Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB) marked Dragon Con’s 40th anniversary with a special event unveiling the official street pole banners for the 2026 convention.
Dragon Con returns to Atlanta Sept. 3-7 over Labor Day weekend. The pop culture convention focuses on science fiction, fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film.
This year’s downtown banners feature a vault dweller from the Fallout series and a Martian soldier from Mars Attacks!.
Dragon Con returns after 75,000-attendee year
Dragon Con drew about 75,000 attendees in 2025, up from more than 72,000 in 2024.
The convention has long ranked among Atlanta’s largest annual gatherings. In 2014, ECN reported that the 28th Dragon Con drew an estimated 63,000 attendees across several downtown venues. At the time, the event ranked as Atlanta’s ninth-largest by attendance and had generated more than $55 million in direct economic impact the previous year.
By 2018, Dragon Con’s 32nd edition drew an estimated 80,000 attendees and generated approximately $79 million in economic impact. That year, ACVB and Dragon Con also gathered to unveil the event’s downtown street banners, continuing a tradition that remains part of the anniversary celebration today.
Convention evolves with its audience
Dragon Con has also changed how it handles the logistics of a large fan-driven event.
In 2019, the convention adopted the GrowTix registration platform to handle membership sales and help reduce registration lines. The system allowed attendees to purchase memberships by desktop or smartphone and use QR codes for badge pickup.
The convention remained a major downtown Atlanta draw in 2025, when ACVB again used street banners to highlight Dragon Con’s return and its role in the city’s tourism economy.
Later that year, ACVB inducted Dragon Con President Pat Henry and Vice President Sherry Henry into the Atlanta Hospitality Hall of Fame, recognizing their role in Atlanta’s visitor and hospitality industry.
For the 2026 anniversary, Pat and Sherry Henry joined William Pate, president and chief executive officer of ACVB, and other team members at the banner reveal.
Meanwhile, the banners will remain on display throughout downtown Atlanta ahead of the convention.
Dragon Con is an annual pop culture convention held in Atlanta over Labor Day weekend. For more information, visit dragoncon.org.
Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB), established in 1913, is the official destination marketing organization for Atlanta and supports the city’s economy through conventions and tourism. For more information, visit discoveratlanta.com.
Press release submitted by Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau. Edited by Exhibit City News for clarity, length, and style.
