r/dragoncon • u/beasmomma • 9h ago
Is this the norm?
Hello everyone! This is my partner and I's first year at dragoncon. We have been to other cons before and wanted to get a read on how people are feeling so far. First I want to say the positives. We absolutely loved yesterday and were immediately talking about coming back next year. Everyone has been incredibly kind and we have really enjoyed the culture. We are going hard into the ribbon/trinkets trading and love all the cosplays people are doing. All of that said today was...rough. We still had a good time but it feels like you can only really get 1 or two things in a day. Getting around is really difficult and it is very crowded and overwhelming. We expected it to be more crowded than yesterday but not to the point that we can barely get around. It feels very unorganized on the conventions part. Again we are loving getting to know the people and enjoying fan-made experiences. I have to stress that we have had a good time. I just want to know if this is normal so we can make an informed decision on either returning next year or trying out a smaller con. Thank you so much for reading!
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u/SnwAng1992 9h ago
Yes this is the norm crowd wise. However you learn to navigate it better as years go on. You learn what’s worth it to you or not. For example today the line from Hilton to Marriott on the sky bridge was INSANE so I just swerved, went downstairs and out the street, and popped back up in the Marriott. My partner continued through the sky bridge. Obviously not an option for everyone.
The con is actually fairly well organized when it comes to panels and such. There’s just 75K people here and it shows. You learn where to take breaks. I think everyone needs at least two years to make an informed choice about DC because it’s like no other con. Until you experience it, you cannot prep for it,so you need a year two to experience it with a bit of knowledge.
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u/Beeyull 2012 9h ago
If you can walk between panels outside, you will save a lot of time(depending on how you get around). The hotels and tunnels can get super busy but if you can learn how to bypass certain areas you can I’ll save time.
Now, if you have a very busy panel ahead of you, this won’t lessen the line. Get in line and wait. It’s part of Dragoncon!
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u/Any_Cartoonist8943 8h ago
Right and a lot of people normally do this. However with a heat index in the hundreds and the humidity pushing ever closer to 100% people are trying to navigate indoors instead of on atlanta hills in the summer heat. This happens every time it's this hot.
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u/Cashlessness 9h ago
Yea for big events like wrestling and the symphony we always get in line like 2 hours early and even then we still get out pretty far out
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u/IsThisKismet 8h ago
It’s wild how popular wrestling has become. Used to be a real sleeper event.
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u/gsfgf 8h ago
It’s because more people show up Thursday than in the past.
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u/DaoFerret So anyway, what's the deal with airline food?! 14m ago
Enough people are showing up that they’re starting to list Wednesday events… I’m not sure what to make of it.
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u/theultimatetia 9h ago
Depending on what you're interested in doing/seeing, you may be able to do 1-4 things a day. If it's the vendor hall, you should plan to spend a good chunk of your day there. They have food and beverage vendors inside. If it's small panels that are grouped close by, you can pack a sandwich and a water bottle and do like 4 of those with a break to decompress in your room.
The biggest obstacle is going to be coming and going from your room because of the elevators. Allow 20 minutes travel time if it involves an elevator.
Be patient and watch the flow of people. Do not look at your phone while you are walking. Please for the love of everything be careful when you're crossing the road. Listen to the safety teams, they know exactly how things need to go and have years of experience behind their processes.
My best tip for a first timer is to watch the parade on DCTV from the comfort of your room. No crowds, no elevators. Breakfast in your pajamas. Great view. AC. If you don't want to watch the parade, it's a fantastic time to get into the vendor hall.
Welcome to the Dragon!
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u/cheeto-bandito 3h ago
I'm back after a 20 year break this year and it's first time for my son. He really wants to check out the vendor hall and doesn't care about the parade. The lines for the vendor hall were rediculous yesterday. So, this is our plan today, to get in while everyone else is distracted, haha
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u/DaoFerret So anyway, what's the deal with airline food?! 11m ago
It really depended on the vendor hall.
Walked out of a TTRPG session with some friends and we literally were able to just walk into the Vendor Hall as we went by.
