ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- It's the year 2000, and Eric Olsen is a medieval knight sheathed in armor with sword in hand.



Tracey and Mac Carlson were married in January after meeting at the 2006 Dragon*Con.



The 27-year-old is waiting in a line at Dragon*Con, an annual science fiction costume and convention extravaganza that appeals to comic book nerds, horror movie buffs and anyone with a liking for the fantasy side of pop culture.



He spots a red-headed princess in a blue ball gown, reminiscent of a Walt Disney fairy-tale, about 15 feet behind him. She is stunning.



Is she single? Will she talk to me? What do I say?



By the time Olsen rationalizes his jittery thoughts, he has already asked the princess, Sandra Frazer, 19, out to breakfast.



Forget about the drunken bar scene or painful blind dates. As Dragon*Con concludes this week, some single attendees are finding themselves coupled with someone who understands their passion for science fiction and fantasy.  Watch Dragon*Con participants talk romance »



When Olsen and Frazer finished their first date, the seeds of love had already been planted. They dated long distance for a year before Olsen proposed the following year at a Dragon*Con costume competition.



Frazer, in a leather Catwoman jumpsuit, accepted the ring.



"I've never cared about football or any of the normal guy stuff," said Olsen, a home health care director who enjoys obscure sci-fi television shows and elaborate costuming. "I met someone who shared my same geeky interests, and that's hard to find."



Pat Henry, chairman for Dragon*Con, said his staff sees romances blossom at the convention each year. Hundreds of proposals have occurred at the event since it began two decades ago. Requests roll in by phone several times a month from couples eager to hold their weddings at Dragon*Con, their meeting place. Share your sci-fi convention love story with CNN.com



The likelihood of finding a partner who enjoys alien movies or X-men comics isn't bad: Dragon*Con has evolved from a small gathering of a few thousand participants to a legendary event that reels in about 35,000 people from all over the world. It's one of the largest science fiction, fantasy and cult media conventions in the world.



"The chances are in favor of the females," joked Henry, who noted the convention participants are mostly men, though the number of female participants has increased over the years. "The other thing is if you marry a geek, you know you can keep them at home with the latest science fiction books or video games."



The convention -- four days of panels, events and parties -- offers bountiful opportunities to let the singles mingle. It's an adult playpen where geekiness is revered. The panels debate the science of Michael Crichton books and dissect the "Star Wars" scripts. Parties include a Buffy Prom for fans of the 1990s Joss Whedon television teen drama "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and the Miss Klingon Empire Beauty pageant themed after "Star Trek".



Perhaps the best-known event is the Dragon*Con parade, a Halloween party for grownups, some of whom have spent the entire year preparing their costumes. At this year's spectacle, a gray Saturday morning was lit up by a colorful throng of fairies with pink wings, elves in spandex, pirates in corsets and Jedi soldiers flashing lightsabers.



What better way to strike up a conversation than while people are watching together?



"You can't settle," said Dragon*Con attendee Dino Andrade, who created Soulgeek.com, a dating Web site for fantasy convention attendees and sci-fi nerds. "You can't be with somebody who's going to hope that someday you're going to grow out of this."



Three years ago at Dragon*Con, Tracey Carlson was smoking outside one morning in her Batman pajamas when her future husband approached her.



During their first dinner date at the convention, the two slipped into a deep discussion about "Babylon 5," a sci-fi television series by J. Michael Straczynski.



"I've
What is the convention called? how many people come for it what is dragon con for How many people go to the convention each year?
Dragon*Con, 35,000 an annual science fiction costume and convention extravaganza 35,000
question: What is the convention called?, answer: Dragon*Con, | question: how many people come for it, answer: 35,000 | question: what is dragon con for, answer: an annual science fiction costume and convention extravaganza | question: How many people go to the convention each year?, answer: 35,000