Hall of Flowers brought a groundbreaking experience to our cannabis culture, bringing together enthusiasts, industry leaders, and top California brands for a vibrant weekend at the Santa Rosa Fairgrounds. Featuring over 320 vendors and thousands of attendees, this year’s event marked the first time the festival opened its doors to the public, blending beyond B2B and B2C worlds – the two-day event included a cannabis marketplace, celebrity appearances, world records, immersive installations, culinary activations, speaker series, live music, and even a Cannabis Carnival! Beard Bros Media hosted interviews throughout the weekend at the Edwin Rubis Stage with Good Life Gang and MITA, raising cannabis advocacy and conversations to leading voices in the industry.
Cannabis creatives, celebrities, curious consumers and connoisseurs, innovative chefs, inspiring industry leaders, and top California brands and farmers all joined forces this past weekend for Hall of Flowers at the Santa Rosa Fairgrounds.
Hall of Flowers has always been an immersive industry tradeshow, inviting workers and members of the California industry to network and represent their brand in a laid-back, entertaining stoner atmosphere. Between the B2B industry-only day on Friday and the B2C public day on Saturday, the cannabis festival and tradeshow hosted over 200 cannabis vendors, possibly making it the largest cannabis “farmers market” of the Prop 64 era.
It has also been estimated this was the biggest cannabis public consumption event since before 2018 with over 7000 attendees on Saturday, and our Beard Bros team would have to agree – getting to blaze a fat one on top of a Ferris Wheel looking down on the event was an unforgettable moment.
Getting High (and then Higher) with Cannabis Carnival Games
This year, HOF shook up the structure of the event even further – opening a Cannabis Market & Festival to the public on Day 2. It elevated the classic vibe of cannabis industry networking and added in a whole other level of immersive fun – featuring music, interactive installations, games, rides, glassblowing demos, comedy, and the old-school carnival rides and attractions.
This B2B and B2C event brought many firsts – not only was it the first time Hall of Flowers opened their event to the public, but it was the first industry event Beard Bros had an official booth.
Our brand’s booth promoted the new Beard Bros RSO Dablicator and our line of products, which you can find in select dispensaries throughout the states of California, Missouri, and Massachusetts. This booth was an opportunity to connect with new consumers or those just dabbling in RSO to explore Beard Bros Pharms tinctures and RSO products.
But among the sea of over 6,000 enthusiasts and industry workers that attended this massive cannabis event, the Beard Bros booth wasn’t the only place to find Jeff and Bill.
Edwin Rubis Stage
Located right inside near the front gate of the Santa Rosa fairgrounds, the Edwin Rubis Stage hosted by Beard Bros Media, Good Life Gang and MITA, captured interviews and conversations with industry leaders and advocates throughout the weekend while raising awareness about Edwin’s lengthy ordeal.
Bill and Jeff spoke with a full spectrum of people in the cannabis industry – from state social equity applicants, Tiana Woodruff from Queen Mary, Seth Yakatan from Yakatan Associates, Matt Shotwell from Midzotics, and even pro-cannabis candidate Chris Coulombe who is currently running for Congress. The Latinas in Cannabis Meet Up came together to sesh and network at the Edwin Rubis Stage.
The weekend was stacked with engaging conversations and inspiring connections at the Edwin Rubis Stage, but most importantly what was actively honored was the man Edwin Rubis himself. Rubis, and many other prisoners unjustly incarcerated for non-violent cannabis crimes, were a part of Hall of Flowers thanks to organizations like Freedom Grow.
This non-profit curated an art gallery featuring artwork from those currently incarcerated for cannabis, plus members of the community like Greg Welch and his unique weed art. All proceeds and funds from the gallery went to Freedom Grow’s advocacy efforts and prisoner and family outreach program.
Celebrity Sightings, Iconoclasts Speakers, & Record-Breaking Smoke Seshes
Among the hot California cannabis brands that lined the exhibitor showroom at Hall of Flowers, there were plenty of celebrity sightings and star appearances. NBA Hall of Famers Gary Payton was in attendance to showcase his wellness and active recovery brand Greater Purpose, Tiffany Haddish hung out at The Freak Brothers booth to promote the show and its new cannabis line powered by Cookies. Rapper Wiz Khalifa promoted a Khalifa Kush Smoke Out with his brand, while Seth Rogen’s Houseplant and OCB Papers set the World Record for most joints lit at once.
Did they break the world record? We think so, as around 7,000 lit up that day – but it was tough to count the number of joints through the thick clouds of smoke! Balancing out the eventful carnival rides and hot celebrity brands, Hall of Flowers’ Iconoclasts Speakers Series brought together some of the state’s biggest cannabis leaders to help break down the tough questions and current debates in the industry.
Industry leaders like Nina Parks (Equity Trade Network), Marissa Twichell (Women of Cannabis), Anna Willey (CAM), Ryan Bartholomew (Doja Packs) Neema Samari (CBX) Caleb Counts (Connected), and more activists and celebrities came together for conversations around LinkedIn marketing, the history and future of hash, and transforming social justice in cannabis.
Sonoma Hills Chef Experience
In between the Cannabis Market shopping, groovy music performances and art gallery browsing, Hall of Flowers attendees could satisfy their munchies craving with an elevated food activation by Sonoma Hills Farm.
Located just a short drive from the Santa Rosa Fairgrounds, this legacy cannabis farm and brand brought together the biggest names in culinary to honor the intersection of chefs, cannabis, and cuisine.
Some of the many culinary talents cooking up various dishes, live shows, activations, and events included big names like Preeti Mistry (Best Chef of the East Bay), Mason Hereford (Bon Appétit—America’s Best Restaurant), Solomon Johnson (Chopped 4/20 Champion), BJ Smith (Top Chef Season 14), Wendy Zeng (Beat Bobby Flay finalist), and more.
CCELL and Treez sponsored Sonoma Hills Farms’ industry invite-only infused dinner and cannabis pairing, and Saturday’s ‘A Taste of Sonoma County’ Culinary Experience offered a delicious family meal featuring farm-fresh fried chicken and veggies served buffet station & family style. Sweet treats like Pink Jesus ice cream reflected the popular Pink Jesus cannabis strain Sonoma Hills Farms is legendary for.
Entering a New Era of Cannabis Festivals & Tradeshows
As big of a fun celebration as it was for, the Beard Bros team could still sense a solid tone of business happening throughout the Santa Rosa Fairground. Any influencer, business, or industry worker knows how important these cannabis networking events can be to our overall brand. Most people attending industry events are focused on going in with an initiative or agenda, prepared and ready to network and make the most out of the event.
What Hall of Flowers did was not only elevate the cross between work and play, but create an atmosphere that was inviting and inclusive for all to explore, discuss, debate, and indulge in all things cannabis.
Through immersive culinary activations, old-school carnival rides and interactive games, a charity art gallery, live music, and a large cannabis market – there was never a dull moment at this two-day cannabis festival and industry trade show! This massive, eventful cannabis festival and industry trade show proved that cannabis networking events can really have it all.
Written By Isabella DeChard
Isabella DeChard is a writer & Certified Ganjier on a mission to advocate, educate, and elevate the power of the plant – to the cannabis community and its consumers alike. She offers creative content and writing that ignites the celebration and diversity of cannabis and everything it offers.
She is a proud digital marketer, writer, stoner, and creative artist under @btchyhippie.
You can find Isabella on her website here.
