There are many events during the year that have a big economic impact in Atlanta. The SEC Championship, Taylor Swift concerts, an occasional March Madness – and this coming year, there is something called the Super Bowl. But Labor Day in Atlanta is the biggie. It’s perhaps the biggest Labor Day celebration of any city in the country. Between dragons and footballers and bookworms and many more, Labor Day in Atlanta is a mixture of interests and activities matched by few places. Where else could you see Auburn football fans wearing their best blue and orange walking alongside someone dressed like a stormtrooper.
If you had any ideas of getting a hotel room this weekend, you may already be a little late. Dragon Con alone brings in more than 80,000 people to Atlanta – with the numbers for Dragon Con Parade watchers reaching near 100,000. It’s the single biggest event of the weekend and perhaps the second largest comic/sci fi convention in the country. Whether you are into Star Wars or a sci fi board game 99.9% of people have never heard of, Dragon Con has it all for fans of the genre. Hundreds of VIPs and celebrity guests are sprinkled throughout the weekend for fans to meet and greet.
Two Lous – Ferrigno and Diamond Philips – are a couple of the big celebrities at this year’s Dragon Con. Ferrigno is best known as the original Incredible Hulk but was also King of Queens and recently has been popular as one of the voices on Adventure Time. Diamond Philips has also been around for many years but was recently in the popular Netfllix series Longmire. Evangeline Lilly is another big one. Fans of the Ant-Man may recognize her as the sidekick diminutive hero The Wasp.
Atlanta Police are urging residents to be mindful of all the events taking place. The police estimate that altogether some 700,000 people will stream into Atlanta through Monday. Besides Dragon Con and the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff, Black Gay Pride, LudaDay Weekend, Taste of Soul Atlanta, a Lynyrd Skynyrd and Hank Williams Jr. concert at Lakewood mean there are events all over town – from Mercedes-Benz to Piedmont Park to Lenox Square – that will mean traffic will be constant and unavoidable. The police will be out in force making sure everything remains safe and orderly.
“The diversity of our events is an important part of what makes the City of Atlanta a unique, multifaceted destination,” said Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields. “We hope everyone has a great time and enjoys the best Atlanta has to offer. Our officers will be out among the crowds and stand ready to serve.”
If you do plan on coming into Atlanta for any of these or other events, officials are urging people to take MARTA. MARTA even has a special web page to find info for specific events and the particular stations or routes that may make the most sense.
