In 2016, California voters passed Proposition 64, finally making it legal to smoking, growing and possessing marijuana recreationally in the state. Although it’s estimated that the licenses and laws allowing the selling of marijuana to be legal won’t go into effect until sometime in 2018, the state’s eager citizens have already begun making ambitious strides towards fully embracing cannabis culture. One such Northern California-based festival, the Northern Nights Music Festival, is set to unveil the first U.S. based music festival Cannabis Garden.
Deemed the “215 Zone” this centrally located area will be right next to the main stage and will be structured similarly to the way most festival Beer Gardens are. Just like having to go show your ID and get a wristband to allow you access, attendees will need to show their medical marijuana cards or identification for proof of entry. Once inside, it’s basically a playpen of all your wildest cannabis dreams. Medical marijuana patients will be invited to sample product from various dispensaries and vendors like Emerald Pharms, Bloom Farms, Humboldt Brothers, Emerald Cup, Royal Gold, Humboldt Brand – to name just a few.
Northern Nights Co-Founder Andrew Borgelt shared, “There are some other festivals that have introduced on-site dispensaries but we really want to go a bit further for the local farmer. That’s why we’re centralizing the 215 zone in view of the main stage. Here, local cannabis farmers and dispensary leaders will gather to meet, teach and learn. It’s a rare window into the history of the region, and the role this community has played in the long fight to end cannabis prohibition.”
Located in The Emerald Triangle between Humboldt and Mendocino counties, this year’s festival will boast an incredible music lineup with acts like Jai Wolf, Living Legends, Big Wild, Justin Jay’s Fantastic Voyage, Dirtwire, NoMBe and much more.
Although many festivals that are billed as cannabis specific events (ie. Cannabis Cup) have hosted various dispensaries on site in the past, this larger crafted experience is a bold move towards integrating cannabis use into the more mainstream music festival experience (beyond what fans kind of already do on their own of course). Boutique festivals like Northern Nights continue to act as the trial and error/trendsetters pushing the festival experience forward. Who knows, maybe it’s only a matter of time before we have cannabis vendors at festivals like Coachella or Outside Lands.
Grab tickets for this year’s Northern Nights Music Festival: HERE
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