★★★☆☆ CHICAGO, IL — Creation Entertainment, most renowned for hosting the largest annual Star Trek convention in the world, has been putting together fan conventions since 1971. With an extensive roster of annual conventions like Supernatural, Star Trek, and The Vampire Diaries, Creation Entertainment has mastered the craft of putting together conventions that are both fan and talent friendly.
This year, Creation added several new events to their roster, including their first run of fan conventions in support of the hit Netflix series, Stranger Things. Their debut run of Stranger Con kicked off in Chicago last weekend, June 23 – 24.
Announced last December, the convention features a two-day line-up featuring six members of the cast, including Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Shannon Purser (Barb Holland), Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler), Brett Gelman (Murray Bauman), and initally, Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), who was later replaced due to scheduling conflicts by Mark Steger (Demogorgon). While they managed to get the two leads of the series, Millie and Noah, to attend the convention, before attending, the rest of the line-up was seemingly underwhelming in comparison to their other first-run conventions this year, such as Riverdale and Outlander.
However, Creation managed to hone in other aspects of the convention to make the weekend more than worthwhile: VIP meet and greets were intimate and went off without a hitch, photo ops weren’t as rushed as they have been in the past, and autograph sessions were just as intimate. Each member of the cast took the stage for 45 minutes to do Q&A sessions, and although questions about the upcoming season 3 were off limits, the cast often alluded to subtle spoilers as to what’s to come for the show, including Eleven and Mike’s relationship and the fate of the Byers’ dog.
Stranger Con has been renewed for another run in 2019 and will return to Chicago in July for a three-day convention that is one not-to-miss. Although there was some upset due to Keery’s cancellation, by Sunday night as the con ended, it seemed as though Creation had redeemed themselves through courteous staff, attention to detail, and professionalism.
Stranger Con’s second stop is this upcoming weekend, June 30 – July 1, in Parsippany, NJ, and it continues through Nashville in November.
For more information on Creation Entertainment’s upcoming conventions, visit their website.
Photos © Alyssa Bardol Photography
