Every Labor Day weekend, Atlanta is overrun. The invasion includes superheroes, fairies, stormtroopers, a periodic table, marching bands, an entire SWAT team of ghostbusters— not to mention the more obscure characters, such as Gand-Alf (a mashup of Gandalf and the puppet Alf).

For those of you who don’t know, DragonCon in Atlanta is a whole thing.

I’m not quite nerdy enough to attend such a Convention, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying the parade.

This year I brought along my trusty Minolta XG-1 and a roll of 35mm b/w film.

One of my favorite parts of attending this parade is watching for the miscellaneous uninformed out-of-towners here for the local football game at Mercedes-Benz stadium (this year it was the Vols).

These unfortunately unprepared sports-enthusiasts exit their hotels only to be flabbergasted at the sight of… The Joker and Lord Farquaad? It is one thing to meet Xenon the Warrior Princess at a Convention, it’s another thing entirely to stumble upon her when you were just looking for the bathroom.

This particular Xenon is a member of the periodically table (naturally).

If you’re unfamiliar, the Big Chicken is a landmark found in Marietta, GA. It is, quite literally, a large chicken-shaped KFC.

Weird Al, the music of my pre-teen years— not seen much nowadays, but of course represented at the parade.

The Stormtroopers are followed by The Marching Abominable.

It’s a conglomeration of 90s classics.

The Spartans, who surely get their bellies waxed for this.

This particular Spartan (above) was a member of the Cult of the Marriott Carpet, which I don’t feel inclined to explain today.

I don’t care how old I sound when I say it, Star Trek is still cool.

The Ghostbuster team always follows close behind the Netherworld Haunted House crew, which I greatly appreciate. Their dedication to their work is truly exemplary.

Here we see: a couple of happy parade-goers.

Happy Labor Day to all!

Footnotes: all photos above were taken on my vintage Minolta XG-1 using Ilford film. If you recognize anyone shown here, please forward the image appropriately!