atlanta serving up bites of melty, cheesy goodness for your tasting pleasure.

Try a few, or try them all and cast your vote for Best Grilled Cheese in Atlanta!

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General Admission Tickets include admission to the festival, your first (3) grilled cheese samples, event koozie plus live music, and access to our Adult Game Zone and Bloody Mary Garden (21+ if applicable). $35

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SOLD OUT! Cheese Lover’s Tickets include admission to the festival, your first (6) grilled cheese samples, event koozie, souvenir sunglasses and (2) beer/wines, plus live music, and access to our Adult Game Zone and Bloody Mary Garden (21+ if applicable).

ATLANTA FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES STELLAR LINEUP OF CHEFS, MIXOLOGISTS FOR THE EVENT’S HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED RETURN SEPTEMBER 9-12

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 8/15/21

Tasting Tents to Feature New Live Culinary Demos, Barbecue Competition & 

Ultimate Sunday Tailgate

Festival Discounts Tasting Tent Tickets For First Responders

Celebrating the rich culinary traditions of the South, the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival (AFWF) is thrilled to announce its stellar lineup of chefs and mixologists, along with new programming this year. Tickets are on sale now for both tasting tents and the intimate dinner series, taking place between Thursday, September 9 and Sunday, September 12. 

The festival’s highly anticipated Tasting Tents will return to Historic Fourth Ward Park on Saturday, September 11 and Sunday, September 12, and feature wine pop-up stations, a cocktail garden, live music and an interactive food and beverage pairing area. For the first time in the event’s decade-long history, revelers can experience the soon-to-be announced live learning experiences presented by Publix in the form as culinary demos as part of the signature Tasting Tents. Culinary Demos will feature a mix of visiting Southern and local Atlanta culinary personalities who will be educating and entertaining guests during the two days. 

To kick off festival weekend, AFWF will be hosting its first-ever barbecue battle competition, where some of the top Georgia hotspots will compete for the title of “best barbecue bite” on Saturday. On Sunday, guests can enjoy the ultimate tailgate party surrounding the big game pitting Atlanta versus Philadelphia. Guests can enjoy a bevy of offerings including elevated football bites prepared by the likes of Top Chef alum John Tesar (Knife), Bruce Kalman (SoulBelly BBQ), Alex Seidel (Mercantile), Giorgio Rapicavoli (Luca Osteria) alongside pit master all-stars Leonard Botello (Truth BBQ), Burt Bakman (Slab BBQ) and more! Throughout the weekend, the Tasting Tents will host a curated Yelp Atlanta spotlight section featuring a variety of their favorite local spots.

AFWF takes pride on its extensive weekend of programming and events where guests can eat, drink and explore the South’s best talent. Intimate live and in-person culinary experiences include a festival collaboration dinner with Lazy Betty’s Ron Hsu and Aaron Phillips, A Taste of España dinner at John Castellucci’s Cooks & Soldiers, Sunday Supper at Deborah VanTrece’s Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours, Southern Revival Brunch at The Woodall with Chef John C. Metz, Italian Sunday feast at Colletta Atlanta, The Ultimate Omakase experience at O-Ku Atlanta, curated dinner at 5Church with Chef Mark Alba and — back by popular demand – South Main Kitchen’s Taste of NoLa dinner with live musical entertainment! 

Atlanta has embraced this amazing event for more than 10 years,” says Brett Friedman, Partner and CEO of Agency 21, which owns and operates Atlanta Food & Wine Festival. “Even during the pandemic when we could only operate at a limited capacity, the city’s talented chefs remained vigilant in their support for us. We’re so grateful to be back and to focus the attention where it always belongs, on the people throughout the hospitality industry.” 

Continuing with last year’s commitment to give back to the restaurants that helped build this incredible event, a percentage of proceeds will support two local charities. AFWF will be supporting Children of Conservation, with proceeds dedicated to the conservation of endangered species through education, habitat preservation and wildlife sanctuary. In an effort to curb hunger and reduce food waste in the Metro Atlanta area, AFWF will be partnering with Second Helpings Atlanta to collect fresh, surplus food from each of AFWF’s activations to donate to local hunger relief agencies. 

