Less is more when it comes to cannabis festivals. You really don’t need much to have a great time. Like any party or celebration, the event should hinge on the crowd, not the bells and whistles that can be attached to it.
So far this year, as an expat living in Thailand, I’ve been to two cannabis-themed festivals. One was in Saraburi, a dusty, largely cowboy-themed town a couple of hours north of Bangkok. The other festival was in Bangkok proper. Neither event had a whiff of pretension or a cringey attempt at making them something they were not.
And to be clear, I’m not big on festivals. I’m like a dog at a thunder and fireworks show. In short, I’m not crazy for large crowds or loud noises—two things most festivals have in abundance. But when cannabis is the focus of the event rather than just an ancillary mood enhancer, that’s a recipe for a good time.
The festival in Saraburi was supposed to be a two-day event. Shops from all over Thailand had booths. Camaraderie was in the air. Bongs and joints were shared. Food was offered. Seating was provided. There was plenty of room to move around without feeling like you were entering a stampede for the last exit out of a burning building. There were even bathrooms I did not visit. It was nothing short of a blast, even if the second day was unceremoniously and somewhat mysteriously canceled.
The second festival I attended was the 9th annual Thailand 420 festival—somewhat of a misnomer as it was held on June 8 and 9—at JJ Mall in Chatuchak, Bangkok. It occupied the 6th floor of the building and was a hybrid indoor/outdoor celebration of the 2nd anniversary of cannabis legalization. While the indoor section grew crowded as the day wore on, there was plenty of space in the outdoor section. Again, another great time.
There was an excellent selection of international food trucks: sandwiches, tacos, sushi—you name the stoner classic, and it was there. Festival-priced beer and bud samples galore were also available.
Best of all, we were still mostly hanging out in a parking lot and having a great time. Everyone was smiling, sharing their experiences with the industry, low-key networking, and just hanging out. You don’t need a private villa with a sound bath masseuse to enjoy yourself.
What something like the infamous Fyre Festival got wrong, among many “oopsies,” was the emphasis on the bells and whistles of a festival—the expensive accoutrements that had very little to do with the event. The organizers tried to make it seem like it was about an “experience,” but they meant it in the commercial sense.
As humans, we crave novelty. As CNN recently pointed out, many of us drink less and smoke more. The cannabis industry, despite ongoing attempts to curb its consumption in Thailand, is showing no sign of slowing down.
Future event organizers would do well to consider keeping things as simple as possible. Focus on getting people of like mind together. And maybe stop picturing them as floating dollar signs that need to be milked for everything they’re worth.
Photo by Thomas John on Unsplash
