Tag Archive for: parade

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.

INAUGURAL DIA DE LOS MUERTOS FESTIVAL AND PARADE DEBUTS IN ROSWELL

Posted by Liz and John Attaway, 10/29/19
Featuring a Lantern Parade, Tequila-Tasting Experience, Face Painting, Street Performers, a Lantern Parade and Much More!
Saturday, November 2, 2019 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
On Saturday, November 2, 2019, Atlantans and visitors alike are invited to explore vibrant cultural traditions at the inaugural Dia de Los Muertos Festival and Parade in the historic city of Roswell, Georgia. Held on the grounds of City Hall from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., this exciting Day of the Dead celebration will pay homage to the Mexican holiday that honors those who have died with food, marigolds, dancing, music and more.
Free to attend for all ages, the fun-filled day will feature an array of activities and entertainment including a live mariachi band, street performers, a Mexican ballet group, complimentary face painting and so much more.  At dusk, festival goers can light up the night during a mesmerizing Lantern Parade led by a marching band along the marigold-filled streets in downtown Roswell.  Participants are welcome to bring their own lanterns or purchase a lantern kit at the festival for $5 to $25.
In addition to food vendors serving authentic Mexican cuisine, the festival will have a dynamic Tequila Tasting Experience boasting three of the top tequilas with mini shots prepared by a mixologist that will also be curating tequila cocktails for sampling, and a chef on-site creating tequila-inspired meals for tasting.  For $45, attendees ages 21 and up will receive a souvenir cup, nine tasting tokens and a raffle entry to win a Mattel Dia de Muertos Barbie Doll.  Tickets are available now at www.dayofthedeadatl.com.

18th Annual Little 5 Points Halloween Festival and Parade

Date: Saturday, October 19th

Time: Noon, Parade at 4

About: Please join L5P us for the best event of the Halloween season, the L5P Halloween Festival and Parade! The Festival starts at noon, so make plans to join us all day for shopping, eating and fun at the businesses in the L5P neighborhood and the artist market along Euclid Ave. See the largest Halloween parade in the southeast from 4-6pm on Euclid and Moreland. Then stick around for dancing and merriment into the night with entertainment! Supports local business by raising funds for the L5PBA. Free event.

More Information:

https://www.facebook.com/events/2892828377456870/