All Volunteer Meetings (In Person and Virtual) and Application Dates:
It wouldn’t be Dragon Con without our amazing members and this fantastic community, so we are excited that you are interested in becoming a volunteer! Our volunteers power that experience for fans of all ages as they share space and embrace whoever (or whatever) they want to be for the weekend.
Being a part of the volunteer team does require a commitment of your time and energy, but it has its rewards: new friends, camaraderie, a unique way to experience these five fantastic days, and lots of fun – plus there’s a cool t-shirt! Add that to two fun opportunities to celebrate you and your fellow volunteers during our Dead Dog Party and Volunteer Appreciation event and you’ve got an opportunity you for sure can’t miss!
If this is the first time you would be volunteering with us, please check out the What Does Volunteering at Dragon Con Entail? section below. You’ll have some questions, so we’ve got answers!
Do you have a favorite track? Maybe you spend most of your time at the Art Show or vendor halls? Do you have experience with AV setup? If so, contact the director for that section directly using the Contact Us page! When in doubt, Registration, Safety, and Tech Ops often have openings. Don’t know what area fits you best? Come to one of our Pre-Con Volunteer Meetings in March and July! All areas needing volunteers give more detail as to what they are looking for so you can determine if their area is a good fit for you.
If you have recently joined our volunteers and are still a little uncertain about what to do, see the Volunteer FAQ section below. Again, thank you for your interest in volunteering at Dragon Con. We appreciate your efforts to help make this legendary experience an ongoing reality.
Great question! Other than our undying love and affection (no really…we love our volunteers), the best chosen family in the world, and a free* badge to the greatest convention in the universe, you also receive a volunteer t-shirt and lanyard, access to our Volunteer Villages with free snacks and drinks throughout the weekend, and an invitation to our volunteer only Dead Dog Party onsite and a Volunteer Appreciation Event held in the Spring for you and your family with access to an incredible amount of free swag.
*New volunteers pay a one-time $20 fee the first year of volunteering.
Volunteers will receive an email leading up to the convention with a sign-up form.
Dragon Con does not enforce any formal dress code, but we ask that you not wear offensive t-shirts, or clothing that might offend guests or convention members. Some areas, like Guest Operations, have higher requirements.
If you become intoxicated while on duty or report while intoxicated or under the influence of a controlled substance, you will be removed from our volunteer list, ejected from the convention, and barred from becoming a volunteer for no less than two years.
The attendees around you have paid to enjoy the Con, whereas you might not have. We want to make Dragon Con a fun and inviting experience for everyone. Therefore, rudeness of volunteers will not be tolerated.
Not only does it help keep things on schedule, it allows time if you have to be briefed or travel to another area, ask any questions you may have, and get to know your fellow volunteers a little bit better!
Your badge will be held at Volunteer Registration for you to pick up unless your director informs you otherwise. Volunteer Registration will be open on the Thursday prior to the convention and is also open during most of the convention. If you will be arriving at a time when Volunteer Registration will not be open, then you will need to make arrangements with your director to pick up your badge or wait until Volunteer Registration is open to pick it up.
Fairly often, lost badges are recovered and returned to Ops or the hotel’s Lost and Found, but don’t depend on that.
While you’re volunteering at the con, you do not have special privileges; you do not get priority access in autograph lines, etc. If you are not on duty, you have exactly the same privileges as any other convention attendee.
Taking a shower and changing into fresh clothes once a day is also a good idea. Yes, we know this can be hard, especially when you just KNOW if you fall asleep, you’ll miss something interesting. But the convention needs reasonably alert people, not zombies. Or White Walkers. And finally…
Don’t feel overwhelmed. Just like your first con, this might feel like a lot to absorb all at once. Volunteering at Dragon Con can be an incredibly rewarding experience; that warm glow of teamwork and accomplishment that comes with a successful year will last long after the convention ends!
Volunteers must be 18 on the first day of the convention to volunteer. Persons under the age of 18 on the first day of the convention will not be eligible to volunteer. In addition, some volunteer sections have other age requirements for legal or medical reasons. When you ask that director to be in their section, you will be advised of additional requirements.
You can pay your fee in one of the following ways:
If you have already purchased a membership, you do not have to pay an additional $20 volunteer fee. The purchased membership will cover your volunteer fee. If you meet all volunteer requirements at the show, you can have your membership price refunded minus the $20 volunteer fee after the show. All requests must be made in writing no later than 30 days post con by emailing your Director and copying in the Dragon Con office.
There are several ways to qualify for the waiver of the volunteer fee.
If you meet at least one of the above criteria, then the volunteer fee waiver must be approved by the senior director of the section in which you are to volunteer. Even if a person meets one of the above criteria, it is possible, albeit unlikely, that the person’s fee may not be waived.
Volunteer badges are generally not available until after 2:00 PM on the Thursday prior to the convention. By default, they are available at Volunteer Registration. However, many directors choose to pass out volunteer badges on their own. They will set up a specific time and place to meet with you and give you your badge. Directors who choose this option effectively prevent Volunteer Registration from being able to pass out badges to their volunteers, so it is important that you are aware of your director’s preference.
IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST YEAR AS A VOLUNTEER AND YOU STILL MUST PAY THE $20 VOLUNTEER FEE WHEN THE CONVENTION BEGINS, you will have to bring the fee directly to Volunteer Registration (in the convention Registration area) and wait for your badge to be printed (please allow 45 minutes for the process in total). Your director will NOT be able to give you your badge. Please note, the volunteer fee of $20 is non-refundable.
Everyone who signs up to volunteer by the first of August and is accepted into a department will receive a unique volunteer lanyard and t-shirt. Volunteers after this date will receive a unique volunteer lanyard and a t-shirt while supplies last. You director will be responsible for distributing your T-shirt.
Volunteers will receive an email leading up to the convention with a sign-up form. Volunteers who register via the sign-up form are welcome to attend the traditional post-Con Dead Dog Party, held at a restaurant or facility within walking distance of the convention in the evening after the Con closes, as a “thank you” from Dragon Con to all the volunteers for that year’s event.
As a volunteer, we recommend avoiding trying to park around the convention during the weekend. There are plenty of lots around the convention hotels, but these tend to fill up fast. The hotels may have valet available, as well. Atlanta participates in ride-sharing and also has a rapid transit system and buses. The convention hotels are at a metro stop and along many bus routes. Dragon Con also has multiple shuttle buses running throughout the convention. Check out the Transportation Resources page on this website for more information.
