WILD HEAVEN BEER LAUNCHES NEW MUSIC VENUE IN ATLANTA’S WEST END

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 8/29/21

Mississippi Invasion Show Labor Day September 4th, featuring Cedric Burnside, Cary Hudson, and The Weeks
 
As our city emerges from a year apart and looks forward, Wild Heaven Beer, Georgia’s 4th oldest production craft brewery, has converted nearly 6000 square feet of space at its West End Brewery & Gardens location into The Garden Club. The state-of-the-art music venue, uniquely situated inside an operating craft brewery, will play host to a wide array of events, most notably live music.  With a capacity of 500+ and the ability to host shows with significant outside airflow, best-in-class air filtration, and ample parking, The Garden Club at Wild Heaven West End sits alone in the Atlanta music scene.
On Saturday, September 4, Wild Heaven Presents Mississippi Invasion 2021 featuring a tripleheader of headliners back-to-back-to-back: Cary Hudson of Blue Mountain (Americana) at 6pm, followed by 2x Grammy Nominee Cedric Burnside (Blues) at 8pm, and finally The Weeks (Rock) at 10pm. Mississippi Invasion 2021 coincides with a big weekend of college football kickoff games in Atlanta featuring Alabama vs. Miami (Saturday, September 4) and Ole Miss vs. Louisville (Monday, September 6). As a result, football fans in town looking for things to do will find little better than the Mississippi Invasion.
 
Tickets are $45 in advance and $55 day of show via Freshtix at wildheaven.freshtix.com. Doors open at 5pm. This is an all ages. Food is available onsite via the Wild Heaven Kitchen.
 
Wild Heaven takes guest safety seriously and, to that end, has installed the fastest-working, most advanced air filtration system we could find. The ionization-based system targets pathogens (including COVID-19) mold and dust particles and removes 99.5% of them within thirty minutes of introduction. In addition, ticket holders must present proof of vaccination or negative COVID test no more than 72 hours old.
ABOUT GARDEN CLUB AT WILD HEAVEN WEST END
The Garden Club at Wild Heaven West End is inside the Wild Heaven West End brewery located at 1010 White St SW, Atlanta, GA 30310. Tickets to The Garden Club shows are available via Freshtix at wildheaven.freshtix.com. The Garden Club features a lineup of fresh brewed Wild Heaven beer and hard seltzer, along with non-alcoholic beverage options. Food is available onsite via the Wild Heaven Kitchen. The Garden Club features an advanced ionization air filtration, ensuring 99.5% of pathogens, dust, and viral particles are eliminated within 30 minutes of introduction.

A LITTLE DIFFERENT BUT STILL A LOT OF FUN, DRAGON CON RETURNS TO DOWNTOWN ATLANTA

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 8/24/21

Dragon Con, the internationally known science fiction, fantasy, and gaming convention, returns to downtown Atlanta for Labor Day weekend, balancing the awesome joy of a large pop culture gathering with significant efforts to reduce the spread of COVID.

Fans wearing the latest cosplay will be seen in downtown Atlanta for the first time since 2019. Cultural icon William Shatner, Oscar nominees Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell, and a host of other celebrities from the worlds of television, movies, comics, literature, and gaming will be on hand to greet fans, lead discussions, and sign autographs during this year’s convention.

An estimated 40,000 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.

Still, Dragon Con has implemented a series of protocols to help reduce the spread of COVID, including a requirement that all attendees show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of arriving at the convention in order to pick up their badges.

Only badge-holding Dragon Con members will be allowed to watch this year’s Dragon Con Parade from city sidewalks along the parade route.  Instead, we encourage people to stay home and watch the parade on CW69 or YouTube.

Other changes include requiring all fans to wear a mask while inside a convention venue and a 50 percent reduction in the number of memberships sold for this year’s convention.

No badges will be sold on site. If badges are available, they will be available through www.Growtix.com.

For fans who are not comfortable attending a live convention, Dragon Con Goes Virtual is a live-streamed version of the convention with live convention coverage as well as exclusive pre-recorded content and highlights from past conventions that fans can enjoy from the comfort of their own home in the company of close friends and family.  A Dragon Con Goes Virtual subscription is $10.

Guests – In addition to Star Trek’s Shatner and Battlestar Galactica’s Olmos and McDonnell, Doctor Who’s Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper, Star Trek Discovery’s Sonequa Martin Green and Mary Wiseman, and a brace of Supermen – Smallville’s Tom Welling and Superman and Lois’ Taylor Hoechlin – lead a parade of stars from some of the best-known television and movies of the last 40 years.

