By Shana Carter
From Friday, April 10, to Sunday, April 12, 2026, hundreds of people gathered in Atlanta, Georgia, for 221BCon, a fan convention “for all things Sherlock Holmes and then some” that has been running since 2013. They were happy to be there, in part because the previous year’s assembly was nearly the last one.
221BCon was founded by Crystal Noll, Heather Holloway, Liz Arnold, Taylor Blumberg, and Cathy Dodds, who came up with the idea in 2012 after attending a panel on Sherlock Holmes at TimeGate, an Atlanta convention for Doctor Who fans. They negotiated an event contract with a Holiday Inn for 75 to 125 people; 643 showed up. Since then, 221BCon has changed venues (they’ve been at their current hotel, the Atlanta Airport Marriott, since 2018) and seen the number of guests rise to over 1,000 at its peak, and fall to a post-COVID low that had them barely breaking even. It was that drop which caused Noll and Holloway, who were frankly exhausted after running things for over a decade, to announce in 2024 that 221BCon might not survive past 2025.
The news that 221BCon was in jeopardy had two effects. First, ticket sales rose thanks to those who thought this might be their last chance. Second, two longtime attendees with experience in running conventions, Johanna Draper Carlson and Heather Hinson, offered their assistance. At the opening panel of 2025, “The Future of 221BCon,” it was revealed that Draper Carlson and Hinson were taking over as directors, with Crystal Noll and Heather Holloway staying on as board members to provide advice and assistance. Furthermore, the con now had official sponsors, Belanger Books and the Ken Ludwig Company , who were joined this year by the husband-and-wife team of Curtis Armstrong and Elaine Aronson.
Fortunately, these changes have not altered the 221BCon ethos, which could best be described as “whimsical.” Much of the programming is set by the guests, who suggest topics and then sign up for any panels for which they feel qualified. This year there were four main tracks which could be categorized as Sherlockian (canon, pastiche, and adaptations of varying degrees of fidelity to the source material); Sherlockian-adjacent (such as the detective TV show Psych, the radio series Cabin Pressure, Raffles, Solar Pons, Arthur Conan Doyle’s supernatural fiction, and Dracula); Making Art (writers’ workshops, a one-act play titled Snakes I Have Known, and on-location recordings by the Three-Patch Podcast and Dynamics of a Podcast); and Miscellanea, like this past winter’s big streaming hit, Heated Rivalry.
While the panels change from year to year, there are some events which have become annual traditions: the Atlanta Radio Theatre Company’s live performance; the costume exhibition; Friday night karaoke; a Saturday night dance party known as “Nerd Prom”; the Alpha Inn Goose Club Pub Trivia Hour; and Jason Merrill’s Antique Soda Demo, at which non-alcoholic drinks made according to century-old recipes are served.
Those who need a break can browse the vendors’ room; visit Mrs. Hudson’s Parlor, a quiet space filled with crafting materials, pool floats and other inflatable furniture, a bewildering assortment of cardboard standees, a mock-up of the fireplace mantel from the sitting-room of 221B Baker Street, and a TARDIS (complete with ambient sound effects); or stop by the hotel bar, which serves three themed cocktails — the Red Claw, the Secret Weapon, and the Dressed to Kill — that you can get in a glass or a plastic to-go bag. Whatever you do, sooner or later you’ll hear jokes about the food truck (immortalized as the Füd Truck on the con’s 2022 badge and t-shirt) that feeds those who need faster service than the hotel’s overworked kitchen can provide, or spot someone paying homage to the Floor Bacon, a discoloration on a paving tile near one of the ground floor restrooms that uncannily resembles a slice of bacon. There are also a lot of bee puns.
Every year the weekend concludes with “Our Last Bow,” a conversation between the attendees and the organizers. This time around, in marked contrast to 2024, the mood was celebratory. When contacted by email, Johanna Draper Carlson reported that final attendance for 2026 was 295, 49 of whom were walk-ins, adding, “The show means a lot to me personally, and to a number of people who told me the same thing, so it’s an honor to continue it. And hopefully grow! We’re already planning next year’s (2027) show, including talking to potential guests…we’re hoping (no promises) we’re able to get some of the Sherlock & Co. cast and crew in person.”
Further information on 221BCon, including how to register for membership, is available at 221bcon.com.
La gazette du 221 B 