The California State Fair will once again feature a cannabis exhibit and competition at this year’s event, with expanded award categories meant to showcase the diversity of the state’s market.
This is the fourth year that California’s annual event has invited marijuana entrepreneurs and consumers to join the festivities—and, for the second year in a row, on-site sales and consumption will be permitted during the 17-day fair.
“Last year, we made history by integrating cannabis sales and consumption into the State Fair, and we are thrilled to return in 2025,” Lauren Carpenter, co-founder of Embarc, which is facilitating the sales component, said. “Through an immersive educational experience, we’re shining a light on the cannabis brands reflecting and shaping cannabis culture in California and beyond.”
As for the competition, there are 150 medals available this year. Submissions will open on March 1 and close on May 4. The winners will be announced at the start of the fair on July 11.
This year’s award categories have been expanded to include cannabis blunts, hash and chocolates.
“For more than 170 years the California State Fair has had a long-standing tradition of celebrating the best of the Golden State, especially those who epitomize the state’s agricultural excellence,” Tom Martinez, CEO of the California State Fair, said. “Since welcoming cannabis to the Fair, we’ve witnessed firsthand the pride and dedication of California’s cannabis cultivators, who are crafting some of the best products, not just in the state, but in the entire industry.”
Other categories up for awards include indoor, outdoor and mixed-light flower, beverages, cartridges, concentrates, edibles, pre-rolls and wellness.
“In just a few short years, cannabis has become a staple of the fair,” James Leitz, executive producer of the Cannabis Competition and Exhibit, said. “This year, we’re elevating the experience—expanding the competition, celebrating more product categories, and connecting consumers with the farmers and producers behind the cannabis products.”
The California Exhibition & State Fair is an independent state agency established by law under California’s food and agriculture code. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is an ex-officio member of the fair’s board of directors, as are several state lawmakers.
The addition of sales and on-site consumption last year marked a historic development in the fair’s history. Before then, the event’s marijuana component was largely limited to cannabis competitions and educational booths.
While the expansion was new for California in 2024, on-site cannabis use and sales were allowed at the New York State Fair in 2021 after adult-use legalization was enacted. However, the fair stopped permitting public consumption at its 2023 event—though attendees could buy marijuana products from nearly a dozen local growers at a cannabis farmers market held in conjunction with the event.
Meanwhile, last year Minnesota’s former governor Jesse Ventura called on people to boycott the State Fair for prohibiting marijuana use at the venue while at the same time allowing attendees to consume alcohol and tobacco—even though the state enacted a cannabis legalization law in 2023.
Photo courtesy of California State Fair.
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