In an effort to honor their dedication and drive throughout the pandemic, AFWF will offer 50% off tickets to Tasting Tents for Sunday to frontline workers. In order to redeem the discount, email a21events@squadup.com with proof of profession to be sent a private discount code.

In 2019, Agency 21 acquired AFWF with the intention of making last year’s 10th anniversary celebration the best yet. The pandemic changed everything, but not the spirit of Southern hospitality. AFWF will stay true to its origins, offering a celebration of the South.

Tasting Tent tickets are on sale now. General Admission One Day Passes are $150 with VIP tickets priced at $250. General Admission Weekend Passes are $275 with VIP priced at $450. Prices will increase on August 13. 

For more details and to purchase tickets, visit www.atlfoodandwinefestival.com.Interviews and photography are available upon request. If you are interested in covering/attending this year’s festival, please apply here.

WILLIAM SHATNER, EDWARD JAMES OLMOS, MARY MCDONNELL, AND DAVID RAMSEY LEAD AN ALL-STAR CAST OF HEROES AND VILLAINS AT 35th ANNUAL DRAGON CON

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 8/11/21

Olmos, McDonnell Lead a Meet-up of Colonists and Cylons; Superman Tom Welling Squares Off with

Lex Luthor Michael Rosenbaum in Smallville Reunion; Sonequa Martin-Green

Captains The Star Trek Discovery Into Atlanta

 

William Shatner and Oscar-nominated actors Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell, plus David Ramsey, Alex Kingston, and Zachary Levi lead a long list of celebrity guests headed to Dragon Con, Atlanta’s internationally known pop culture, fantasy, science fiction, and gaming convention, for Labor Day weekend.

Other top guests from television and movies including Doctor Who’s Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper; Smallville’s Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum, and Laura Vandervoort; Star Trek Discovery’s Sonequa Martin-Green, Mary Wiseman, and Anthony Rapp; The Walking Dead’s Ross Marquand, Dan Fogler, and Nadia Hilker; Bonnie Wright and Matthew Lewis from the Harry Potter franchise; and Hall of Fame professional wrestler Diamond Dallas Page.

An estimated 42,000 people are expected to attend Dragon Con, now in its 35th year, over the five-day Labor Day Weekend – Sept. 2 to Sept. 6 – with events and activities across AmericasMart Buildings One and Two and five host hotels – Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Hilton Atlanta, Westin Peachtree, and Sheraton Atlanta.

While there will be far fewer people at this year’s convention, the footprint remains the same, creating opportunities to reduce crowding and implement other changes and health & safety related protocols. A complete list of the changes can be found here: https://www.dragoncon.org/updates/

Literary Guest of Honor John Scalzi, an award-winning science fiction novelist best known for his Old Man’s War series and his popular Whatever blog, and Artist Guest of Honor William Stout, an artist of exceptional breadth responsible for production design work on 30 feature films, including Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and two Conan films, round out a guest list of more than 200 actors, artists, authors, and other creatives and experts who will meet with fans during the five day convention.

Other television guests will represent The Boys, American Gods, and Supernatural as well as voice actors from animated series The Animaniacs, Star Wars the Clone Wars, and Steven Universe, and video games Overwatch, Duke Nukem, and Mass Effect.

For an older generation of fans, the convention also welcomes Kathy Coleman, Philip Paley, and Wesley Eure from the Sid & Marty Krofft-produced Saturday morning television series Land of the Lost.

Shatner is a cultural icon and best remembered as Capt. James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise in the Star Trek television series, the animated series, and seven motion pictures. He will be at the convention on Friday and Saturday only.

Olmos played Adm. William Adama in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. Olmos is one of the best-known actors on television, appearing on Miami Vice, Dexter, and currently, Mayans M.C. He was nominated for an Oscar in 1988 for Stand and Deliver.

McDonnell portrayed President Laura Roslin in Battlestar Galactica. She is a two-time Oscar nominee, for Dances with Wolves (1990) and Passion Fish (1992).  Olmos and McDonnell will be joined by Tricia Helfer (Number Six), James Callis (Lee “Apollo” Adama), Jamie Bamber (Dr. Gaius Baltar), and Michael Trucco (Samuel Anders) in a reunion of Battlestar Galactica castmates.

Ramsey plays the role of John Diggle (also known as Spartan or Green Arrow), initially on Arrow, which ran from 2012 to 2020, and continues in that role across the so-called Arrowverse programs, including The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, Superman and Lois, and Supergirl.  He will be joined by Juliana Harkavy, who played the role of Black Canary across the Arrowverse.

