For The First Time Ever, Cali Vibes Festival Allowed On-Site Cannabis Consumption

Last week from February 4 – 6, southern California was celebrating the culture, cannabis, and reggae-focussed tunes at Cali Vibes, one of the first large-scale events to allow cannabis consumption on site. 

The crowd was alive and well last weekend, getting down to songs from acts like Ziggy, Stephen, Damian, Ky-Mani, and Julian Marley, not to mention Sublime with Rome, Stick Figure, Slightly Stoopid, Dirty Heads, Sean Paul, Shappy, and Wu-tang Clan. The latter also shared the stage with familiar names like Atmosphere, Pepper, Artikal Sound System, Iration, Senm, Tropidelic, The Elovators, and Don Carlos. 

With such exciting names on the bill, it was only fair that Cali Vibes embody California culture at its core and treat the 75,000 guests in attendance with fresh cannabis. The event was presented by Goldenvoice, AEG, and sponsored by Weedmaps. The scene was animated at Marina Green Park in Long Beach last weekend, and we can’t help but think that on-site cannabis consumption helped win the crowd over. 

Juanjo Felijo, CMO and COO of Weedmaps, told High Times that partnering with Cali Vibes this year has given his company the “opportunity to bring awareness to some beloved SoCal brands in the space throughout Cannabis Village.”

You heard that right…Cannabis Village. The Weedmaps crew took over a designated area at the Cali Vibes event and showcased an entire “village” featuring some of California’s leading brands and industry players like The Medicine Woman, Select, ZIG ZAG, Dripp Extracts, Wafers, Papa’s Herb, Buddies, Clone Guy, and DIME.

Inside Cannabis village, guests had the chance to shop around, get to know the brands above, and view the numerous art pieces. One, in particular, was the compelling “Flowers Are Not A Crime” installation, which featured works from Los Angeles-based artist Laurie Shapiro alongside Weedmaps.

This particular installation was brought to life to raise awareness for not only the blossoming cannabis industry but the fact that there is a cannabis industry that generates extensive revenue while 40,000 people, mostly minorities, are still in prison for nonviolent cannabis crimes.

Feljio added that Weedmaps is constantly seeking new and creative ways to interact with the cannabis community. The company was “delighted” to work alongside AEG and the Cali Vibes crew to “create a destination for consumers to learn about cannabis and cannabis brands safely while having fun,” he told High Times.

It shouldn’t be too long until we start seeing more concerts and festivals team up with major names like Weedmaps to expand the cannabis community further.