Orchestra, all-night parties: Dragon Con 2025 bringing all to Atlanta’s nightlife

There are two sides to Dragon Con, Atlanta’s sprawling 75,000-attendee annual popular culture convention. There’s the family-friendly day scene, a conflux of movie/TV star panels, workshops, autograph signings, costume contests and other convention fare. For those looking for something a little more 21 and up though, the experience after sundown is something else entirely.

Performing at Dragon Con, the Georgia Philharmonic Orchestra takes a quick pause to enjoy the moment. (Courtesy/Dragon Con)

Aron Siegel, the producer of longtime Atlanta-based “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” shadow cast LDOD, said the convention is all about community.

“It’s just basically a community get together where all walks of life come together, and they learn that they’re not alone in their fandom,” Siegel said. “And they learn that they’re not alone in their values and in their outlook on life.”

That community can get quite creative. Cosplay — wherein fans make and wear outfits depicting their favorite pop culture characters — is on full display from hotel to hotel and the streets below. Secret handshakes can lead to hotel room parties, Siegel explained. Giving out custom ribbons can galvanize friendships or inspire new ones. There’s an evolving culture to it all, a shared language of community among attendees.

“Everybody started to join in,” Siegel said, explaining how ribbon sharing has become a major Dragon Con tradition among attendees. “And there’s even a Facebook group called The Loyal Order of the Ribbon for Dragon Con, where people have decided to start printing their own ribbons and they give them out to people."

Dragon Con is hosted by five downtown Atlanta hotels: Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Marriott Marquis, Hilton Atlanta, Westin Peachtree and Courtland Grand.From Aug. 28-Sept. 1, Dragon Con runs programming for 96 straight hours. That means the nightlife scene runs well into the following early morning.

Parties aplenty

Dragon Con’s 2025 party schedule is 18 strong this year, and the featured festivities are in high variety. The Bunny Hutch Costume Contest, which comes with cash prizes up to $350, invites contestants to do their best Playboy-style bunny (or Hef) cosplay. The Last Party on Alderaan is a Star Wars bash of music and good vibes, where visitors are asked to dance like it’s the end of the world.

There are parties dedicated to other iconic sci-fi staples too, like “Doctor Who” and “Firefly.” Anime lovers can check out the “Cartoon Bepop” chill space or the K-Pop Dance Party.

Music looms large Labor Day weekend

Dragon Con’s music scene features over a dozen main stage performances and dozens of other performers still. One of the convention’s biggest draws remains the Georgia Philharmonic, as thousands of attendees flock to hear the orchestra play their favorite pop culture scores each year.

“People might originally think, at first glance, ‘what does an orchestra have to do with all this kind of stuff?’” executive director Sherry Ellis said. “‘Why are classical musicians in here doing this kind of thing?’ But if you look at a lot of the shows, it’s music from classical pieces.”

LDOD performs at Dragon Con 2024. (Courtesy/LDOD/Bethany Pruett)

From “2001: A Space Odyssey” to every major movie the legendary John Williams has composed for, there’s a rich history of cinematic scores for the orchestra to choose from. The setlist often goes even further, touching on classic TV shows and video games. Then there’s the visual performance on top of it all, often including a little cosplay from the orchestra.

“It’s just so fun to be able to give that to the audience,” she said. “And we also include a little slide presentation that tells you a little bit about the movies that we’re playing the music from. So it’s kind of educational too.”

If you want to dance, DJs and EDM will also be in high supply. Filk bands, known fortheir fantasy and sci-fi themes, are common for those looking for something more folky.

To see a complete list of bands, stage performers and events coming to Dragon Con, attendees can download the convention’s official app atdragoncon.org/resources/digital-resources.

Saucy puppet shows and so much more

Parties and concerts aside, Dragon Con’s nightlife scene has some unique performances on offer. The Late Night Puppet Slam is at midnight on Sept. 1 in the Hyatt Regency, offering an 18-and-up puppet variety show. The Pin-ups by the Pool Party, which features a poolside pin-up costume contest, kicks off at 8:30 p.m. Aug. 29 in the Courtland Grand Pool and Courtyard area.

Attendees can celebrate the50th anniversary of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” with LDOD, which has performed as a shadow cast at Plaza Theatre since 2000.

“For anybody that hasn’t seen our performances, they’re going to see probably one of the most screen accurate performances of ‘(The) Rocky Horror Picture Show’ in the country,” Siegel said.

Audience participation plays a major role, something “virgins” — as the community lovingly calls them — to the LDOD will quickly learn.

“It’s a movie, a stage play and a party all at once,” he said.

LDOD’s performance will take place at 12:45 a.m. Aug. 31 at the Hyatt Centennial.

Dragon Con Burlesque: A Glamour Geek Revue hits the Courtland Grand’s Grand Ballroom at midnight Aug. 31. It’s “nerdy burlesque” at its best, featuring cosplay in a big way.

For $52 general admission, visitors can also enjoy A Night of Fantasy & Sci-Fi at Georgia Aquarium from 7-11 p.m. Aug. 30 . It’s an after-hours opportunity to see the aquarium in a new way, including a live sea lion presentation just for con-goers.