Perhaps best known for her 17-year run on hospital drama ER, Dragon Con fans recognize Kingston as Riversong from the long-running BBC television series Doctor Who. She will be joined by Eccleston, who played the ninth incarnation of the time-travelling title character, and Piper, who played companion Rose Tyler during Eccleston’s run. Kingston and Piper will appear on Sunday and Monday, Eccleston will only appear on Sunday.

Levi is beloved by fans for his portrayal of the title character in the 2019 feature film Shazam! as well as an upcoming sequel, and his five-year run as the nerd next door Chuck Bartowski in the television series Chuck. Levi will be joined by Shazam! castmates Angel Asher and Jack Grazer, who also appeared in both It movies.

Smallville will be well-represented with a four-guest reunion of players from the Superman-based television series that ran for 10 years, including Welling, Rosenbaum, Vandervoort (Kara Zor-El/Supergirl), and Sam Witwer (Davis Bloome). Welling will appear Friday to Sunday and Rosenbaum will be available on Saturday and Sunday, while the remaining cast will be at the full convention.

From Star Trek Discovery, the latest installment in the 55-year-old science fiction franchise, Martin-Green, whose character was recently promoted to the captain’s chair, will be joined by Mary Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly), Anthony Rapp (Paul Stamets), Rekha Sharma (Cmdr. Landry), and Noah Averbach-Katz (Ryn).

The Walking Dead returns to Dragon Con with Ross Marquand, Nadia Hilker, and Dan Fogler. Marquand, who plays Aaron and joined the cast in 2005, and Hilker, who joined in 2010, have become mainstays of the series as it wraps up its 13-year run in 2022.  Fogler, a recurring character since 2018, is also well known for his role in two Fantastic Beasts movies, with a third in production.

Speaking of the Wizarding World, the Harry Potter franchise will be well represented by Bonnie Wright, who played Ginny Weasley, and Matthew Lewis, who played Neville Longbottom, both in all eight films.  Both will appear on Friday through Sunday at the convention.

About Dragon Con

Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day Weekend (Sept. 2 -Sept. 6, 2021) in Atlanta. Organized for fans, Dragon Con features more than 3,500 hours of comics, film, television, costuming, art, music, and gaming over four days. For more information, please visit www.dragoncon.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

DRAGON CON PARADE RETURNS IN 2021 WITH SIGNIFICANT COVID-RELATED CHANGES

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 8/7/21

Traditionally Open to the Public, This Year’s Parade Will Not Allow Spectators; Only Dragon Con Badge Holders Will Be Allowed on the Parade Route.

Dragon Con Encourages Fans to Tune-In to the Live Broadcast on

CW69, YouTube, and Other Social Media Platforms

 

The famous Dragon Con Parade, perhaps the best-known event at the annual five-day pop culture, fantasy, sci-fi, and gaming convention, will return to Peachtree Street in 2021, but with significant changes made necessary by the current Covid pandemic.

Now 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 AmericasMart Buildings #1 and #2.

Traditionally free and open to the public, the annual Dragon Con Parade usually offers the spectacle of thousands of cosplayers, young and old, dressed as their favorite pop culture characters marching down Peachtree Street. The Dragon Con Parade attracts as many as 75,000 spectators in some years.

This year, however, the Dragon Con Parade will be modified and scaled back. Not only will it be smaller than in past years, with fewer marching participants, spectators will not be allowed on the route.  Only Dragon Con badge holders will be allowed to watch the parade in person.

Instead, CW69 will broadcast the parade (live at 10 a.m., with a rebroadcast ?) with additional feeds available 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.

“It was important to bring back the tradition of the Dragon Con Parade as quickly as we could. It’s important to us and our fans, and to the whole city,” said Rachel Reeves, convention co-chair. “But, in the interest of public health, and in consultation with the City of Atlanta, we simply couldn’t allow the kinds of crowds we typically see.”

“We know it will be strange to have the Dragon Con Parade without thousands of kids lining the sidewalks, but the past two years have seen a lot of sensible-yet-disappointing decisions that prioritize public health over sentiment,” Reeves said. “This is just another one of those decisions.”

