The 2015 Dragon Con has come and gone but the memories of this annual fan convention will last…well until next years Dragon Con. But until that time arrives, I’d like to share one of the better memories from this years Dragon Con. If you know anything  about Dragon Con (and I imagine you do or why else would you be reading this) then you’ve heard of the famous Dragon Con Parade. Each year, hundreds of dedicated cos-players, movie buffs and sci-fi enthusiast hit the streets of Atlanta to show off some of the most imaginative costumes, floats and cars you’ll ever see. Box Hero’s, legions of Deadpools and Storm Troopers, Gandalf, Thorin Oakenshield, Maleficent, Pinocchio, Pademé Amidala and even the righteous Flying Spaghetti Monster are just a few of the hundreds of colorful characters that walked Peachtree Street to the cheers of thousands of fans.

I’ve been living in Atlanta for the better part of ten years now and this is the first time I have ever been to the Dragon Con Parade. Normally, I’m on the other side of the event, cursing as I’m stuck in traffic, trying to get to work. But this year, I decided to check out what all the fuse was about. And I was not disappointed! One funny note though, we left our house around 8:30am Saturday morning on our way to the Parade (the parade started at 10am) with the mindset that we would get there early enough to get a good spot up front so we could see everything. As we drew closer to the Parade route, all our illusions were shattered just as we rounded the corner at Andrew Young and Peachtree and gazed upon the massive wall of people, all with a better idea of timing than ourselves. This was without a doubt, the largest gathering of people I’ve ever seen while in Atlanta and we could only see about 150 yard in front of us.

I’m not 100% positive about this but I’m pretty sure everyone in Atlanta showed up to watch the parade. People lined the street as well as hanging out on restaurant patios, parking decks, people’s shoulders and even on top of buildings. Crowd watching was as much fun as watching the parade itself, with many Dragon Con conventioneers not participating in the parade showing off their costumes along the street. But the coolest part about the Parade, besides seeing the creative costumes, was the collective appreciation for the vast pop references throughout the parade. I saw so many nostalgic characters from my childhood and if I didn’t recognize someone, you can best believe the guy standing next to me did. I’m pretty good at figuring out cartoon and movie characters, having been raised by tv but were I’m lacking is in the video game arena. But, there was always someone close by that could clue me in to who that character walking past me was and what video game they came from.

This was my first time really experiencing all that Dragon Con has to offer. Dragon Con gave me the chance to express my inner child, walk amongst my hero’s and become a kid again. For that, I am grateful. Enjoy these snippets from the Dragon Con Parade, I hope it stirs the same childhood memories in you.

Mike