Hello All! How’s your week going? What did you do on Labor Day weekend? I went to Dragon Con 2018 and I had a blast! This year I am writing my Dragon Con post earlier because I want to make sure that I tell you about all of the juicy goodness! I had more fun this year because I was able to maneuver the hotels better and get to events easier and I’ll explain how that happened once I break down each day. I’m not brave enough to do cosplay yet but I did have some pretty great outfits. I also met some great people as well! **Warning! This post is very long**
Dragon Con 2018 officially began on August 30, which is a Thursday. Thursday is usually a “throw away” day but not this year! I started out by going to the Sheridan to pick up my badge for the weekend. I always purchase the membership for all days, so that I have access to all of the events. Once I picked up my badge, I headed over to the Dragon Con Newbie Walking Tours because I didn’t want to get lost and lose time trying to figure out how to maneuver each hotel. During the walking tour I learned about the skybridge that is attached to the Marriott, Hyatt, and Hilton hotels. This makes getting to the events so much easier. If you are a newbie, I recommend that you take one of the walking tours because it is a huge help. Also make sure that you get there early because the later you go to the tour, the longer you have to wait, and the hotels get crowded so the tour is not as effective. If it starts at 2:30, get there at 2:00pm.
After the walking tour, I attended the Opening Ceremonies and it wasn’t what I thought it would be. They basically say welcome and tell you about some of the new events and tracks, and also the new quick start guide. Afterwards I grabbed a bite to eat before I got in the line for Dragon Con Wrestling. I wasn’t familiar with the wrestlers who were actually performing but they entered Ric Flair, Lita, and Sting into the Dragon Con Hall of Fame. I left wrestling to wait in line for the Wakanda Welcomes the World to Dragon Con. This party was amazing, it was great to see everyone who attended, and they also had pictures on the big screen of cosplayers on the screen. I met Shaune, who plays pool with my supervisor, she made sure I did not sit down at the party. I stayed at the party for about 2 hours and I headed home around 11:30pm. I ride Marta the entire weekend and they stop running around 1:00am.
On Friday I arrived early for the American Gods cast panel, that was the first of the weekend. I got there early, and they let us into the ballroom but we had to sit through the Dragon Con early show to do a recap of everything from the day before. It was only 30 minutes and I got a seat in the front so I was happy. The panel for American Gods included the host Mark Lee, Ricky Whittle, Demore Barnes, and Bruce Langley. All of the guest were great but Ricky Whittle came out into the crowd gave hugs and passed the microphone around so that fans could ask questions. I’m told later that evening he walked through one of the main hotels an interacted with fans.
The next panel I attended was Warehouse 13, which included Eddie McClintock and Jaime Murray. Joanne Kelly’s flight was delayed so she did not make that panel. I would love to have seen Pete and Mika together again but maybe next year! Eddie McClintock also walked around the ballroom giving hugs and passing around the microphone for questions.
After this panel I had lunch at Benihana and thankfully it was very quiet, and I was able to take a breather. After lunch I attended the Arrowverse panel, which included John Barrowman, Victor Garber, and John Noble. My only regret is I didn’t get to see the John Barrowman show because I have seen him at other cons on YouTube and he is amazing!
After this panel I had some time to kill so I grabbed some snacks and headed down to the lower level of the Hyatt to wait for the Film & Video Showcase. This showcase featured independent short films, which were awesome! I love a short film that keeps you wanting more, and all of these films did that. Some of the panelist included Frank Anderson, Keef Cross, and Sheena Wiley. There was a narcoleptic vampire, zombies, and end of the world space prep. I ended the night with the Annual Zombie Walk but the participation was low, and it wasn’t what I thought it would be. Shortly after that I went home for the night.
Saturday was my birthday!!!! I didn’t plan on attending the parade so I decided to sleep a little bit later but that was a mistake. If you don’t get down there early, they close off the streets and you are not able to cross until after the parade. The parade is open to the public so downtown is a madhouse! My first mistake was not crossing the street when I left the train station. I asked if I was headed in the right direction for the Hyatt, but I didn’t ask what side of the street it was on. I ended up having to stand outside and wait for the parade to end.
After the parade, I wanted to see more short films, but the room was full, so I decided to go to a business panel. That panel was an icebox, meaning the air condition was on full blast and I just couldn’t concentrate… I know sounds weird. I left that panel and met up with my new friends Nikki and Travis and we got in line for the Black Lightning cast panel. This panel included the host Marc Lee, Christina Adams (who’s British), Marvin Jones III, China McClain, and Nafessa Williams. In my opinion this was the best panel of the weekend! The only one missing was Black Lightning himself!
The next panel we attended was the Luke Cage panel, which included the host Marc Lee and Mike Colter. This was an awesome panel as well because Mike Colter face timed Lucy Lui and she talked to the crowd! After this panel we grabbed a bite to eat, then went to the Walk of Fame where the celebrity guest were taking pictures and signing autographs. Afterwards I think I just wandered around taking pictures of cosplayers and then I went home.
When I woke up Sunday, I was beat, but I was determined to get in one last day at Dragon Con. It does not officially end until Monday, but I knew that Sunday would be my last day. I had plans to either see the Librarians panel or the Smallville panel, but I didn’t make it. I attended the Firefly panel with Gina Torres, which was amazing! It was her first time at Dragon Con, so she decided to join Instagram and do a story with all of us in the background.
After this panel, I attended a panel about how to create successful YouTube & Instagram videos. They provide some great information but 1 hour was just not enough time. The panel included Marya Gates, Charles McFall, B.C. Dodge, and Robert Blake. They have all been working successfully using social media to grow their businesses for a while.
Once I left this panel, I wandered around taking photos and then I decided to go home because I was BEAT! I was satisfied with all that I had taken in during the weekend and I met some great new friends who I’m sure I will be hanging out with next year. Did you attend Dragon Con this year? If so leave me a comment on your experience. If not, do you plan on attending next year?