In addition to a scaled back parade, there will be no Saturday-only badge sales before the convention or during it.  Saturday is always the convention’s busiest day.  In addition, the hours immediately before and immediately after the parade have been the most popular times to purchase Saturday-only memberships, with the effect of swelling convention attendance to its largest numbers of the weekend.

Finally, all five host hotels plus AmericasMart will have stepped up security at all hours to ensure only Dragon Con badge holders will have access to the convention.

MONTHLY GAME NIGHT AT RED’S BEER GARDEN

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 8/7/21

Red’s Beer Garden

First Wednesday of Every Month

Monthly board game nights are back at Red’s Beer Garden on the first Wednesday of every month beginning at 7 p.m.  Kicking off tonight, August 4th, board game lovers can choose from Red’s unmatched collection of board games, including Carcassonne, Santorini, Sagrada, Railroad Ink, and many more. Whether chowing down on The Reebs or BLT Dog, Red’s tasty hot dogs are the perfect board game fuel, and their beer bucket specials ensure that competitors won’t have to leave a game to quench their thirst. Everyone is welcome, including the family pup! It’s fun, nostalgic, family-friendly, and the perfect recipe for a memorable night.
For more information, call Red’s Beer Garden at 770 637-2299 or visit redsbeergarden.com. Red’s Beer Garden is conveniently located in Benteen Park at 1328 Boulevard SE Atlanta, GA 30315

NETHERWORLD HAUNTED HOUSE CELEBRATES 25 SEASONS OF SCREAMS IN 2021

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 8/7/21

Top Haunted House in the Country Announces Highly-Anticipated Themes for This Fall

Haunt season is lurking around the corner and the team behind the world-renowned NETHERWORLD Haunted House is ready to reveal the terrifying themes for its 25th anniversary, RISE OF THE NETHERSPAWN and RETURN TO PLANET X in 3D. Ready to immerse yourself in a nightmare world of classic horror? Enter RISE OF THE NETHERSPAWN! In the deepest caverns below the cursed city of Whyshburg an ancient creature summons an army of horrific nightmares led by the twin abominations, FEAR and TERROR, as a colossal storm of shadows engulfs the world to conceal this army of horrors from the NETHERWORLD! Are you prepared for a mind-melting adventure using advanced 3D technology? Thrill-seekers will put on 3D glasses to explore a top-secret facility filled with bizarre rips in the very fabric of reality, confront malignant alien life forms and find a way to make them RETURN TO PLANET X!

“Our 25th anniversary is a huge milestone that we are very proud of,” said Ben Armstrong, NETHERWORLD Haunted House co-creator. “We wouldn’t be where we are without the devoted haunt fans that have made NETHERWORLD a Halloween tradition in the Atlanta area and beyond!  We have a ton of new amazingly terrifying surprises for everyone to experience and a lot of classic characters from our history-making a triumphant comeback.  It will definitely be an unforgettable season of screams!”

More about this year’s two haunts:

RISE OF THE NETHERSPAWN:
Fulfilling the wishes of The Collector, a primordial monster known as The Ganoga will summon the twins, FEAR and TERROR, to lead an invasion of hideous creatures from the NETHERWORLD! Bone-crunching Berserkers and flesh-rending Rabid lead the charge, hidden deep within the swirling mists and flashing lightning of a colossal storm of shadows! Will the maelstrom conceal the crawling horrors from their helpless victims, or will they glimpse the RISE OF THE NETHERSPAWN in time to flee for their lives?

Featuring: The Storm of Shadows, Trapped in the Wreckage, the Fisherman’s Nightmare, Eaten by the Old Ones, the Collector’s Crypt, the Starving Skull, the Jaws of Fate, the Swamp of the Lost, the Maggots of Madness, the Rage of the Rabid, the Berserkers Revenge, the Goblin Horde, the Court of the Warlord and the Soul Eater Unleashed! Twenty-five years of never-ending nightmares culminates in this apocalyptic festival of destruction as guests witness the RISE OF THE NETHERSPAWN!

