DragonCon hit its thirty year anniversary this year. In all that time, one of the hotels had built up quite a reputation for something not directly related to any of the nerd culture the con so proudly celebrates: its carpeting. The blue, gold, and red carpet of the Marriott Marquis in downtown Atlanta had become a famous staple to the background of cosplay photos every Labor Day weekend. And cosplay photos shared on the internet could always be linked to DragonCon by a mere glimpse of the iconic flooring.
Until the Marriott suddenly decided late last year to replace the carpeting with a completely new carpet flaunting an entirely new design.
In nerd speak that translates to “Marriott, oh Marriott, what the heck are you thinking?!” Fans everywhere started grabbing discarded pieces of the carpeting that popped up for sale on sites like Etsy and Ebay. And on the Thursday before DragonCon started this year, they held a memorial event for the beloved old carpet. Owners of individual pieces of the carpet united at Revenge of the Carpet with the sole quest to link together their individual mementos in an effort to recreate one gigantic slab of the flooring that was hauled away last year. Even if only for a day, the carpet lived again!
And the crowd of fans celebrated in some unusual but epic ways:
They Dressed Up in Marriott Carpet Attire
Because carpet doesn’t have to be just carpet. When it is much loved, it can be fabric, too. All three of these ladies’ outfits made my day.
They Took Selfies with the Marriott Carpet Scraps
This girl started it all. Then the craze ignited, and everyone followed. So she shall hereby be crowned the Marriott Carpet Queen of Selfies. Bonus points because her skirt matches the red flecks in the rug.
This is one of her loyal followers in the Kingdom of Carpet. He was next up to grab the chance to selfie with the magic. The swirly pattern really does make a unique backdrop for pictures.
I got a little silly with the camera as well. And then I became a duck with fat fingers. Maybe next time I’ll move my hands out of the shot. …Probably not.
This guy didn’t bother with a selfie and opted to be fabulous instead. He worked the carpet while his friends snapped unforgettable shots of this glamorous pose.
Well, look at that: I CAN take a selfie without screwing up. One last shout-out to the guy lounging on the Marriott carpet behind me. You are a hero, dear sir. So say we all.
They Tried to Recreate the Marriott Carpet By Lining up the Pieces Just Right
And let’s not forget the main mission of the night: recreate the epic flooring that’s gone but never forgotten! Fans scrambled to find a place where their piece of Marriott carpet would fit perfectly into the pattern, and soon the night became like a game of players working in unison to construct a large tabletop jigsaw puzzle. The resulting speckling of old carpet carefully aligned over new carpet in no precise pattern created a striking kaleidoscope of colors and a beautiful art mosaic for passersby to behold.
And Dragon, of course, got in for a little piece of the action. But mainly just to give the carpet hugs.
Watch the DragonCon Revenge of the Carpet Event
We brought our own carpet square along (yes, we bought one. Ahem), watched, and recorded the entire event and all its silliness as it unfolded. You can watch the video below. It’s super short (52 seconds to be exact), so it won’t eat away any precious minutes that could better be enjoyed snacking. But we recommend snacking anyway because food equals happiness. I especially prefer the chocolate-chip flavored happiness. Those are the best. Just don’t get any on your carpet.
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