Top 10 Tips for Marching in the Dragon Con Parade!

Dragon Con

Already in countdown for Dragon Con 2019? You’re not alone, we are too!

One of the biggest events at Dragon Con has got to be the Dragon Con parade. By now, I’m sure you know all about how to find the best places to watch the scads and scads of costuming walk, skip, roll, and drive by, but what do you need to know to survive the march down Peachtree yourself?

Here are FanBolt’s Top Ten Tips for Surviving the Dragon Con Parade!

  1. If you want to be in the parade, you’d best be planning now! Registration for the Dragon Con Parade fills up fast – within a day or so of its opening. Registration opens on February 15th this year, so your decision-making time is limited!
  2. Follow the official parade group on Facebook. Most everything you need to know will be posted there, and there’s a lot you’ll need to know!
  3. There are shuttles out to the staging area. Figure out about how long you think you’re going to need to get dressed and get down to the them, and then add at least an extra half-hour. Trust me, you’re not going to want to walk that mile(-ish) twice!
  4. Factor breakfast into that getting ready time. As early as mustering seems, it’s still going to be a while before you see your room again. You don’t want your stomach to drown out the cheering crowds!
  5. Set out your costume the night before! Make sure you have all of the costume pieces, all of your makeup, and all of your accessories ready to go.
  6. Get some sleep! I know there’s a lot going on at Dragon Con, and I know we all have a strong sense of DCon FOMO, but that alarm is going to go off earlier than you’d like!
  7. If you have a way to carry it, bring water! The Boy Scouts are usually out there handing out water bottles, but there are just a few of them and a whole lot of thirsty cosplayers! Make sure you’re staying hydrated in the Atlanta heat.
  8. To the degree possible, try to incorporate comfy shoes into your costume. The parade is just under a mile, and while that may not be a horribly long distance when you’re actually walking, the mustering area doesn’t have a lot of seating, and you will be there for a while.
  9. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Class of 2019, WEAR SUNSCREEN. (Dragons help me, that reference is now 20 years old. Ouch.) Seriously, though. You’re going to be outside for a nice long while, and from experience, bodice tans can look really funky the Tuesday after con. This tip is doubly, nay triply, true if you have decided to paint words or designs on your person. Trust me.
  10. Finally, set a rendezvous point for after the parade. Things get a little dicey at the end, as you try to get off the road and out of the way of parade vehicles. Figure out in advance where you’re going to meet your friends for the obligatory post-parade pics!

 

Being in the parade is absolutely a blast and one of the most fun things I’ve done in my many years of Dragon Con. If you’ve got the chance to join in, I highly recommend it! We’ll see you all out there in September!

Dragon Con Parade

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