For many in the “Supernatural” fandom, conventions are something that plays a huge role in their lives. The convention circuit and SPN family span over many countries and it is truly awe-inspiring the effect they have. This is why the events are being missed so dearly during this time where COVID-19 has caused cancellations and postponements as far out as next year. It is also what sparked the idea to reach out to the fans in order to give them an outlet to relive fond memories and share in the excitement of what is to come once conventions start up again.
In the first installment of our SPN con series, we asked fans what they were missing most about the conventions. While the answers vary in nature, it is abundantly clear what they miss most. It is something that I find myself missing just as much. A “Supernatural” con isn’t just about getting to meet the cast, getting autographs, photo ops, and attending the cast related activities—those are beyond fun, but we’ll touch on that a little later in the series. It is about the sense of community and camaraderie that radiates from the atmosphere of the event, even from the cast themselves.
So many of the fans talk about how walking into that first day is like walking into a family reunion where everyone just gets you and your passion. For some, it’s about meeting new and old friends and discovering a lifetime connection that you weren’t expecting. Even more still talked about how the positive energy, atmosphere, and just general accepting and loving nature of the people around them have helped so many to overcome their fears and anxieties.
So, without further ado, please enjoy some of our favorite responses about what the “Supernatural” family con-goers are missing most about conventions…
Jen: Just getting together with all the other fans and sharing stories and getting to know one another. Sharing pics from past cons and showing off cool merchandise we picked up. It’s really just a great way to make new friends!
Colleen: I miss meeting new people. I miss the positive energy that I experience when I’m around members of the SPN Family.
Taylor: The thing I miss most about cons is the life long memories you make with the people you meet. I have met some of my favorite people in the whole wide world during con weekends. Most of these amazing people I only get to see one weekend out of the year when we are all in the same place fangirling over our favorite shows.
Mel: Seeing friends and traveling to new cities and doing new things.
Jules: This may be unpopular but, the lines, I met some of my best friends in the convention circuit from those long karaoke and SNS lines. There’s a sense of community and people will even get food for each other, I miss hanging out with those guys.
Samantha: Being with friends—family—who get me and understand me. Missing the boys so much right now. I need a hug.
Cricket B: Feeling like I belong somewhere.
Melissa: Saturday Night Special, Welcome Panel, Photo Ops, Vendor Room Shopping, Registration Night (I feel like this needs explanation—It is where I see get to see all the SPN Family I haven’t seen since last con and the whole place is full of that unique excited feeling that I arrived and the weekend is about to start), Singing Carry On with a huge crowd of fans and cast at the end of karaoke.
Eileen: For me, getting a “Mom’s weekend off” ties with seeing all of my con friends for what I miss most. I love getting to stop all the time for random hugs and check-ins as I run into friends throughout the weekend, & I really appreciate being surrounded by people who speak my language: Geek!
Jess: As someone with social anxiety, “Supernatural” conventions are the only place I can socialize without feeling too anxious. Like I’m among family and won’t be judged for being awkward or stupid.
Abby: I miss everyone gearing up for the Saturday Night Special concert, and I miss the excitement of being with others that are, “givers.” The SPN Family is a community of like-minded people with which I feel comfortable. Everyone is supportive and looking to have fun talking about our favorite addiction.
Miranda: Being around other people who all love the same thing as me, and feeling the energy in the room.
Sarah R.: Meeting up with friends who you only see once or twice a year. Just being in an environment that is accepting and warm.
Nina: I miss seeing all my friends! I’ve gained a really good group of friends from around the world and the only time we really see each other is at cons. The whole mood of the con is super light and happy and just a great time!
Jamie: I most miss the feeling of family and safety. I went to my first SPN con by myself and I never once felt alone or ostracized or like I didn’t belong and for me, someone with severe anxiety and impostor syndrome, that’s a big deal. The conventions made me feel safe and gave me one place in the world where I felt like I belonged.
VampAmber: Being able to see old friends and make new ones was always one of my absolute favorite parts of the cons. For one weekend a year, I was completely surrounded by people who loved “Supernatural” just as much as I did. Outside of cons (of any kind), it’s so rare to be surrounded by people who you know for a fact have one big thing in common with you, so it’s a nice relief. Don’t know what to talk about with a potential new friend? Favorite characters, favorite episodes, headcanons, fanfiction, and so many more topics to pick from that can pull at least a half an hour of conversation, if not more (usually more). Some of my best friends were people I met at the cons, and I think I miss the socialization just as much as the photo ops and autographs.
Sheryl R: It’s so hard to put into words. It’s like when non-con goers ask why I go, I just never can quite put the feeling into a coherent sentence. Being at a con, with all the hundreds (thousands?) of other fans, it feels a little bit like cool water on a hot day. I love the unconditional acceptance, the nervous excitement and anticipation we all feel, and seeing the familiar faces. We hug and smile, nod and laugh, and cry, and I miss ALL of that and more.
