ATLANTA — Thousands of heroes, villains, fantasy fans and gamers have descended on downtown Atlanta again this Labor Day weekend for the 33rd annual Dragon Con.
Channel 2's Berdnt Petersen was on Peachtree Street, where ordinary citizens checked their secret identities at the door and dressed as all sorts of colorful characters for one of the largest costumed conventions on the planet.
PHOTOS: Costumed characters fill 2019 Dragon Con Parade
PHOTOS: Dragon Con invades Atlanta!
Petersen talked to organizer Dan Carroll and some of the conference attendees about the Dragon Con experience.
The cool kids are in town!!! Dragon Con! 12:30 pic.twitter.com/EAqNWSdbEx
— Berndt Petersen (@BPetersenWSB) August 30, 2019
"A few years ago, the blog 'Movado'--which is a real estate blog---named Atlanta the 'nerdiest' city in the county," Carroll said. "It was a compliment!"
Maigan Cottinham first donned a cape as a child and came to Dragon Con dressed as Supergirl this year."
"I saw all these super strong women dressed as Supergirl and got lifted up by a few," Cottingham said. "I don't know -- I always looked up to her as a role model. So when I got old enough, I decided I wanted to be Supergirl."
Adults aren't the only ones to get in on the fun. Madeleine Sullivan started her Dragon Con experience young.
"I'm having as much fun as I was trick-or-treating!" Sullivan said.
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This year, organizers scheduled about 400 participants — actors, voice actors, comic book artists, writers, scientists, game creators and authors — to contribute to panel discussions and autograph sessions.
The event spans five hotels in downtown Atlanta and draws 85,000 attendees annually.
The success of the Marvel superhero movies filmed here in Georgia goes hand in hand with Dragon Con's growth. The last "Avengers" movie is the largest grossing film of all time, and there are plenty of Avengers heroes in the crowd this weekend.
"Where do you think I'm from, mortal? I'm from the realm of Asgard," A man dressed as Thor asked Petersen. "Where are you from?"
One of the biggest draws for the weekend, the annual Dragon Con Parade down Peachtree Street, starts Saturday at 10 a.m.
Fans usually start arriving at 8 a.m.
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