

A record number of costume aficionados, enthusiasts and fanatics are expected to attend the 28th annual Dragon Con, the world-renowned pop culture, sci-fi, fantasy and gaming convention in downtown Atlanta.

More than 400 celebrities from the world of television, movies, comics and literature will make guest appearances during the four-day convention, including Sir Patrick Stewart (“Star Trek: The Next Generation” and X-Men movie franchise), Karl Urban (“Star Trek” movies, “The Lord of The Rings”) and James Gunn, writer and director of this summer’s box office hit “Guardians of the Galaxy.”



“Our guest list of actors this year includes a number of people from current television shows including ‘Once Upon A Time,’ ‘Arrow,’ ‘True Blood’ and ‘Falling Skies,’” Rachel Reeves, convention co-chair, said in a press release. “It’s an exciting list and I believe our fans will really enjoy the chance to meet their new favorites.”

Stars from television and movies past include Ralph Macchio (“The Karate Kid,” “The Outsiders”), Walter Koenig (“Star Trek”), John Ratzenberger (“Cheers,” “Toy Story”), Lou Ferrigno (“The Incredible Hulk”), Cary Elwes (“The Princess Bride”) and Ron Glass (“Firefly,” “Barney Miller”).

The annual Dragon Con Parade will step off Saturday at 10 a.m., starting from a staging spot on West Peachtree Place near West Peachtree Street and ending on Peachtree Center Avenue between John Portman Boulevard and Baker Street, in front of the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.

Fans will also immerse themselves in show that is the high-quality cosplayers, or costume players, that will attend and show off some of their best work. They will promenade through the five host hotels and streets of downtown Atlanta and also participate in nightly costume contests.

Dragon Con has added the a photo-sharing platform, in partnership with PassionTag, to provide a fully interactive experience for fans. The PassionTag app, available on Apple’s App Store, will allow users to tag their photos with any of a dozen Dragon Con-related tags, and then post them to their favorite social media platforms. PassionTag will also be the platform for Dragon Con’s first ever digital costume contest — the photo garnering the most likes, will receive a special prize given out during the show.

Take a look at some of the best photos from day 1 of Dragon Con below.

