Every year, devout fans of an Atlanta Marriott Marquis Hotel carpet join together over Labor Day weekend in elaborate costumes to celebrate the legendary rug.
Two soldiers lay camouflage while commando - crawling across the floor , their uniforms and grease-gun blending seamlessly into the swirling blue , Au , and cerise geometrical - patterned carpet in Atlanta ’s Marriott Marquis hotel . It ’s Dragon Con 2013 and these two soldier are about totake the internet by violent storm .
The audacious military cosplayers were don costumes designed to match the distinct traffic pattern of the carpet the Marriot Marquis , one of the hotels that host the annualDragon Conevent . Over ten years later — long after the carpeting was removed and replace with a more stock , neutral carpeting — the rug costume have only multiplied , along with the institution of rooter group likeThe Cult of Marriott Carpet , whose members are preparing to once again celebrate their miss but not forget carpet at this year ’s convening and parade overLabor Dayweekend .
The traditional knowledge of the carpet goes all the agency back to 2001 , when the Marriott Marquis was added toDragon Conas an additional horde location . Over80,000 fanscome together inAtlantaevery Labor Day weekend for the rooter - bunk pattern that draws cosplayers and fandoms across all genres of amusement . Many attendees also touch in the annual parade that go between both host locations , the Hyatt and the Marriott , where cosplayers show off their costumes .
Rug devotees in carpet-patterned Bowie costumes.|Courtesy Mary Anne Butler and Zan Bowden
After the camouflage carpeting soldiers went viral in 2013 , others wanted to join in and create their own Marriott Marquis carpet - revolutionise piece . Volpin Props , who created the soldier costume , responded by uploading the pattern to sell on Spoonflower , a website for print custom fabric . The carpet ’s maker , Couristan Inc. caught jazz of this , and sent acease and desistletter .
But the scourge of legal action did n’t have the force on the carpet fans that the companionship had hoped . Instead , it “ almost advance an even bigger response from fans of the pattern to do costumes because someone told them not to , ” recall group member Mary Anne Butler .
But catastrophe struck in 2015 , when the Marriott Marquis replaced the rug . “ mass who lived in and around Atlanta started organizing hugger-mugger special - ops dumpster diving trip to attempt and ‘ rescue ’ refuse of it , ” says Butler .
The Marriott Marquis carpet soldiers.|Photo courtesy Mary Anne Butler
When fans returned to Dragon Con the undermentioned year , a group organized by Zan Bowden ( also do it as Eternally Zan ) unite together to cosplay and walk the parade in purity of their long baffled icon : the Marriott Marquis carpet . And so theCult of The Marriott Carpetgroup was born — and if there ’s one thing that member have in vulgar , it ’s a committal to the bit .
Bowden immortalized the carpeting by creating a downloadable version of the original practice that ’s free to the public . And it ’s been replicate onto pretty much anything you’re able to recollect of : ness , crock , trucks , tattoos , handbags — if you’re able to name it , you’re able to retrieve a Marriott carpet version of it . “ It ’s not rare to see someone in a carpet pattern Superman cape and suit , multiple inflatable dinosaur costumes with the pattern , vehicle with full vinyl wraps , ” order Butler .
At this year ’s event , bystanders can expect to see the carpet fan keystone , let in : a vinyl - wrap hand truck , severalinflatable carpet - patterneddinosaurs , a marching band , a colouring guard , and acheer squadto hype up the crowd with “ Marriott Carpet ” chants . The rug “ cult ” has become such a staple fibre at Dragon Con that other host hotels have join in on the joke , likeThe Hyatt Regency , which promote their unexampled carpet on societal medium forward of last year ’s convention . This yr , Sarah Valkyrie Lemay ’s “ Our Lady Marriott / The Virgin Marryott ” costume is heatedly anticipated at the free and unofficialcarpet memorial photoshoot , which Bowden host the Wednesday ahead of Dragon Con .
Sirota and her husband on the new carpet and an enamel pin from Butler.|Courtesy Kristin Sirota and Mary Anne Butler
To some , all this fan - sightly is n’t really about a carpet ; rather , it ’s an ode to fandoms and found family — a tapestry of community , if you will . As group extremity Kristin Sirota explained , “ These are the family I ’ve prefer , and who ’ve chosen me . ”A handbag creator by trade , Sirota like to lend a hand to fellow carpet fans “ to help spread out the lovemaking in the community . Not everyone can sew or is aesthetic , but they desire something singular to show off their love of the carpet . ” The carpet even behave as a covert signal for fans long after the conventionalism is over . “ When you wear your rug goodies outside of Dragon Con during the rest of the year , the great unwashed point out it . When they point it out , you bed you ’ve made a new ally . ”
Part of the thaumaturgy of Dragon Con is the commitment to innovation and imagination . “ Something can be a joke online and ten years by and by , everybody is still embracing it and add their own creativeness to it , ” Bowden says . And just when you think you ’ve seen it all , another Carpetasaurus Rex appear .
The Cult of the Marriott Carpet parade group in 2023.|Photo courtesy of the group.
Lemay’s “Our Lady Marriott" or “The Virgin Marryott” costume and Sirota’s carpet-patterned bag.|Photos courtesy Sarah Valkyrie Lemay and Kristin Sirota
Tiara Lynn Agresta’s carpet tattoo.|Courtesy Cult of the Marriott Carpet