RETURN TO PLANET X:
In the secret base known as the BOX, an experiment gone wrong has broken down the very fabric of time and space releasing bizarrely colorful mutagenic energy through dimensional gateways all over the facility! Weird, malevolent life forms stalk victims throughout the complex and the very fabric of reality is crumbling. Exobiologist, Dr. Otto Gloman, has gone into the rift equipped with a powered space suit, to stop the horror and force it to RETURN TO PLANET X in 3D! Guests will put on special 3D glasses and help him defeat this bizarre invasion before it consumes the entire planet.

Featuring: The Ghastly Gloaming, the Horror of the Hunes, the Malevolent Mutations, the Power of the Pyramid, the Secrets of the Serpent Men, the Paradox of Planet X, the Revenge of the Reptilians, the Primal Polymorphs, the Color Out of Space, the Mega Xeno Arthropod and the Nightmares from Beyond Time! Those who are brave enough to join the daunting mission will be pressured to retain a fragile grip on reality while viewing this world of horror through 3D glasses as they RETURN TO PLANET X.

“As our 25th anniversary approaches, we continue to take the necessary COVID-19 precautions to keep scare fans safe,” said Billy Messina, NETHERWORLD Haunted House co-creator. “As we did last year, we have procedures in place regarding ticketing, sanitizing and more that will help ensure a safe environment for both guests and employees alike.”

Adrenaline seekers looking for a little extra adventure can still get their fix while anxiously awaiting this season’s haunts through NETHERWORLD’s escape rooms and outdoor laser tag arena. Both NETHERWORLD Laser Adventure and Escape the NETHERWORLD remain vigilant in light of COVID-19. For more details including information on safety measures for all NETHERWORLD offerings or to purchase tickets, visit www.escapethenetherworld.com or www.netherworldlasertag.com.

DATES:
Sept. 24-25, 2021
Oct. 1-3, 6-10, 12-17, 19-31, 2021
Nov. 5-7 and 12-13, 2021

September Dates: 7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Monday – Thursday in October: 7:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Friday and Saturday in October: 7:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.
Sunday in October: 7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
November Dates: 7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

TICKETS:
Tickets will be available to purchase soon at www.fearworld.com. Capacity will be limited this season. All tickets are date and time specific and include entry into both RISE OF THE NETHERSPAWN and RETURN TO PLANET X in 3D.

DRAGON CON ADOPTS HEALTH & SAFETY PROTOCOLS

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 8/1/21

Changes Create a Convention That is Both Fun and Helps Prevent Spread of COVID

 

Masks Are Required for All Fans, Attendance Will Be Capped, Panel Room Capacities Will Be Reduced, and Venues Will Follow Stepped Up Cleaning Protocols

UPDATED: Vaccine Card or Negative Covid Test now required.

 

Updated: Dragon Con, the internationally known science fiction, fantasy, and gaming convention, will require that everyone who attend the live convention show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test before entering the convention.

In order to pick up their badges, all attendees will need to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of arriving at the convention. The new guidelines arrive as the Delta variant is causing more COVID-19 cases worldwide, including “breakthrough” infections of vaccinated individuals.

Dragon Con, the internationally known science fiction, fantasy, and gaming convention, has adopted a number of health & safety protocols designed to help reduce the spread of COVID while making the convention fun and memorable for all returning fans.

Now in its 35th year, Dragon Con 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 AmericasMart Buildings One and Two.

“We are excited to welcome fans back to Atlanta for this milestone convention,” said convention co-chair Rachel Reeves. “While the health and safety of our fans is always a priority, we have worked hard this year to balance the need to protect our fans’ health with our tradition of throwing an awesome convention that fans will remember.”

The protocols include a requirement that all fans wear a mask while indoors in a convention venue, reduced attendance during the convention by reducing the number of memberships available for sale before the convention, reduced room capacities in ballrooms, panel rooms, and other programming spaces, and increased cleaning and sanitation throughout the venues.

Other changes are designed to reduce congestion, improve traffic flow, and increase personal spacing within the convention venues.

In addition, Dragon Con encourages all fans to get a vaccination as it has been shown to offer the most personal protection from illness related to this pandemic. It also encourages fans to stay home if they do not feel well, or have been recently exposed to somebody with COVID.

To help spread the joy that is Dragon Con to fans who are not comfortable with attending a live convention (or who are blocked by international travel restrictions), Dragon Con Goes Virtual, a live-streamed version of the convention, will be available for fans to enjoy from the comfort of their own home in the company of close friends and family.  A Dragon Con Goes Virtual subscription is $10.