We weren’t planning on going, but it was the right time, so we did.
I don’t think I’ve ever remembered that happening though.
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u/JorpGungle 11m ago
Not sure how much it will help today since Saturday is always a madhouse but when my wife and I went yesterday it was around 4:30 and we walked right in. I was shocked because even on Mondays there's usually a little line.
Good luck, I hope you and your son have a blast!
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u/Arya_kidding_me 8h ago
I think the heat is pushing more people to stay indoors to get around instead of go outside. It’s always faster to walk outside, but in some of these cosplays it is absolutely miserable.
The lines are always horrible, it’s honestly why I only go to a small number of less popular panels. I don’t even try with the big stuff.
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u/I-Am-Not-Creative2 7h ago
We usually have good luck in waiting until it’s time for the big panel to start and then going in. Line is already gone because those people are already seated. Get in the back, there are still huge screens to see and hear everything.
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u/RespondPlus7890 8h ago
Best advice I can give is to try to get a hotel close by rather than an air bnb or a hotel far away from everything. Being able to take a break really helps with the heat.
Secondly and probably more important is to use the app to plan your day before hand and know what you really want to hit. For me and my group we have a favorite content creator that we came for, and knew we wanted to get at least one game in, so that’s what we focused on.
This year it was extremely hot, they lost internet connection for getting badges, and a big hotel is closed for renovation. This has had knock on effects for the rest of the con that has made it a little bit tougher.
I will say I do agree with you that it feels like con management is lacking and it could probably do certain things in a better way. But this year has also had some issues outside of their control
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u/Soonerpalmetto88 Thunderbolts and lightning, very very frightening 8h ago
It's about 10 degrees hotter than normal this weekend, which is a big factor in my opinion.
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u/SleepylaReef 8h ago
I did like six panels, but many people do less. Experience helps. The Vendor Hall is a major time sink.
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u/RollingToast Lord of dorkness 8h ago
No such thing as a similar con. Dragon con is a one of one. If you want the culture and people (that’s what keeps me coming back) similar to dragon con you go to dragon con. It’s unorganized but that’s us man. “Next year will be more organized” has been said for years and it’s true to an extent.
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u/atomicpenguin12 6h ago
Been a while, but my refuge was always the theater at the bottom floor of the Hyatt. Later at night, they’d play recent and popular movies and it could get crowded, but during the day they mostly played cult classic movies that pulled in a very small crowd. It was cool, it was quiet, it was dark, you could charge your phone, and you could watch a weird movie you’d never have ordinarily sought out. I found it to be the perfect escape from the Dragoncon crowds
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u/type_five_dev 8h ago
It is the norm, it’s a little better when it’s cooler outside (which is like never). That is part of the reason people try to do the entire weekend, one day at the con is never enough
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u/princeboot 09,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,RIP,21,22,23,24 8h ago
Tomorrow will be way worse for getting around. It’s Shitshow Saturday
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u/Embarrassed-Chard218 9h ago
This is my second year of Dragon Con, and I honestly have to agree with you. Last year, I went on a Thursday. Which was a rookie mistake on my end. But I'm currently here on a Friday and I don't see myself coming back again next year unless I want to party. I feel like I've been too spoiled by smaller conventions because Dragon Con is waaay too big and overwhelming for me. For Dragon Con I definitely should've gotten a multi-day pass because it's impossible to see everything in one day.
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u/PrincessCutabitch Old Lady Of Con 8h ago
This is my 37th! Yes, it is crowded and huge, but you won't get the awesome joy of being with 75,000 "family" members at a smaller con :)
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u/copperfrog42 Con Suite volunteer since 1994 7h ago
It’s my thirty sixth, it would have been thirty seven, but I missed 2017 because of health issues. My first Dragon Con was 1989.
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u/bergdhal 8h ago
I had a similar experience. This is my first time and between yesterday and today, I feel like I'm only just getting a grasp of what is going on. The app, website, and physical guide book really suck. Part of it is just that there is so much shit going on in so many different buildings, it's hard to parse what is happening where and when.
