Friday at Dragon Con 2026 is when the celebration hit full stride. In the morning the remaining attendees surged into badge pickup, while the rest of the convention goers surged into the major exhibition halls, star-studded panels, and the Americas Mart.
Friday was the official opening of the Walk of Fame where celebrities awaited. Richard Dean Anderson, Sean Ashmore, Ben Browder, Jim Butcher, and Alan Tudyk are just a few of the names on the Walk. Everything from Sci-Fi movies and anime to comics, and cartoon are covered with the celebrity guests.
Our past Dragon Con cosplay coverage can be found here: 2016, 2017,2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
The massive Vendor Hall at Americas Mart was packed. Inside there are three floors of floor-to-ceiling merchandise, rare comic books, indie art, and custom apparel. The line just to enter the shopping center can take forever as the line resembles the one for badges.
The day’s schedule was packed across all five host venues. The Westin offered Improvised Dungeons & Dragons, while the literary tracks hosted signature author meet-and-greets. Fans looking for something different gathered at the Hyatt for Gil Gerard’s Match Game in the 25th Century, hosted by Garrett Wang. Friday Night Costuming Contest in the Marriott Atrium Ballroom showcased incredible costumes. Late night programming had Klingon Karaoke at the Hilton, musical acts like The Cybertronic Spree, Bit Brigade, and Psychostick, then DJs took over the dance scenes int eh ballrooms.
Dragon Con 2026 Cosplay Coverage
T’was the Night Before Dragon Con
Blood Drive
Thursday Pt. 1, Pt. 2
Friday Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Pt. 3
Saturday Pt. 1, Pt. 2
…More to Come
Throughout the day the Robert A. Heinlein “Pay It Forward” Blood Drive operated at full capacity, with dedicated cosplayers and attendees continuing the longstanding tradition of donating blood right in the middle of the convention excitement.
Now we move on to the cosplay seen both day and night by our own Reptile, aka Laird of Cosplay.
About Dragon Con
Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day Weekend (Sept. 3 – 7, 2026) in Atlanta. Organized for fans, Dragon Con features more than 3,500 hours of comics, film, television, costuming, art, music, and gaming over four days. For more information, please visit www.dragoncon.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X.
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