More than 200 guests – actors, authors, artists, and creators of all kinds – will lead panel discussions and meet with fans, who will recognize guests from Shazam!, The Boys, American Gods, The Walking Dead, the Harry Potter franchise, 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 and Wesley Eure from the Sid & Marty Krofft-produced Saturday morning television series Land of the Lost.

Hall of Fame professional wrestler Diamond Dallas Page will appear at Thursday Night Wrestling and meet with fans during the convention.

Gaming – One of the largest gaming conventions in the nation, Dragon Con offers a basement full of games, from the latest and most popular video games to rarely seen board games, along with discussions with the game designers responsible for the games people love to play.

Overall, Dragon Con offers more than 140,000 square feet of gaming, featuring the full array of gaming including PC and console games, board games, miniatures gaming, role-playing games, collectable card games, and even LARP games. ‘Round the clock gaming is free to Dragon Con members starting Thursday, Sept. 2 at 4 pm.

In addition to all the gaming in Americas Mart Building One and Westin Peachtree Hotel, Joystick Game Bar will hold an American arcade experience with tons of favorite – and free to play for Dragon Con members – cabinet games at 161 Peachtree Center Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30303, from 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. each day.  A $10 cover is required for non-members.

Cosplay – Dragon Con is well known for the quality of its cosplay – or costume play – and that tradition will certainly continue. The nation’s top cosplayers will show off their best work during the show, participating in costume contests every night of the convention and promenading throughout the five host hotels and the streets of downtown Atlanta.

Cosplay competitions remain a mainstay of Dragon Con, including the queen of competitions, Dragon Con Masquerade, the oldest continuously-run competition in fandom, as well as the craftsmanship-focused Friday Night Costume Contest and the low-key and fan-voted Hallway Costume Contest, which will also have a virtual component for those fans joining the convention from home.

Parade – The world-famous Dragon Con Parade will be broadcast live on CW69 (WUPA-TV) and YouTube beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 4.

Only badge-holding Dragon Con members can watch this year’s Dragon Con parade from route, a health and safety measure adopted to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Official Charity – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta is the official charity for 2021.

Since 2013, the convention has consistently raised more than $100,000 for each of its annual official charities, including a dollar-for-dollar match from the convention up to an additional $100,000.  Funds are raised through convention-based auctions, special merchandise sales, special events, and the convention match.

In addition to fundraising, Dragon Con conducts the largest convention-based blood drive in the nation. In 2019, some 3,000 fans donated more than 6,000 units of blood and blood products in the annual Robert A. Heinlein “Pay It Forward” blood drive, benefiting LifeSouth, which serves more than 40 hospitals in the Atlanta area and 110 hospitals in the Southeast.

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.

IMAGINE MUSIC FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ARTIST-BY-DAY FOR SEVENTH ANNUAL EVENT, SEPTEMBER 17 – 19, 2021

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 8/22/21

Pool Parties, An Unprecedented B2B Lineup, Local and Regional Acts, and More Await Fans
 
Single Day Tickets On Sale Now

 

As excitement continues to build for Imagine Music Festival, organizers are pleased to release additional details for the festival’s return September 17 – 19, 2021. After the Poseidon level announcement of the seventh annual festival’s move to Bouckaert Farm in the City of Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia, and an equally monumental lineup, Imagine is ready to welcome fans to the Aquatic Fairytale. To help fans plan their experience at the farm, the artists-by-day, including local and regional artist additions, are as follows:

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17

3LAU; Abelation; Adventure Club B2B Riot Ten; Blackgummy; Blunts & Blondes; CharlestheFirst; Dabin; Deeper Purpose; Dillon Nathaniel; Excision; Fisher; GRiZ; Kasbo; Lee Foss; Lick; Madeon; Moore Kismet; No Mana; Peekaboo; Protohype; Tsu Name, and Westend. Local and regional talent to include Bandikook; Bloodcrest; Chozen; Curra; Daniels Jack; DJ Red; Drinkurwater; Finderz Keeperz; Flozone; Julian Gray; Ian Live; Mikes Revenge; NOA | AON; Otica; Pryzms; Reginald Simpson; Rudashi; Skyhye, and Stephanie Laine.
 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

