While there’s nothing wrong with a new pair of spiffy socks or a stylish new tie for the working dad, why not take your Father’s Day gift-giving up a notch?
With the big day fast approaching – it’s this Sunday (June 16) – unConventional has compiled a last-minute Father’s Day gift guide, but these presents have a caveat: they feature compelling guest experiences at the Georgia World Congress Center Authority’s (GWCCA) downtown Atlanta campus, the No. 1 convention, sports, and entertainment destination in the world.
HEROIC DADS
Is the sire of your brood a fan of comic books, superheroes, gaming, esports, anime, cosplay, zombies, dinosaurs and all things geeky?
Get him tickets to an upcoming fan con coming to the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC).
Set for July 12-14 at the GWCC, Atlanta Comic Con returns for a second helping, featuring comic book exhibitors, toys, cards, games, artwork, cosplay, apparel, guest creators, celebrity guests. Single day tickets are $30 and three-day passes are $60. Bonus: kids 12 and younger get in free. For tickets, go to https://atlantacomiccon.com/tickets/.
If Dad’s a paleontologist or a T-Rex buff then Jurassic Quest, featuring more than 80 life-size animatronic, interactive dinosaur exhibits Aug. 23-25 at the GWCC, should be right up his prehistoric alley. A family-oriented event, you can probably convince him to bring your whole gang of raptors. Daily tickets range from $20-$36, get them online here.
Whether he’s Team Negan or Team Rick, dear old dad can have the chance to press the non-rotting flesh with cast members of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” and other macabre entertainment, such as “Game of Thrones,” as Walker Stalker Con returns Oct. 18-20 to the GWCC. General admission single day tickets are $30 and $40 and three-day general admission weekend passes are $60, available at https://walkerstalkercon.com/atlanta/tickets/. Note: general admission tickets do not include photo ops with celebrity guests, which must be purchased separately.
Check out this gift hack: Get your old man who is forever young festival passes for DreamHack Atlanta, an annual video gaming/esports festival returning to the GWCC on Nov. 15-17. Passes range from $35 for daily entry to $79 for a three-day pass. Click here to purchase.
Up the ante on Dad’s geeky-cool status by registering him for one of the fastest-growing all-ages conventions in the country: the Atlanta-based MomoCon, a celebration of comics, anime, video games, tabletop gaming, cosplay and more coming back to the GWCC on May 21-24, 2020. A variety of registration packages, ranging from $35-$70 are available here.
HIP-HOP POPPAS
If your daddy is a Trick Daddy enthusiast, we’ve got the gift for him.
ONE Musicfest, celebrating its 10th anniversary, is claiming the GWCCA’s Centennial Olympic Park as its new home, and the Southeast’s largest two-day, urban progressive music festival is slated for Sept. 7-8, featuring the aforementioned Trick Daddy, performing as part of the Florida All-Stars with Trina and T-Pain. Other artists include Rick Ross, Gucci Mane, Rae Sremmurd, Tory Lanez, Pharrell Williams, Usher, and Wu-Tang Clan, to mention just a few. Two-day ticket packages start at $129-plus fees, and you can find all ticketing info at www.onemusicfest.com.
PIGSKIN PADRES
Does your dad live for Saturdays and Sundays in the fall, when gridiron action dominates the social scene in the South? The GWCCA campus is Atlanta’s epicenter of football action – college, pro, and high school championships.
The Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame, located on the GWCCA’s campus, is running a Father’s Day promotion where Dad gets in for free with the purchase of a regular price ticket ($21.99). Also, the first 100 dads in on Sunday receive $25 gift cards from The Home Depot. For tickets and more information, go to https://www.cfbhall.com/ or call 404 880-4800.
The Atlanta Falcons aren’t selling single-game tickets at the box office, but you can snag your dad some verified resale tickets through the online NFL-sanctioned ticket exchange. The Dirty Birds have preseason matchups at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (MBS) on the GWCCA campus against the New York Jets on Aug. 15 and against the Washington Redskins on Aug. 22., and the regular season home opener is Sept. 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
FUTBOL FATHERS
We’re betting your favorite begetter likes the other football, too – the one affectionately known as futbol. If you haven’t heard, the GWCCA’s championship campus is also the epicenter of Atlanta’s soccer passion.
Always in tune with its fanbase, the Atlanta United is offering the Ultimate Father’s Day Ticket Pack, which includes tickets to the Five Stripes’ July 7 match against the New York Red Bulls at MBS, entry to the pre-game viewing party for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Final shown on the stadium’s halo board, and a $25 Home Depot gift card. Check it out at https://www.atlutd.com/fathersday.
PATRIOTIC PATRIARCH
What’s a better gift than spending time with ones you love? Create some quality time with Dad and offer to bring him to the GWCCA’s annual Fourth of July Celebration at Centennial Olympic Park, featuring the Southeast’s biggest Independence Day fireworks show.
Admission is free, but you can give him a prepaid parking pass for the GWCCA Green Lot, directly across Marietta Street from the Park, or the Red Deck, which is a short walk down Andrew Young International Blvd. from the Park. Reserve him a spot at https://gwcc.clickandpark.com/.
