Dragon Con Parade 2015

The Dragon Con Parade is one of my favorite annual events and it's one of Atlanta's largest parades! 

Dragon Con Parade 2015 | Nichelle Nichols

I first had the great honor of meeting Nichelle Nichols—the Grand Marshall of this year's parade—in 2012, also at Dragon Con, but that meeting was one that changed my outlook on life. When I asked her if she still enjoyed the Star Trek and fandom conventions she told me "I only do that which brings me joy". 

She's been a hero of mine for many years and after sharing those words—that jewel of wisdom—I'll be a fan of Nichelle's for as long as I live...her outlook on life has helped me prosper. (She's a huge fan of the Vulcan Salute, "Live Long and Prosper".)  

Dragon Con Parade 2015

The Dragon Con Parade is presented in themes. There will be a Star Trek group, a superheros group (including a number of Batman characters—classic and contemporary!), a Battlestar Galactica group and—one of my favorites—a Periodic Table of Elements group where each cosplayer represents a different element via their costume! They're brilliant! Or should I say, "radiant!" The parade goes on and on... 

As I said, this is one of Atlanta's biggest parades, so plan to arrive early for a prime viewing spot...and allow for those who do not observe the street curb as a demarcation of where to stand—meaning, what you thought was an optimum spot might change as the crowd grows. Patience is a virtue...as they say. 

Dragon Con Parade 2015

Minions!

Despicable Me introduced the world to Minions, a global sensation, and yes, I am a fan! When I saw this GIANT Minion, I whipped out my camera as quickly as I could...this cosplayer is brilliant! And he/she put smiles on everyone around. 

I haven't seen the new Minions movie yet, but it's at the top of my list! 

Dragon Con Parade 2015

If you've followed the Captain America movies, you'll get how cool this is. THIS the the caliber of parade participants we get at Dragon Con. Awesome, right? 

Dragon Con Parade 2015

If you've been interested in attending the convention, but you're not yet quite sure...at least check out the parade. It's a glimpse (only a glimpse, mind you) of just how much fun Dragon Con really is.

Dragon Con Parade 2015

Mind you, while the parade is a family-friendly event, you probably don't want your young children at the late-night events of Dragon Con. But the parade thrills spectators of all ages. 

Dragon Con Parade 2015

There was a new parade route this year, so I departed my usual spot at Peachtree & Baker, but as usual, opted for the side of the street where the sun would illuminate those who were in the parade...makes for much better photos!

Dragon Con Parade 2015

All that glitters...just might be gold!

Again, I must compliment the cosplayers' talent, time invested, money spent and determination to parade down Peachtree Street. This truly is a fun and festive event. If you've never been, please come see it next year! 

Dragon Con Parade 2015

Parade viewing guidelines from the Dragon Con website:

We want to provide the safest and most fun experience for everyone involved. To help us accomplish this, please do not stand or sit in the streets along the route. Parade participants are often in large, bulky costumes with limited viewing range. Many of our vehicles are huge and require lots of maneuvering and turning room. We don't want anyone accidentally squished!

Dragon Con Parade 2015

So, come down to the Annual Dragon Con Parade next year, Dragon Con's 30th anniversary...it promises to be out of this world!

Dragon Con 2015 | Cosplay!

One of the more fun aspects of Dragon Con is the cosplayers. And among this year's 70,000 conventioneers, there were some AWESOME costumes! Here are a few of my favorites from 2015...

Dragon Con Cosplay | Wonder Woman & Superman

The BEST Superman at Dragon Con 2015 was my friend David. His wife Katie has been a great friend of mine for years through the Atlanta museum scene (I recently quoted her in a Museum of Design Atlanta article). They're both awesome! While Katie is a wonderful woman, this isn't her scene. The above Wonder Woman is also a brilliant cosplayer. 

As you can clearly see, these costumes are custom tailored for their respective superheroes. It's especially awesome to see David's final result after many months of preparation AND having seen childhood photos of him wearing a Superman t-shirt...this has been a long time in the making. Wonderful and Super, yes? 

Dragon Con Cosplay | Zombie Star Trek Redshirt

When I saw this guy, I was so jealous! I did cosplay for Dragon Con a number of years back and went as a Starfleet Vulcan (I've been a fan of Leonard Nimoy and Spock for as long as I can remember). 