Carnage B2B Borgore; Champagne Drip B2B Luzcid; Devault; Dieselboy w/ Mc Armanni Reign; Eddie Gold; Esseks; G-Rex; Kaivon; Kaskade; Kaskade (Pool Party); Kayzo B2B Subtronics; Kyle Walker; Liquid Stranger; Lucii; Malaa; Reaper; Shiba San; Shlump; Sidepiece; Sully; Virtual Riot B2B Barely Alive, and Wakaan Takeover Family Set. Local and regional talent to include Alber-K; ALTI2D; Chris Robert; Cut Rugs; Cyrus; Daddydough; Devious; Foreign Suspects; Johnny Goodtime; Infexzion; JA Farrell; James Kennedy (Pool Party); Kirby Bright; Mantis; Mettapattern; Niko the Kid; Organik; Subrinse; Svble; Thomas B; Torch Block; Vivid; White Rhino; Xtals; Yuki-San; Zeplinn, and Zubah.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
Black Carl!; Black Tiger Sex Machine; Brondo; Clozee; Corrupt UK; Dion Timmer; Dirtysnatcha B2B Rico Act; Elah; Ghost Rydr (Ghastly B2B Joyryde); Gryffin (DJ set); Illenium; Jinx; Joyce Muniz; Leah Culver; Lizzy Jane; Meduza (Pool Party); Mersiv; Noizu; Of the Trees; Sphongle Droid (Simon Posford Live feat. Android Jones); SNBRN; Subtronics: Wooked on Tronics (Sunset Set); VNSSA, and Walker & Royce. Local and regional talent to include Avion; Deadman; Diskull; DJ Aladdin; Domii; Frisbae; Juju Beats; Malik HD; Midnite Panda; Nctrnal; Nhexis; Ployd; Pretty Hippie; Sam Wolfe; Scales; Sparkbox; Teriyaki Noize (Pool Party); United; Vitillaz, and VLCN.
 
Imagine has a few other additions this year, with the Thursday Night Pre-Party*, and the campground stage which hosts the Silent Disco throughout.
 
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
Ganja White Night; ATLiens; Freaky, and PLSMA
*Guests must have a separate Pre-Party pass to attend.
CAMPGROUND STAGE / SILENT DISCO
3Nterline; Akuarium; AshleyMadison; Black AMigo; Comisar; Cozm & Naught; Deep Technicians; Don Genesis; Dose; exit 9; Krrushendo; Kymera; Laser; Assassins; Masked Beatz; MC Word; Odiggs; Sidd Kel; Tape B; Traitell, and Zoe Gray.
With the safety of the fans, artists, and staff as Imagine’s number one priority, organizers have also released their COVID-19 Health Policy & Entry Requirements. The festival developed new entry requirements by working closely with the City of Chattahoochee Hills, leading public safety experts, and following all recommended CDC and WHO guidelines. Everyone entering Bouckaert Farm will be asked to take a Health Pledge, including health verification- negative COVID-19 result within 72 hours of entering or full vaccination verification, festival wristband, health check wristband, and mask. Organizers will continue to update patrons with important information, including any changes to policies and procedures needed to know before entering the festival. Full details, including helpful resources, can be found at www.imaginemusicfestival.com/covid19policy.
 
Limited weekend passes for Imagine Music Festival are still available including, Car Camping Passes which are sold on a per car basis rather than per person. As an extension, Imagine Music Festival now offers a Companion Camping Pass which allows attendees to join and share a campsite with friends. Tent-Only Camping Passes are now available, which comes with two GA Camping Wristbands and one 10×15 campsite. VIP Car Camping, Single-day passes, Thursday Early Arrival Passes, and more parking options are available. Find tickets online at www.imaginefestival.com. Imagine Music Festival is an 18 and over event.

Imagine Music Festival is produced by Iris Presents. Visit www.imaginefestival.com for the most up-to-date information. Fans can stay connected on Instagram www.instagram.com/imaginemusicfestival, Twitter www.twitter.com/imaginemusicfes, and Facebook www.facebook.com/imaginemusicfestival.

UNDERGROUND ATLANTA SELECTED FOR NORTH AMERICAN DEBUT OF THE ART OF BANKSY: “WITHOUT LIMITS”

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 8/22/21

Venue Changed to Meet Popular Demand for Exhibition Tickets

Almost everyone has heard of Banksy, and longtime fans or curious observers will enjoy an opportunity to experience his iconic works when The Art of Banksy: “Without Limits” debuts in North America on Sept. 3. Due to popular demand for tickets since they went on sale in May, presenters of the exhibition today announced Underground Atlanta will host the exhibition through Jan. 9.

Tickets to the exhibition – which includes more than 140 of the artist’s works such as his certificated original works, prints on different kinds of materials, photos, sculptures, murals, installations, digital installations and a video mapping show which has been created only for this show – start at $29.20 available now through ArtOfBanksy.com. All tickets purchased previously remain valid for the confirmed time – only the venue has changed.