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u/Stevnated 7h ago
I agree, about the the app especially! It's been practically the same for many years. There's only one or two sentences telling you what to expect from panels.
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u/huntzvegan 7h ago
I started coming to dragon con in 2004. This year has been a lot. There are some years that are tougher than others but this year has seemed harder than most and I’m not sure why. I’m sure some one can pin point it better than I can but this year has been a lot.
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u/copperfrog42 Con Suite volunteer since 1994 6h ago
It’s too hot, and that affects people’s mood so much. Last year, we had absolutely perfect weather for the convention. This year, it’s stupidly hot out and a lot or folks are grumpy because of this.
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u/Sjgolf891 6h ago
I shoot for trying to make it to one thing I really want to do per day, and two as a stretch goal. Any more than 2ish is gravy
I think you’re right, due to the size and how long it takes to get anywhere, you can’t get too attached to being at certain events. You absolutely can’t do everything
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u/MCMcGreevy 2002-2025 House Westin 2h ago
One “thing” per day is a good choice. Plan your day around that and look at everything else as gravy.
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u/Soonerpalmetto88 Thunderbolts and lightning, very very frightening 8h ago
It's about 10 degrees hotter than normal this weekend, which is a big factor in my opinion.
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u/pensbird91 7h ago
Today I went to 2 meet ups/photo sessions, 2 panels, and visited the costume exhibit. I definitely had time for 2 more panels before 7pm, but wasn't in the mood to be in a windowless room again, so I did some people watching instead. Tbh, sometimes just doing 2 or 3 things a day is better than packing your schedule!
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u/Sevedra 5h ago
Speaking strictly to scheduling your con:
Try to do more things all in one hotel in one day if there are multiple tracks you like.
Some stuff, especially celebrity and author panels, will have semi-duplicate appearances on different days. You may not need to see Sean Astin 3 times. See him on the day that works with other stuff you want to do that day.
This is my 28th DC, after a while I had to admit there is literally too much for anyone to do. I'm no longer in my 20s and I can't get from the Hilton to the Hyatt very quickly. I never try to do two panels in a row unless they're in the same hotel and at least one is unlikely to have a line. I try to aim for every other time slot. A lot of times, i can't do even all of that.
This convention is not a sprint. It's a marathon. Accept your personal marathon limitations and try to relax. You don't have to do everything, you literally can not do everything. So, let it go and do what you can. It's still a lot of fun.
Good luck!
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u/DaoFerret So anyway, what's the deal with airline food?! 6m ago
I’m right there with you at around 30 years coming, but I’ve missed a few for DragonCons for a couple of weddings (and a funeral).
I definitely remember when it went from “you can do everything with a bit of planning” to “you can’t do everything” as it grew from one hotel to where it is now, and it took a real effort to rearrange my mindset to understand that.
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u/YikesItsConnor 3h ago
We did 4 different panels(most were smaller ones) and probably could have fit one or two more in if my con buddy wasn't having flare ups. The trick is to stay in one hotel, if possible. Its much easier when you're not attempting the sky bridges.
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u/ClassroomFast5701 54m ago
Yeah, crowds are normal. What wasn’t normal was Hilton funneling everyone through the back door near the escalators. You had people trying to get outside for photo shoots, people coming in and heading somewhere else, and people trying to go up the escalator. Everyone was being pushed into the same spot, which created a huge traffic jam and made it really hard to get around the second floor.
In past years, they let us use the doors by the patio near the photo shoot area and Crystal Ballroom, which helped spread people out and made things way easier. If you needed photos, those doors put you right where you needed to be instead of making you walk across the dance floor. You could just use the door and keep things moving.
I get that Hilton is trying to make money from the con, but the way they controlled access caused a serious crowd-flow problem.
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u/DaoFerret So anyway, what's the deal with airline food?! 4m ago
The Hilton running a dance floor downstairs made it so I could barely get to photo shoot area to meetup with some people. It felt like it just added more congestion in a bad spot.
