Photo Credit: Howler Con Twitter

Howler Con is a fan run con in Newark, New Jersey that has taken place over the past three years. Howler brings in various cast members of the MTV hit series Teen Wolf. The line up left fans howling with excitement and eagerness to meet the beloved actors that brought the characters of Teen Wolf to life. Howler Con 2016 attendees were Crystal Reed (Allison Argent), Holland Roden (Lydia Martin), Arden Cho (Kira Yukimura), JR Bourne (Chris Argent), Ryan Kelley (Jordan Parrish), Ian Bohen (Peter Hale) and Daniel Sharman (Isaac Lahey).

There is always something special about small cons and even more when there are headed by fans of the show that they are highlighting. Howler Con is truly a fan run con in every sense, from the two con owners Bets and Amy, who are huge fans of Teen Wolf, to the core staff (Alyssa, Ashley, Lori, Mandy, Nadia and Tina) that fangirl with the best of us. These groups of ladies work overtime to make Howler Con memorable for everyone in attendance. They put in countless hours to bring Howler Con to life and their diligence is seen through the line up of special guests that they are able to wrangle in. The Howler staff have real lives and full time work obligations despite the daunting duty to throw one of the best Teen Wolf Cons’ out there.

Howler Con creates an intimate atmosphere in which fans can meet and have personal conversations with their favorite cast members. Even Crystal Reed showed her gratitude towards fans for their respect and understanding about their personal lives as questions asked during panels and meet and greets did not pry into their personal lives. This shows just how special Howler Con is in regards to the fans that attend the con. They are not there to stir up drama or ask awkward questions to the guests which leaves everyone feeling uncomfortable. The time they get with the cast is valued and respected; not a lot of cons can say the same.

Howler Con is a place where fans are able to gather and bond over the same passion, Teen Wolf. I made new friends this past con than my last. I had the opportunity to even catch up with familiar faces, and meet friends from social media at Howler Con for the first time. Some of my favorite moments where not from the events themselves, but from the activities that took place afterwards: playing games into the early hours of the morning, hopping from room to room, watching “Fandom Jesus” video which was a life changer, thanks Mary! And let’s not forget the amazing cosplays from Howler Con 2016. Teen Wolf cosplayers seriously brought their “A” game as even cast members were excited and amazed by them.

As Howler Con ended, I found myself continuing to say how special a con like Howler was. There was no hustle or rush to get to panels or events, which is something I was accustomed to when attending San Diego Comic Con for the past four years. The schedule allowed attendees to easily flow from panels to extras that they had purchased. The cast was gratuitous for the support of the fans, through their actions and excitement  when meeting each individual fan in attendance. Teen Wolf fandom is special and unique which no other fandom can recreate.

Sadly, Howler Con will be “howling” one last time on June 23rd-25th 2017 and will be moving to a completely new venue at the Renaissance Newark Airport Hotel as they have outgrown their past venue. Bets has promised that Howler Con will be ending big, and there is a bittersweet feeling as we look forward to Howler Con 2017. If you can make Howler Con for one last time, we suggest that you do. Whether you are attending Howler Con for the first time or have been going since the beginning, you will leave with a “wolf pack” of your own and countless memories as well.