I'd since thought that if I did cosplay again, especially with the popularity of The Walking Dead, that I'd do a zombie Starfleet officer. The thing holding me back was that I didn't want to tear up my science officer blue tunic...and I haven't planned far enough in advance.

Well, this guy totally nailed it! He was part of Dragon Con's "Zombie Walk" (another awesome event) and he brilliantly decided to be a Redshirt, characters who (almost) always die on away missions in Star Trek: The Original Series, AND he mimicked Dr. McCoy's standard, "He's dead, Jim"...absolutely brilliant!  

Dragon Con Cosplay | Jean & Wolverine

Of X-Men fame, Jean Grey and Wolverine are cosplay favorites, but I'm not sure I've seen this pair ever done quite so well. You agree, of course.

Dragon Con Cosplay | Star Trek, Triskelion

A lifelong fan of Star Trek, these two are favorites as well and Dragon Con staples. They shared with me that they now have so many costumes that for this four-day convention they now have to leave some of them at home. That's saying a LOT for these two, because ALL of their costumes are brilliant!

This set of costumes is from the Star Trek: The Original Series episode The Gamesters of Triskelion. If you've ever seen it, you know this is perfection. They're also staples in the Miss Star Trek Universe Pageant...just wait until you see what they did this year! (in a future post)

Dragon Con Cosplay | The Joker

A number of costumes are done to PERFECTION, like this The Joker! There's nothing else I need say about this one...the brilliancy of this speaks for itself. 

Dragon Con Cosplay | Went With the Wind & Commander Riker

This couple was awesome! If you know me, you know what a Star Trek fan I am, so seeing Commander William T. Riker (of Star Trek: The Next Generation) was cool, but ALSO seeing Miss Starlett of Went With the Wind (entrance at appx 13:00) was a highlight! 

I loved watching the Carol Burnett Show when I was a kid (and the reruns!) and have seen that particular episode approximately a bazillion times! The Gone With the Wind Museum in Marietta has a Went With the Wind doll and a Went With the Wind sock monkey! If you're a fan, you should totally check out that museum.

Dragon Con Cosplay | Duckie from Pretty in Pink

Duckie! One of my favorite 1980s movies was Pretty in Pink. 

This guy (above) pulls off Duckie with brilliant accuracy. It could have been John Cryer himself! I don't think this was, but one of the super cool aspects of Dragon Con is just how frequently the celebrities hang with their fans. I ran into more celebrities in the halls and restaurants this year than ever before..for a celebrity-spotter like me, that's a great year!

By the way, back in the 80s, people said I favored Andrew McCarthy, also of Pretty in Pink fame. Of course that was many years and many pounds ago. Then during my punk rock phase (bleach blonde hair, black clothes, spikes, etc.), they said I looked like David Bowie. I was cosplaying and didn't even know it!

Dragon Con Cosplay

I'm just blown away at the fantastic costumes that Dragon Con cosplayers make 100% from scratch and by hand. There is so much incredible talent at this convention...more than most who never attend would ever think! If you want to be around creative, intelligent, talented, fun-loving people, come to Dragon Con and you too can hang with Buzz Lightyear!

Dragon Con Cosplay | Samuel

Some of the more fun costumes in Dragon Con cosplay are the clever mashups—the combination of two or more characters in a single costume. In honor of Samuel L. Jackson, this costume was a brilliant combination of Jedi Master Mace Windu in Star Wars and John Shaft in Shaft. Absolutely brilliant!

Dragon Con Cosplay

One of the things as a veteran Dragon Con conventioneer accepts is that waiting in lines is part of the experience. The key to that not being a horrible experience is being upbeat, social, respectful and spotting opportunities for great photos! The two above were amazing!

Hop over to the wanderlust ATLANTA Facebook page for more Dragon Con 2015 cosplay photos and if you want to be part of one of the country's largest conventions of its kind in 2016, you can get tickets here right now!

I'll be sharing more photos, in the coming days, of the 2015 Dragon Con Parade, Dragon Con Night at Georgia Aquarium and the Miss Star Trek Universe Pageant...and more!