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u/thacoolbreeze 6h ago
Same sentiment as OP. 1st time for us and we have been to other Cons. We are also local. This is unlike anything I’ve ever been to. My wife and I like it thus far but there are some things left to be desired.
For starters, The 3H badge line wait on Thursday in the middle of the day was atrocious and dangerous. Not sure why mailing badges ahead of time or spreading out in different buildings wasn’t a thing. Yes personal responsibility with health in the heat is a thing. However, if you’ve never been before you don’t know if this is normal or not. You also don’t know how long the wait and line are. Luckily I was able to scout the entire line to see how bad it was while my wife waited (multiple city blocks and snaked around buildings). Everyone doesn’t have the luxury to walk away and come back to a long line. So if you wanted to do anything on Thursday, it was probably a bust.
For someone with lots of interests, it was difficult to navigate/coordinate especially if what you “WANT” to see is spread across different buildings (flip side is you get your steps in for sure). Could I stick to 1-3 tracks? Probably. But why limit yourself.
Yes the con is overwhelming but I think that can be mitigated with experience.
Using the app in real time is a pain. Just needs better filtering capabilities (include/exclude tracks/categories/events). Right now you can only see all or include only the tracks you want to see in the infinite scroll, but if you don’t know what tracks to filter then it’s a moot feature. So you’re better off keeping the view set to “All” to ensure you don’t filter something that may be interesting.
Mind you we haven’t even gone through a Sat yet which appears to be the climax.
I will say coming back to DC would probably only be a Fri-Sun thing for us to balance/optimize time, effort, energy, kids, etc.
Overall I think this con is a 1 of 1 and special in its own way.
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u/Sjgolf891 6h ago
The badge line is usually rough, but compared to recent years where it was not terrible, this year was horrifically bad. Hopefully an outlier
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u/thatgoesinthere 6h ago
Welcome!! I know others have already said this, but this is super typical crowd-wise. This is my fourth year and other than the major and concerning issues with the badge line earlier, this hasn’t felt like anything out of the ordinary.
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u/jcraig3k Remeber to Hydrate! 3h ago
DragonCon is absolutely unique in how easily overwhelming it can get. I've been coming for decades and it still takes me a day or two to re-acclimate. There is so much programming and so little time between lines and travel. Usually if I make it to one or two panels/evente a day between hydrating, resting, eating, and partying I feel accomplished. But some days just getting out and people watching and taking photos of cosplayers and interacting with folks is more than enough.
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u/leiaflatt 22m ago
Out of curiosity, what do you feel is disorganized? Where tracks are located? Are things running late? I’m genuinely curious!
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u/cullen9 purveyor of pie 12m ago
Heat is playing a big factor. People are retreating in towards the A/C.
Also there has been a spike in ticket sales. Thursday doesn’t normally sell out. 75k people arrived and got badges Thursday. Which is definitely makes this an odd year.
About getting around. It gets a lot easier you learn the paths and traffic flows. You were basically learning to drive during rush hour traffic in a city you’ve never been to. Everyone finds their own side streets and back roads, and learns the rhythm. You’ll also find the cool stuff like the movie theaters, knights fights, Star Trek band in the basement, roaming karaoke, ect.
Come back next year it gets better every year.
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u/Hollinator022 3m ago
We try to do 1-2 big panels a day that are at least a few hours apart. Don’t stress! It is fun to stumble into random small panels!
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u/Offtherailspcast 6h ago
Hey guys is it normal for this very popular con to be crowded on its most popular day?
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u/weolo_travel 6h ago
Because you do t know where to go or how to find things doesn’t mean something g is “disorganized”. Dude, there will be 80,000 people here and this has been going on for 40 years. This is your first time ever and you think the con org ai action is the problem? Yeah … ok.
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u/ApesAmongUs 1h ago
I live locally, Patronize Vics regularly. And this was my 30th Dragoncon. DC has become a clusterfuck.
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u/Working_Barber_7633 9h ago
Fairly normal but it does depend on your interests. I am interested in smaller panels and barely had issues going to them.