In a paradigm shift in its 170-year history, the California State Fair is moving with the times. Scheduled to open in Sacramento starting today through July 12, the fair will feature a dispensary on-site, plus an expansive 30,000-square-foot outdoor consumption lounge.
This new freedom, spearheaded by Embarc reinforces the point that cannabis can easily be bought into mainstream revelry as people can legally purchase and consume cannabis without the fear of being fined or arrested.
The fair’s Chief Executive, Tom Martinez, speaks of this development as a natural evolution.
“When people come to the state fair, they can try the best wine, cheese, and craft-brewed beer. This was just the natural next step”
he said, emphasizing that the fair has continued in its history of exhibiting the agricultural wonder of California.
This began in 2022 with the introduction of a cannabis exhibit and awards show that drew 160,000 fairgoers over two years. The 2024 fair will kick it up further with an experiential, immersive cannabis consumption area that organizers claim will set a new bar for fairgoer expectations.
The Cannabis Experience. From Exhibition to Ingestion
Visitors to the California State Fair will experience something like nothing else in the cannabis world, starting in the educational exhibit hall.
The area will showcase this year’s California State Fair Cannabis Award winners with QR codes connecting the products to an online shopping cart. Those shopping picks purchased on the website will be retrievable in a dispensary just next door run by Embarc and consumable in its lounge.
This hands-on flow from education and purchasing right through to consumption will ensure that all consumers have both a seamless and well-informed cannabis experience.
Embarc CEO Lauren Carpenter calls it an “oasis” and says that its purpose was to simulate an escape from the oppressive summer heat of Sacramento.
Far from being just a simple smoking area, the lounge is an elaborate setup with a stage for award ceremonies and thematic design intended to add to the general experience.
But as many as thousands of people will see the lounge each day, and the 500 seats are ready for its audience to sample from 300 different THC products including top flowers, edibles, pre-rolls, and concentrates.
This will help normalize and celebrate cannabis consumption, which will set the tone for other public events.
A Celebration of Cannabis Excellence
The crowning headliner is the 2024 California State Cannabis Awards, set to be announced on June 26.
These prestigious awards honor the finest cannabis products across three flower categories: sun-grown, mixed-light, and indoor, as well as 16 diverse product categories, including new entries like edibles and concentrates.
With 49 silver and 49 gold medals up for grabs, the competition showcases the best of California’s cannabis industry. Also added to the gala event are the nine “Best of California” Golden Bear awards, to be given in a star-studded ceremony on Thursday, July 27 — it’s one way Hollywood meets the harvest.
This full tribute to cannabis signals that California is at the forefront of this burgeoning industry. Including cannabis within the fair is a tacit acknowledgment by organizers of the critical extent of the commodity not just in agricultural terms but also from its cultural and economic benefits.
As well as awards, the ceremonies take pride in the sophistication, integrity, and quality of cannabis products that are meant to foster a more general appreciation by consumers.
Practical Information
As guests prepare for the first California State Fair to happen, there are a few essential directions to prepare them for the experience.
First, because of fire safety regulations, cannabis use will be limited to the products being bought on the property.
And second,the lounge will also provide essential pipes, bongs and vaporizers, so visitors are asked to kindly leave their smoking paraphernalia at home.
Cannabis was included in the announcement of the California State Fair for the first time, which is indicative of a new turn for the state and speaks volumes about current ideas of the normalization of weed.
