ATLANTA (AP) - Organizers of a popular sci-fi, fantasy and gaming convention in Atlanta have announced that the in-person event - Dragon Con - will be canceled this year in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Dragon Con was originally set to take place over Labor Day weekend. It will instead be moved online for a virtual event, officials announced Monday.
"After many months of hand-wringing, sleepless nights, and more Zoom meetings than we can count, we have decided that Dragon Con 2020 event will not be held in person," the organizers announced on the event's website, saying they could not guarantee the safety of the event amid the pandemic.
The convention was set to mark its 34th year in Atlanta. Last year's event drew its largest crowd with 85,000 participants across four days, organizers told news outlets.
"We were on track for 90,000 for this year," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution quoted spokesman Dan Carroll as saying.
Carroll said organizers are working on plans to offer a free virtual version of the convention, which would feature panels, highlights from past years and virtual costume contests, among other events.