It’s now been about 7 weeks since the last day of Dragon Con 2024, wow, 2 weeks already, and maybe you are still getting over the end of the con depression, maybe you are scrolling through the photos and videos remembering the good times and the times you don’t remember, or maybe you are just wondering what to do now. I know I am but here’s the thing, a lot of people are having these same questions and feeling the same way. Going to Dragon Con is a huge event for a lot of people that takes a lot of energy, mentally and physically, to get prepared for, so, when it’s over, there is all sorts of feelings happening. From those sad feelings of missing the con to the thoughts of what is the next step, I hope I can help some with this article.
One of the most important things you can do is plan ahead. Right now, as of typing this, we are 317 days, 3 hours, 26 minutes, 43 seconds away from Dragon Con 2025. Those dates are August 28, 2025 to September 1, 2025, Thursday to Monday. That might seem like a long time off but it really is not when you know of all the things you have to do to get prepared for the actual days. It’s always important to know what you want to do, or at least get a good idea of what you want to do, and then plan now. There are 2 very important, I would say the most important, things that you need to plan for and already start working on, badge to get in and a hotel to stay at. The host hotels will be selling and already have begun selling the rooms for the con rates and it is not an easy task getting a room during these times. They go fast, when I say fast, I mean before you can fill out the form to book the room, it will be gone, fast. I have another article with some tips on getting a host hotel here, https://shakefire.net/4068/tips-that-might-help-you-with-a-host-hotel-for-dragon-con/ , take a look at it, maybe it will help some. Also, get your badge as early as possible. The earlier you get your badge the cheaper it will be for you. If you wait until the last few months before the con, it will be at the highest price.
The host hotels are, Hilton Atlanta, Marriott Marquis Atlanta, Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Sheraton Atlanta, and Westin Peachtree Plaza and they will sell out so fast, there are thousands of people trying to get the same room you are. The host hotels are the ones that have everything happening from the panels to the parties to the photo shoots and so much more, along with being normal hotels for other events that are not Dragon Con related. The host hotels might be sold out of the con rated rooms but that does not mean they are out of regular priced rooms. I don’t know the prices but it would not be cheap, which is why you need to start saving money now. There are other hotels around but they also know what is happening and their rates can be just as high or maybe even lower, you will have to call around and the sooner the better. I have found a few hotels that are lower rate and about 3 blocks from the host hotels, but again, they sell out fast also. Dragon Con is held at the same time each year (roughly), so as soon as the surrounding hotels open booking that far in advanced, the rooms start going fast. Now you can stay outside the city, it will be cheaper (depending on what you do), and you can take public transit MARTA, but if you want to stay late at the con, then this might not be the choice you want. Too far out means MARTA will only go out at certain times, meaning you have to be on that train car at 9pm to get back to your hotel. That means if you were looking to go to the rave in the AM hours then you are out of luck, unless you found a room to stay in or don’t plan on sleeping. You could drive from the hotel to the con but you have to pay for parking and most parking is around $15-$25 a day and after 5 days, the gas and the parking can put you at spending more. Though, if you don’t plan on drinking alcohol while there, then the driving, with the parking, will be a lot cheaper than a host hotel, but it does require more planning. So, in short, get a hotel first, as soon as you can, and have back up plans in case the host hotels sell out before you can get one.
With knowing about the hotels and getting the badge, the third most important thing to do is to save that money. If you think you can do the whole con on $500, then save $700. You never know what might change that makes that extra money needed. There could be a last minute guest added that you want a autograph or photo from, or you might be at the vendors where you see something you must have, or you might decide you are tired of having sandwiches from the cooler and want a real meal. The plan I use to save money is the week plan savings. There are 52 weeks in a year, for each week you save that amount of money. Week one, $1, week two, $2, week 3, $3, and so on until week 52 (or whatever week you started on the end number will be different since we are 50 weeks right now). In the first three weeks you will have saved $6 but when you get up in those double digits, like week 40 and 41, that’s $81 in two weeks but if you saved all 52 weeks you will have $1,378 saved. The way I do it is a bit different though. I know some weeks I can’t save $30 or $40 each week, so when it’s in those early weeks, like weeks 1-10, I save as much as I can. For instance week one I will put in $20, well, that puts me ahead weeks. Then week two gets $10, and now I have $30 saved instead of just $3. It really does work, you just have to remember and stay strong by not taking any of that saved money.
After you get your plans for the badge, hotel, and money going, it’s time to think about what you will do at the con. Going to the panels and buying stuff are things you can plan for later in the year but if you plan on doing some sort of cosplay, the sooner the better for planning. It don’t matter if you know that you want to do something super simple like a hockey mask and overalls, planning ahead will help make that easier then if you don’t plan. For instance, it’s now just 2 weeks away from Halloween and there are all sorts of great things you can get now that you can’t get easily or cheaper any other time of the year. If you wait until after Halloween, then you can get some items on sale. Maybe instead of $15 for that hockey mask you can get it for $5, maybe you already got the mask but there is now a prop item that would add to the look that’s on sale for 50-75% off. After Halloween sales are great for getting make-up for next to nothing. I’ve been able to get supplies that would have cost me in the hundreds if I bought at regular price but those 50-75% off prices made it where I spent about $20-$50 on them. But buying the supplies isn’t the only part you have to think about doing, it’s the building and making of the costumes. Some might take a hour but some could take months or longer, so don’t put off till the last minute.
Lastly, make a list or lists. Having a good list of what you want to do, what you need, what you need to do, and so on, will make your con life so much better. If you are out of state, you might want to make a list for things like how to get to the hotels, parking, how will you carry your stuff, how hot it will be, what will you need for the heat, and so many other things that, well, I would need to make a long list to list them all.
