The Road So Far, The Road Ahead: Creation Entertainment's Supernatural in Orlando

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After being unable to find a rental car to get from the airport in Lakeland to our hotel in Orlando, and then having our flights canceled last minute, you can imagine we were in a bit of a panic. We needed to get to Creation Entertainment’s Supernatural: The Road So Far… The Road Ahead tour. I was not going to let our weekend get ruined, so I decided we were all going to take a road trip instead. 

As soon as that decision was made, another thought followed: if we were driving, I could pack more equipment and keep it safe. That small relief mattered more than it should have at the time. We were tired, rerouted, and still determined to make it before the start of the event on Friday.

The convention ran September 11–13, 2026, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando Hotel, at the entrance to Universal. Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, and Misha Collins headlined a weekend that also included Mark Sheppard, Kim Rhodes, Briana Buckmaster, Alaina Huffman, Samantha Smith, Matt Cohen, Rob Benedict, Richard Speight Jr., and a long list of co-stars filling panels, photo ops, and side events. The moment we walked into the lobby, the trip stopped feeling like a scramble. The hotel was already full of excited fans, plenty of veterans, and a surprising number of first-timers. The whole venue felt like what these weekends are supposed to feel like: loud, warm, and ready for a great time.

The main event at these weekends is still the Jared and Jensen panels. Gold pass holders also get an exclusive Gold Panel with the two of them. Unlike most of the other Q&As, fans submit their names and are chosen at random to ask a question, so no two J2 panels are the same. Sometimes the fan asking the question becomes part of the show. One young woman told them that because her best friend could not attend, she unfortunately had to come with her boyfriend, and that she therefore could not ask her original question. The room, and J2, reacted immediately. Then she went to her backup: “What are your shoe sizes?” Jensen did not miss a beat. “Now we know what your original question was.” The ballroom lost it. The last question of the panel is its own ritual. That fan is brought onstage with Jared and Jensen to ask it. No pressure.

The Sunday panel was not the last thing Creation put on that day. At the end of Jared and Jensen’s time onstage, the company threw a 21st birthday party for the series, marking the day the pilot aired. Cake and balloons came out. The room sang “Happy Birthday” to Supernatural and celebrated the show responsible for so many friendships, bonds, and reunions that still carry on year after year.

What we did not expect, even after years of watching these actors onstage, was how consistently gracious they were in person. Humor, patience, and quick wit came with almost every encounter. The sassy energy of Briana Buckmaster, Kim Rhodes, Alaina Huffman, and Samantha Smith set a tone. Felicia Day and Ruth Connell followed with an entertaining panel that had the room with them from the start. Misha Collins had so many people waiting to speak that fans submitted their names for a chance to ask a question there too. He still shares from the heart, and the panel reflected that: honest, funny, and pointed toward what he thinks is right, even when not everyone in the room agrees. Watching him with fans is a large part of why people keep showing up. When Castiel says hello in a hallway, people remember it. The surprise from Matt Cohen Planting his face in front of the camera during the panel made the room roar. The rest of the hour stayed with me for the honesty. Cohen kept turning up all weekend, including other people’s panels, to promote his independent film Exes, which only added to the sense that nobody was taking themselves too seriously. Jim Beaver and Steven Williams brought Riggs and Murtaugh vibes straight out of Lethal Weapon. Their banter was dig after dig, and the audience was in stitches — especially when Steven found an orange in his pocket, started eating it onstage, and later dropped it. David Haydn-Jones and Adam Fergus fielded fan questions and were just as entertaining, sharing playful stories from being on set together, their storyline, and their individual careers and early experiences. It gave fans a clearer look at how talented they both are. Mark Sheppard handled fan questions with that familiar wicked humor and more compassion than people give Crowley credit for. Binding it all together were Rob Benedict and Richard Speight Jr., still the co-hosts who know exactly when to keep a room moving and when to let it breathe. They are, in fact, appropriately titled “The Kings of Con.”

