Dragon Con’s Literary Guest of Honor John Scalzi broke the news: “Dragon Con Going Virtual in 2020”.

As the 2020 Literary Guest of Honor for Dragon Con, I fully support this decision on the part of the convention. As much as I would have loved to see everyone in Atlanta this year, it’s just not feasible or practicable.

After an exhaustive attempt to consider and uncover every possible option to hosting a safe and much-needed #DragonCon this year, it has become apparent that we cannot, in good faith, move forward with our 2020 event. pic.twitter.com/U9Vv0BHLvE

— ????????Dragon Con ???????? (@DragonCon) July 6, 2020

While we aren’t able to welcome you back in person this September, we will be taking our 2020 event virtual this Labor Day weekend with a free to the universe experience. Keep those calendars marked and stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

— ????????Dragon Con ???????? (@DragonCon) July 6, 2020

On the con’s website is a section of “Dragon Con Updates” which begins:

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. Trust us, we are just as bummed as you are, but know we did not make this decision lightly. Above all else, we want to thank you, our fans, our partners, the ACVB, and the city of Atlanta for the support you have given us over these past few months.

Their Update Q&A includes this strangely defensive exchange between the committee and….themselves?

Finally! Took you long enough to cancel.

First off, rude. Secondly, not a question. We are so heartbroken that we cannot, in good faith, host a 2020 event. We truly did everything possible to remain positive and exhaust all options – some extremely creative in nature – understanding that a large part of our fan base and key partners truly needed an event to enjoy after the year we have all had.  Along the way, we have said that if we did not feel that we could host a Dragon Con quality convention that also kept our fans and community safe, we would make the hard and necessary decision that we announced today. We are looking forward to 2021 when we can all meet again in person.

Part of our intense work on exploring all options was out of respect for our partners, who are going through an unprecedented and painful time with many key people being displaced indefinitely.  These people are a major part of the Dragon Con family.  If you are local to Atlanta please go out and support our beloved hotels and businesses when it is safe to do so. After all, who doesn’t need a drink at their favorite bar or night away from home at this point?

This year’s convention, scheduled for September 3-7, was originally projected to attract some 90,000 people to downtown Atlanta.

What about the Dragon Awards? A post on the convention’s Media Relations website assures readers:

The Dragon Awards, a fan’s choice awards program to recognize the very best in science fiction and fantasy literature, comics, gaming, and filmed entertainment, will continue as planned.

Ballots are due to be released August 1. Fans can anticipate the awards ceremony will be part of the virtual convention.

Update 07/06/2020: Revised to include con’s Dragon Awards statement.