The protocols and convention changes are listed below and will be available on the convention’s website: https://www.dragoncon.org/updates/

 

Face masks and reduced attendance

  • Appropriate face masks will be required at all times inside convention venues regardless of vaccination status, in keeping with updated CDC guidelines (link to https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/about-face-coverings.html) and City of Atlanta requirements (link to https://www.atlantaga.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/52010).
  • In 2021, Dragon Con will have reduced capacity from prior years. We have worked closely with our hotels and AmericasMart to determine how many people are permitted in the buildings each day and at a given time and taken further steps to reduce capacity to allow for personal spacing.
  • 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.
  • Related to that, there will be no onsite membership sales to reduce congestion, increase social distance, and improve traffic at badge pickup in the Sheraton. If memberships are available for purchase, they will only be available online through Growtix.

Room capacity, including Walk of Fame

  • All panel rooms and other programming venues will have a reduced 2/3rds maximum capacity at all times.
  • In the Walk of Fame, we will have approximately 50 percent fewer guests signing to provide for 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.

Traffic flow, congestion, and personal distancing

  • Badge checks will be expanded across the show to support the capped attendance and spacing.  If you don’t have a membership for Dragon Con, we ask that you participate in some of our awesome virtual elements highlighted below, as the hotels will be closed to badge-holding members only.
  • Lines for events and panel programming will be closed once we reach the 2/3rds reduced room capacity to reduce the number of people congregating in an area and to improve traffic flow. As always, ballrooms will be cleared between panels and the existing line policy, #18 described here (https://www.dragoncon.org/about/dragon-con-policies/) remains in effect and will be strictly enforced.
  • Other specific changes to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion include.

o   The Concourse Stages will have longer breaks between each performance, rotating between both locations with fewer bands and performances overall.

o   Fan tables will not be openly available for 2021 to reduce lobby congestion and improve traffic flow.

o   Our traditional arcade partner, Joystick Game Bar will move from AmericasMart to a unique pop-up experience located at 161 Peachtree Center Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30303, with activities going on from 10a – 4a daily.  Dragon Con members get in free.

o   The Chosen Costume Contest, hosted annually at Dragon Con Night at the Georgia Aquarium, will take a hiatus to prevent crowding.

Venue cleaning

  • Our venues have adopted enhanced cleaning protocols and are committed to delivering above and beyond the sanitation standards established.  If you would like details, we encourage you to check with each property individually.
  • 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 our 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 will be available 24 hours a day, except during daily cleaning periods.

Other changes

 

  • Because children under 12 years old are not recommended for the COVID vaccine, the Kids Track will not host the Kids’ Character Encounter or Family-Friendly Dance.
  • We are excited to again partner with Epic Photo Ops, who has adjusted their policies with the safety and wellbeing of our guests and fans in mind, including limiting the number of individuals in a photo op.  For a detailed listing of additional protocols, visit https://epicphotoops.com/covid-19.
  • We have received our parade permit and at this time will host a modified and scaled back parade. A Dragon Con membership is required to view the parade live and in person for 2021. All others can watch the parade on CW69, our broadcast partner, or on line at YouTube and other social media platforms.

About Dragon Con

Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day Weekend (Sept. 2 -Sept. 6, 2021) in Atlanta. Organized for fans, Dragon Con features more than 3,500 hours of comics, film, television, costuming, art, music, and gaming over four days. For more information, please visit www.dragoncon.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

BATTLE OF THE DECADES SILENT DISCO AT BUCKHEAT THEATRE

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 8/1/21

Saturday, August 14 9pm

Buckhead Theatre

Battle of the Decades Silent Headphone Party is a general admission Ultimate Silent Disco Party being held at Buckhead Theater! There will be 3 Live DJ playing 3 different genres of music at the same time; 80/90’s vs Y2k vs NOW. Mark your calendars for the Ultimate Silent Headphone Party 3 Live DJs playing 3 different genres of music at the same time. Spinning your favorite dance and sing-along hits from 80’s/90’s, Y2k, and NOW all in one amazing venue space. These three DJs will be broken into green, red, and blue stations where you can adjust the volume and choose between our three styles of music with the flick of a switch. Each headset has a multi-colored LED that shows which channel you’re listening to. Tickets are $15.

Link to tickets here.