Friday night’s debut of Creation’s Supernatural Broadway concert was one of the weekend’s clearest “you had to be there” hours. Cast members performed Broadway favorites with an orchestra behind them, and the costumes did as much work as the vocals. David Haydn-Jones walked out in a look that immediately owned the stage. Ruth Connell matched that energy with a feisty costume and a sharp take on “All That Jazz.” It was playful, committed, and a reminder that these events work best when the actors are clearly having fun too.

The extra events are where a Creation weekend becomes personal. Concerts, karaoke, photo ops, pajama parties, painting parties, drum sessions, and smaller ticketed gatherings are built for fewer people in the room. That limited space is the point. You can spend the weekend in the main ballroom, or you can build a schedule that puts you across a table from someone you have watched for years. DJ Qualls turned even the in-between moments into part of the show, pulling fans into the lobby for selfies because the light was better there. It was a small thing, and it was exactly the kind of small thing people remember.

The vendor room was its own convention inside the convention. Anson Gordon brought prints of the piece Jared Padalecki commissioned for his birthday, and the work drew a steady crowd. Around him were vendors selling handmade art of the cast, collectibles, signed pieces, custom clothing, and the usual mix of one-of-a-kind items you only find when fans and artists occupy the same carpet for three days. We also spoke with Andrea, a favorite vendor marking her 100th convention. That number says as much about these weekends as any guest list does.

We spent part of the weekend reporting from the floor. We captured interviews with The Babysitters from inside Baby, the 1967 Chevy Impala. We talked with Matt Cohen about all things Matt Cohen, and even got him to sing a little. Adam Fergus and David Haydn-Jones spoke with us about the Broadway show. Anson Gordon talked about his art and an upcoming event with Jared on October 4. Those conversations are what turn a recap into a record of the weekend as it actually felt: busy, specific, and full of people who still want to sit down and talk.

That is the short version: entertainment, shenanigans, and more than a few happy tears. It was, simply, an incredible few days.

If you have never been to one of these conventions, the structure is worth knowing. General admission gets you into the main-stage panels, and Creation also offers Bronze, Silver, and Gold weekend passes, each with added benefits. Those upper-level passes can include access to the Saturday night concert, and the Gold pass also comes with complimentary autographs. Beyond that, you can add ticketed events and build a weekend that looks like yours.. The harder thing to explain is the room itself. People who arrive alone rarely stay that way. Fans pull strangers into conversations, lunch plans, and karaoke rows. Friendships form quickly here because they start on common ground: the show, the weekend, the shared understanding that you can come as you are. Join the costume contest or sit quietly in the back. The point is the same. This is one of the few places where people show up without much judgment and leave with stories, and sometimes friends, they did not have on Friday. It is easy to shrug at that until you watch it happen in a hallway.

The staff is part of why it works. Creation does not run these tours on volunteers. Other conventions rely heavily on volunteers, and many of those people are excellent. Creation’s model is different. It uses a core crew of paid team members fans see year after year. That continuity changes the temperature of a weekend. There are fewer kinks and fewer lost attendees. People get through photo ops, panels, and ticketed events with clearer direction, and they are more likely to leave wanting to go to the next city.  

If you have been thinking about going, start at creationent.com and find a date you can actually reach. The Road So Far… The Road Ahead continues after Orlando, and the guest lists shift by city. When these actors are on site, they are often in the vendor room, the hallways, and the hotel like anyone else trying to get from one place to another. Say hello if it feels right. Share a smile. Maybe a laugh. You will only regret the moment you talked yourself out of. ~Missy

Supernatural The Road So Far The Road Ahead tour Orlando, Fl. Interviews

Matt Cohen Interview

David Haydn-Jones/Adam Fergus Interview

Anson Gordon Interview

The Babysitters Interview

Andrea's 100th Convention Interview

***Clips from the panels will also be going up on our socials, so keep an eye out.***