“Due to strong interest for tickets to The Art of Banksy: “Without Limits” we decided to relocate to Underground Atlanta from Midtown so that more fans will have access to the artists’ works in a larger presentation space with more parking and public transportation options as well as an adjacent hotel,” said Martin Biallas, CEO of SEE Global Entertainment.

Building upon the incredible success of The Art of Banksy: “Without Limits” in Europe and Australia, the exhibition is coming to the U.S. for a short period of time, with other cities to be announced. To date, over 1 million people have visited the exhibition worldwide, and in Atlanta nearly 3,000 tickets sold in the first 20 minutes of availability on May 18.

Regarded as one of the most valuable and talked about artists of our time, the Banksy’s popularity cannot be denied. The exhibition The Art of Banksy: “Without Limits” presented by SEE Global Entertainment presents original artworks, prints, photos, sculptures, installations, murals, and more. Some of Banksy’s works are carefully reproduced with his stencil technique especially for the exhibition.

A video documentary gives visitors insights into his life and work, all presented in a unique setting in every city. The show promises – and delivers – a genuinely impressive experience and is a “must see” to celebrate or learn about Banksy’s art, which consistently serves as a conversation starter.

“Banksy is an exciting and compelling artist and we are delighted to share an array of his works with the public for the first time in North America,” said Biallas. “Some consider him a prankster whereas others regard Banksy an artistic genius – no matter one’s perspective, across the globe it is clear that everyone agrees Banksy’s popularity and influence cannot be denied.”

“Banksy has a unique power to express strong political statements with poetry, energy and humor with an unnerving ability to get to the heart of the subject matter,” added Biallas. “Any location that features Banksy’s work becomes the place to see.”

In addition to Biallas, the founder of the exhibition, who is based outside the USA and considers himself a Banksy advocate, also affirms the incredible ability Banksy has to inspire conversation.

“Banksy loves to provoke, shock and even disturb society. He does it with humor and poetry indeed. He has the unique ability to express through his works some truths that most of the people don’t have the courage to say out loud. And, nowadays, we need to be sincere, empathetic and caring to one another more than ever. This is what Banksy’s art does: it has the power to unite people, ideas, values that can change the world for the better. And our mission is to present the truth about Bansky’s art and to carry his powerful message into the world.”

As the cultural capital of the South, Atlanta boasts an eclectic range of activities for art and culture enthusiasts. The location for The Art of Banksy: “Without Limits” – now at downtown’s Underground Atlanta – provides additional space and convenience for ticket holders.

“As we look to reestablish Underground’s significance in Atlanta, attracting one-of-a-kind experiences for our community is our first step,” said Shaneel Lalani, CEO of Lalani Ventures. “The Art of Banksy: ‘Without Limits’ exhibition is the most unique artist experience on the market right now, and we’re thrilled to be the host site. The urban and historic aesthetic Underground offers is the perfect backdrop for pieces of the world’s most famous street artist to be displayed and enjoyed by our city.”

The Art of Banksy: “Without Limits” successfully exhibited in multiple international cities including Istanbul, Amsterdam, Melbourne, Antwerp, Berlin, Bucharest, Cluj, Budapest, Riyadh, Vienna and Warsaw. The exhibition is famed for its unique installation in each location, ensuring a new and innovative experience for every visitor.

PUPS AND PINTS NIGHT AT RED’S BEER GARDEN

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 8/22/21

Celebrating International Dog Day With Cold Brews, Bites, Dog Treats, a Leash Making Station, and More
 
Benefiting the Atlanta Rescue Dog Cafe on Thursday, August 26, 2021
Is there paw-siblly a better combination than dogs, hot dogs and beer? Red Beer Garden doesn’t think so. Located in Benteen Park between Grant Park and East Atlanta, the local, dog-friendly haunt is celebrating International Dog Day on Thursday, August 26th with a Pups and Pints Night. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., pups can gobble up treats in the expansive beer garden while their owners sip on pints of cold brews and indulge in some of Red’s favorite offerings including the BLT Dog, Slaw Dogs Go To Heaven, the Benteen Club, Beyond Meat Nachos and much more. There will also be a leash making station so all pups can leave looking even more fetching. 10% of all sales between 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. will be donated to the Atlanta Rescue Dog Cafe, a non-profit organization with the mission to contribute to the well-being of pets and people everywhere by improving human-animal interaction, reducing the prevalence of animal cruelty, and relieving the strain on local animal shelters. An ulti-mutt night for dog and beer lovers alike, visit redsbeergarden.com for more information.

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!

​

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

​

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).

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