Dragon*Con brings Sci-Fi TV presence to Atlanta

That rustle of excitedness you hear is the sound of thousands of geeks, nerds, gamers, fanboys/fangirls and other fandom enthusiasts preparing for what is probably the largest geek party in the United States, and Dragon*Con looms closer.

Taking place in the downtown streets of Atlanta, Dragon*Con is the largest multi-media, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film. Every Labor Day weekend, about 40,000 people crowd the streets and take over the hotels of downtown Atlanta to meet friends, celebrities, cosplay and totally geek out. Spanning the lobbies, convention spaces and streets of five hotels, there is literally something for everyone at Dragon*Con.

As always, Sci-Fi/Fantasy television will have a strong presence at Dragon*Con. One of the fan tracks that should be very popular this year at Dragon*Con includes the Dark Fantasy track, which will have panels and celebrity guests from shows such as the SyFy Channel’s Being Human (stars Sam Witwer, Sam Huntington and Meaghan Rath), the CW Network’s Vampire Diaries (stars Michael Trevino, Sara Canning and David Anders) and is filmed locally in Atlanta, and HBO’s immensely popular series True Blood (stars Kristen Bauer van Straten, Jim Parrack, Denis O’Hare, Joe Manganiello and author Charlaine Harris, who wrote the “Southern Vampire” novels that the show is based on).

For the first time, stars from the popular CW series Supernatural will also appear during Dragon*Con: series regular Jim Beaver will be joined by stars Misha Collins, Mark A. Sheppard, Julie McNiven, Christopher Heyerdahl andSamantha Ferris for fan Q&A panels, photo op and autograph sessions.

Fans of Joss Whedon and/or the Stargate culture (SG-1, Atlantis and Universe) will find whole tracks dedicated to those two sub-genres (Whedonverse and Stargate: Multiverse, respectively), while those who mourn the loss of shows such as LOST, V: The Series, and Battlestar Galactica can do so alongside other fans of those now defunct, but still loved shows during panels such as “BSG Universe: Evolution”, “V: Find Your Bliss”, or “Lost: One Year Later”.

Dragon*Con will take place Friday – Monday Labor Day weekend; most programming will begin around 10 am with the exception of Saturday, when the annual Dragon*Con Parade will take place. Host hotels include the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Hilton Atlanta, Sheraton Atlanta Hotel, and the Westin Peachtree Plaza. Full details on fan tracks, celebrity guests, and membership (admission) costs can be found at the official website.