Supernatural Vancon 2019: The one before the show wraps

8,094 miles apart, my yearly vacation lead me to the home of Supernatural. Below is my wonderfully quicky and sentimental experience of Vancon 2019.

Some people have the Superbowl, I have Creation Entertainment conventions. It can’t be compared to on a global scale nor is it a competitive affair — the air has a distinct smell of belonging and the sensation of excitement can be felt no matter where you’re sitting.

But every year, around the time of August, I pack my bags, take a flight across the world and turn a three-day event celebrating my favorite show Supernatural into a soirée. This year, in particular, I knew would be different. In fact, my body had caught up to my brain before I had left.

Every thought I had to do with the show got me choked up. For this would be the last time the convention was running the same time as the series being filmed. Next year when we return the city will stand the same, perhaps a little colder with the seasonal changes, but the touches of magic will have turned to leftover dust.

Even with the knowledge of wanting to freeze the city in time, I still guaranteed myself a great experience. Thursday night saw a special event where slightly anxious fans took to the sea and worried if they had any chances to come back to shore with Richard Speight Jr. at the helm.

More from Supernatural

• Jensen Ackles and The Winchesters cast kick off #SaveTheWinchesters campaign
• Will The Winchesters be saved? (Can Supernatural fans save the prequel?)
• Did The Winchesters get renewed? (Is The Winchesters season 2 happening?)
• Is a new episode of The Winchesters on tonight? (March 14, 2023)
• The Winchesters Season1 finale explained: Did it connect to Supernatural?

If you think you recognize the activity, you won’t be mistaken. Misha Collins had done it in prior years. Originally, I had no plans on attending. I didn’t have a ticket and they were sold-out. Months ahead, if I may point out. But I saw the breadcrumbs of someone selling a second ticket on a Facebook group (there’s one for every show) and I went for it in spite of the trepidation.

The Consitution ship was a compact three-decker; puddles of water sat near the toilet and the sounds of the anchor made appearances when it tugged to turn around. Jugs of iced water were found at the bar as the humidity hit the back of our necks.

Yet when you stood overlooking the harbor, Richard’s southern twang behind describing how each city of the tour differed, it was serene. The sentiment passed down to when he made the decision to have a Q&A session. He spoke about his time directing, how Supernatural was unlike any other show and Kings of Con.

When the sun dipped and the moon came out, the lights of the city were there and so, too, was Richard who came around to everyone’s table. He personally thanked everyone for coming and asked if we had a good night. It’s the little gestures that show the cast is genuine.

From there, I caught the lasting few minutes of registration. I was attending the weekend as Gold meaning that we had the first chance to get our passes into the event, swap our Jared, Jensen, Misha photo-op pdfs for tickets and buy any remaining photo-ops or autographs if we so desired.

It’s always started a little late in the evening, around eight o’clock, but it’s also extremely convenient. If there’s any tip that I can pass on when it comes to doing your first convention it is that you need your sleep beforehand because when the morning comes around, it will be seen as a luxury.

Friday night at the con

The trick, however, lies in how late the days start. Friday usually sees a dwindle in numbers as either past or recurring characters are scheduled. If your budget calls for general admission, make sure that it’s Sunday. As I’m lucky enough to have a thicker wallet, it’s a great way to start the convention.

Richard and Rob Benedict are the convention MC’s. Do you know what they do at San Diego Comic-Con? They do that every day when you come to a convention. Except for this one, unfortunately, as Richard was currently in prep mode before directing the upcoming episode.

My favorite panel of the day came in the unusual form of two actors who were no longer on the show (one of them not having made an appearance since Season 2). Yet when you put the juxtaposition of the talkative Gabriel Tigerman (Andy Gallagher) and the sauve Jeffery Vincent Parise (Asmodeus) on stage there’s plenty of fun to be had.

The two bounced off of each other perfectly. There were reenactments and toying with the audience. And it reminded me of why the Supernatural cohorts is much like glue, it’s in those unlikely friendships.

As the hours passed and the day lingered into the afternoon, I had a meet and greet with Briana Buckmaster. Meet and greets are won in auctions that often can be seen in the high numbers, especially if J2M’s names are attached. Unlucky or lucky for me, whichever way you see it, Briana always goes for the starting price.

I’m unable to share any information from the meet and greet, but it’s what to be expected when her bundle of energy meets a confined room. Her contagious personality bounces off the walls and there is no possible way to leave without a smile on your face and a new nugget of wisdom.

This brings Friday’s evening event, the highly celebrated Matt Cohen karaoke party. And tip number two: if you’d like to stand at the front, just underneath their gazes so a valley of heads isn’t in front of you, then make sure to line up as soon as autographs are over.

What I like most about this special event is that the atmosphere is one of no expectations, it’s much in align with going to a club with your friends and becoming a little loose. Whilst belting songs out are highly encouraged, you can also soak everything in and simply nod along.

