Late-night parties take the cake at Dragon*Con

Last week, I was sure I'd been to Dragon*Con before. A couple of years ago, three friends and I party-hopped through a Saturday night at Dragon*Con, trailing Storm Troopers and other characters to random dark hotel rooms where drinks were flowing, DJs spun remixed pop songs and Con-goers danced. We even sat in on a mesmerizing drum circle jam for what felt like hours (it was really around fifteen minutes).

In the days approaching this year's fest, I feared I actually hadn't been to Dragon*Con. I'd just roamed the hotels as a non-ticketholder, and enjoyed myself, of course, but never actually participated. Only hanging out at a few parties at a four-day convention, I thought, was like going to a five-star restaurant and only ordering the crème brûlée. By only ordering dessert, no matter how delicious it tasted, the overall experience was missed.

The annual sci-fi extravaganza draws tens of thousands of fans of all things fantasy to Atlanta, and offers more than 400 guest and band appearances throughout the weekend. Each day, about 20 events are happening simultaneously inside the five hotels the Con spans. Naturally, the program guide is thick and overwhelming.

I checked out Pimp My Zombie, a panel discussion that included the co-owner of Netherworld (the self-proclaimed number-one haunted house in the country) and other folks with a vested interest in the walking dead. Many of the guests expressed a clear aversion to vampires, and one speaker swore zombies' time in the cinema spotlight was fast approaching. I wanted to raise my hand to say I thought the 21st-century zombie trend happened right before the surge in popularity of vampires (beginning sometime around 28 Days Later and continuing with the Dawn of the Dead remake, until venturing into more comedy-inclined films like Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland), but I didn't. Maybe it was the intimidating zombie-faced girl on stilts looming over me that kept me from speaking up. But more likely, I was just afraid I wouldn't exude the confidence of a hardcore follower (I'm not one).

I wondered if anyone was, like me, more a fan of the costumes and socializing than of the genres the Con celebrates. Jake Schrier, who traveled to Atlanta from Norfolk, Va., admitted he was a first-timer. His brother, who'd been before, talked him into coming.

"[He said] it's a hell of a lot of fun," Schrier explained. Midway through his first day, Schrier was already convinced that the trip and cost were worth it. "I have to agree with him," he said.

Schrier was dressed, along with his brother and a friend, in full military get-up, G.I. Joe-style. When I asked about what determined his outfit choice, he said he's in the military, so he already had the necessary supplies.

Jennifer Hepburn, a plainly-dressed Cincinnati, Ohio, resident who attended in 2008 but skipped the Con last year, said the costuming and various events— the panels in particular—were the biggest reason for her to come. The social interactions, however, were still a plus.

"We're shy," she said, motioning toward a friend sitting beside her. "But the atmosphere is very cool."

Of all of the Con-goers I spoke with, Hepburn was the only one to mention panels and guest appearances (she loves Stan Lee, co-founder of Marvel Comics and creator of many of its best known superheroes) as logic to attend. Everyone else was mainly just hyped about the parties.

Dressed as a joker (like the playing card, not the evil Batman character), second-time attendee Lauren Carter said one of her favorite parts of Dragon*Con is just "people-watching."

But most importantly, she noted, is the shindig happening on Saturday night. It's a party for fans of Firefly, a space western TV series that's garnered a strong cult following since its 14-episode run in 2002.

"It's the most fun part," she said excitedly.

Another newbie, Jerry Pang, was dressed adorably as Russell, the wilderness explorer in the Disney-Pixar film Up. Pang had flown in on a Thursday night red-eye from San Jose, California. He said so far, Dragon*Con was a great place for new friendships, and maybe even dates—he seemed both surprised and impressed with himself when he revealed he'd already snagged several phone numbers.

"It's nice to make instant friends," Pang said with a smile. While we talked, three separate groups approached with praise and requests for photos.

After my first full day as a proper Con-goer, I realized it hadn't mattered that I'd never been a full-fledged attendee until now. According to the guests I talked with, socializing has been, and will always be, the greatest part of the weekend. For most, the spectacular parade that consumes the downtown area, the sci-fi tastemaker-led panels and even the celebrity appearances can't trump the chance to meet-and-greet with likeminded folks. The late-night parties and the intimate socializing they enable are the Con's crème brûlée—they're part of a larger experience, but they're easily the weekend's tastiest treats to savor.