Becca: Being around other people who enjoy and love this family as much as I do. Seeing their beautiful happy faces and hugging people I’ve never met knowing they love and care about me just as much as I do them.
Megs: The sense of community, the opportunity to make community connections, the memories/experiences shared with friends, the opportunity to see new merchandise.
Becky: Seeing friends from all around the world! I went to a con in Vegas where I hung out with friends and there were 6 of us from 4 states and Australia who all met because of cons! Also seeing vendors, who at every con, I have become friends with.
Superonceuponawholock: I miss seeing some of the same people year after year at the con. The cool vendors and items they sell. The fun trivia, karaoke night, and just the fun time it brings. I always feel like I am smiling, laughing, and enjoying myself more during the three days of the con.
HeddyBoo: People from all walks of life, race, religions, sexual orientations being together in the same room sharing in our one common love—SPN!!!
Keri: The feeling of family, that everyone is a potential new friend and everybody always seems to be smiling all day.
Jules Monroe: SNS and the interactions with other fans. There were three online friends I was going to meet this year at cons, and I’m sorry to have missed that.
Luci: The camaraderie and loyalty of the wider SPN family (fans); Australian SPN cons are much smaller than the US-based ones, so when they come around each year it’s like a SPN pilgrimage from around the country!
Suzie: I’m a convention goer from way back (Star Trek, anyone), so believe me when I say, I’ve been around the block. The Supernatural conventions are so very, very special and what makes them so is the combination of the familiar wonderful routines (karaoke, SNS, J2, etc.) with the feeling that you never quite know what is going to happen next. The love among the fans and between the fans and the actors is genuine. Once you experience that phenomenon, you just want to experience it again and again!
Bri: I miss the atmosphere more than anything. I miss the excitement of registering, the way it feels to walk through the vendor’s room, seeing people meet their friends, the insanity of getting ready in your hotel room with your roommates. It’s an incredible environment to be immersed in.
Kaylene: The feeling of family. The knowledge that everyone there is there for the same reason: because we love this show, have endured its ups and downs and will be SPN family forever.
Sarah: I miss the energy in the building. Everyone is excited to be there and participate in the weekend and it’s something you can feel in the air! I miss dancing in the photo op room with my friends in line and the volunteers.
Sara Hemenway: Conventions are a family affair. Both SPN extended family and RL family. My aunt, cousins and I have been fortunate enough to go together and sharing the experience is a lot of fun- from talking about panels to jamming to the music, to watching each other interact with the stars and guests in the signing lines. We also always take pins—and sharing swag is such a joy.
Madison: I miss first walking into a convention and seeing the hundreds of people gathered and excited for the same thing you are. It’s like walking into a family reunion.
Ashe: We are all there for the same reason, love of this show. Knowing that, I feel I already have an “in” with the people around me. Starting conversations with strangers is normally kind of scary for me. At an SPN con, it isn’t.
Ashley Goetz: I really miss being in the same room full of people who share the same passion and love for a tv show that changed so many lives and will continue to do so long into the future.
Sheri Smyth: I miss the sense of family. “Supernatural” conventions feel a lot like family reunions. Only, instead of sharing DNA we all share a love and passion for a story and it’s characters.
LauriePC: I honestly miss the friends I made at the one convention I went to so much. I was shocked (in a very good way) at how nice and welcoming they all were, which was exactly what I needed because one, I WAS SO NERVOUS ABOUT BEING THERE!! Two, I’m not a very sociable person myself and will hide in a corner the entire weekend if no one approaches me. To add to that, these were people that “got it.” I had never really met anyone in real life that “got it,” only through online fandom. The result was that I felt like I’d known them all of my life. They were also just such amazing people, and one of them helped me out all throughout the weekend when I was once again in great danger of doing something stupid. I kept in touch with a couple of them, but I can’t wait to hopefully one day do another con together.
Katharina K: I miss the feeling of community. The feeling of being home. This atmosphere that comes from hundreds of people being there for the same thing, united in their love for this show and its cast. The feeling of acceptance, of being able to just be myself, dress the way I want, express myself the way I am 100%, that I haven’t found like this anywhere else yet.
Alyssa: The family reunion feel. Getting together with that many fans of something you love so dearly is one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced in my life. After you go to one, at the next one you almost always see all the old friends you made and make NEW friends on top of that. It’s the best!
That wraps it up for the first part of our SPN con series! Be sure to stay tuned for “Confessions of SPN Con Goers: Part 2” where we will be sharing fond memories with fellow “Supernatural” family members.
Thank you to everyone that participated in the responses for this article.
Written by TiShea Wilson