Saturday events

Saturday can be described as the pre-gamer. As the hours’ tick by, slowly creeping towards Sunday, the excitement builds until there isn’t enough room in the ballroom to hold it. It’s also widely known as Misha Collins day.

Over the years, my track record with him has slightly blurred. I remember the first time I met him as he pulled me into a headlock and then proceeded to touch my nose. These days, he’s my boss as I currently write for his non-profit organization Random Acts as another side-gig. It doesn’t matter the first time I met him or the most recent time, he’s always there with a wink of acknowledgment and a cheeky tongue.

His panel is one for inclusion. He might not answer your question for he doesn’t quite know the answer himself or he’ll rattle off a story about his children — more recently, he had to break the elusive magic of Santa Clause. Though, he’ll carry on conversations and try to move on to the next question with some semblance of knowing who the person behind the previous was.

There’s also the spice of never really knowing what to expect. One year he wanted to start a water balloon fight across the ballroom, this year he awakened to the fact that his panels are run by following a list of names for people who are drawn out of a fishbowl.

Of course, he didn’t follow the procedure and instead someone further down the list was the first question. In true hilarity, it backfired.

After photographs are taken and autographs are written, there comes the Saturday Night Special. It is the peak of the convention. Someone in line told me it was the reason why she had flown out of New Mexico. Vancouver has a certain allure to it as it’s set in stone that Jensen Ackles will be there.

However, I’ve been lucky enough to never experience a convention where he doesn’t sing whether that’s there or Hawaii or my home country. There are songs he’s sung scattered across the world that has created its own favorable memory. Tom Petty’s ‘Free Fallin’’ is one of them. This time, he carried on the theme of finality. He was seen pushing the shyest of crew members onto the stage for the last song.

Standing there, with Richard giving a tribute to people who turned a script into a piece of hourly entertainment, surrounded by people who shared my journey was special and something I won’t forget anytime soon.

Wrapping up on Sunday

If Saturday’s considered the pre-gamer then Sunday is the party you don’t want to leave. The one where cans are littered on the floor and whilst everyone is a little delirious, sleep is for the weak after all, the music is still echoing around the small apartment.

The ballroom is nowhere near small. It fits around a few hundred people and most importantly two, Jared and Jensen, who always start the morning with a bang for the Gold panel. I’ve been to this panel five times now and there’s always something new it delivers.

The great thing about this panel is that the questions are free-all, there isn’t a list written up for an orderly line before the eventual last question song strikes. Rather it’s just the rise of a hand. Whilst I’ve had my questions answered before, I instigated Jensen joining Twitter on stage, I decided to just be in the moment for this one.

I’m glad I chose to because when the panel was over and the boys lingered when everyone gave a standing ovation there was another stark reminder of what they created was special.

This was the day where I predominantly had my photo-ops. I’ve met the cast a few times so I didn’t feel the need to get as many as I usually do and just decided to get my basics: Jensen, Jared, and the Jensen and Jared duo. Then there were a few others in the afternoon.

The photo session goes by incredibly quick but because the boys know this fact, they make sure to leave an impression and treat you as the only person in that room for the few short minutes you do have.

I’ve had times when Jensen’s pulled me back to him by my hand only to ask me where I’m from to the time when Misha had his hands on my waist, pushing me over to his corner only to fall onto the ground. In typical Jared fashion, he copy-catted to fall on the floor behind me. “They’re just being boys. Hold onto me”, Jensen said as if he knew I was a little flustered.

This experience held new memories that whilst didn’t replace the old was still wonderful in their own right. The same is with autographs: Misha holding to my hands after I told him how much letting me write for his charity affected the course of my career is still ingrained in my head. Then the chorus of congratulations from Jared. Those are the moments that make these conventions special.

After the party

Spoilers incoming: this section has slight spoilers for the series so feel free to avert your eyes.

Of course, there are certain advantages depending on the city that you fly to if you are indeed leaving your homestay. As Vancouver has always been the home of Supernatural, I have memories attached to being on set. I can spot myself in videos that Jensen has posted or photographs that have surfaced on the internet.

One time I spent three hours walking in the pouring rain with three people that are incredibly important to me just to find where they were. It’s why I love Fat Burger to this day, the taste takes me back to sitting in the only fast food joint we could find and getting that saving notification from Cliff. To not finding a toilet in sight so we had to make ado.

More recently, my last day in Vancouver was spent in the North Vancouver Cemetery. When I told my friends and family what I was doing, of course the questions spilled out.

But if being in this fandom and attending these conventions have given me anything it’s that nothing phases me anymore. I can be in a ballroom or out in the middle of nowhere and still feel a sense of belonging and complement if I’m with other people who share my passion for the show.

I didn’t see any filming that day but I did catch Misha, Alex Calvert, and Ruth Connell. Then there were the whispers of Jensen and Jared being there, too. As I walked through the empty set after they were gone, I took everything in and whilst knowing that I wouldn’t be able to see something like this again, I’m really glad I had the opportunity to.

Have you experienced a Supernatural convention? Are you heading to one this year? Share in the comments below.