Atlanta’s favorite public spectacle, the annual Dragon Con Parade, is getting longer and becoming a bit more convenient.
With 75,000 expected to gawk at the profusion of costumed paraders — Darth Vaders, Stormtroopers, “Walking Dead” zombies, steampunks, the occasional Muppet and actual celebrities from the sci-fi/fantasy/pop culture/etc. convention among them — Dragon Con has announced a new route.
The parade will step off at 10 a.m. Sept. 5 from the intersection of Peachtree Street and Linden Avenue, before heading south on Peachtree, east (left) on Andrew Young International Boulevard and north (left) on Peachtree Center Avenue. It will end on Peachtree Center Avenue between John Portman Boulevard and Baker Street, in front of the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.
The new route is slightly longer — 0.9 miles, up from 0.8 miles last year — and comes closer to the North Avenue MARTA station. As in past years, it also passes close to the Civic Center station and right by the Peachtree Center station.
Nichelle Nichols, who played Lt. Nyota Uhura in the original “Star Trek” TV series as well as in six subsequent movies, will serve as grand marshal of the parade.
Parking downtown is expected to be tight, and Dragon Con officials are encouraging parade spectators to take MARTA.
For more, go to dragoncon.org/?q=parade.
