It is a main selling point of the upcoming BC Craft Cannabis Summit.
For the first time in Canadian history, a city block will be shut down to vehicle traffic for a marijuana-centered street party.
It will take place in Prince George on George Street during the daytime hours of Saturday, April 20th – 4/20 – as a part of the Summit that is taking place inside the Ramada throughout the weekend.
Tara Kirkpatrick, the President of the BC Craft Farmers Co-op (BCCFC), told My PG Now people can expect “vendors, food trucks, a fun zone, a smoking consumption area, photo booths, tattoos – there is a lot going on.”
There are 27 different vendors and booths that will be set up, Kirkpatrick said they are all local or regional.
Many of the vendors will be regional cannabis farmers – Kirkpatrick one of their goals is to connect consumers with producers.
“How many people go to the stores and walk out with a joint, they never think ‘who grew that?’ This is an experience for the consumers too if they want to meet people in the industry,” she said.
The street party, however, is just one portion of the Summit that is on its way to the Northern Capital.
Keynote speakers, panelists, farmers, and consumers from across BC and the country will be present inside the Ramada throughout the weekend, and attendees can also visit a trade show that will be set up in the hotel.
One of the most noteworthy speakers that will attend the expo is Patrick Weiler, the Liberal MP from West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast.
Nadine “Mama Deen” Furnell, a Director on the BC Craft Farmers’ Co-op Board, explained Weiler is “the Chair of the all-party House of Commons Caucuses for both cannabis and tourism… and he is a huge supporter, he has been with us since day one.”
This is the third time the expo has run and the first time it has been held in Prince George.
Furnell said a focus of the business side of the event is to try and rally the industry together to find collaborative and local solutions to problems they have been facing.
“Prior to legalization, the industry was all together fighting the same fight,” she said. “Legalization happened. Rather than champion together, everyone went and chased the gold rush and a lot of corporations came in. It was just done wrong.”
“As a result, BC Craft is not on its rightful spot on the shelf. We proudly promote buy BC – BC bud is world renowned,” Furnell continued. “We have an opportunity here to capitalize on that and the government is just not getting it, it is difficult for us farmers to get in.”
“We need to do this together moving forward, the right way,” she concluded.
The Saturday street party is free for anyone who is of legal age, but the expo and trade show is a ticketed event.
A three day pass costs just under $150 – Furnell and Kirkpatrick said there are no single day pass options available yet but it is something organizers are looking at adding.
The expo starts at 2:00 on Friday (April 19) and will run until noon on Sunday (April 21).
The duo were both very thankful to the City of Prince George for allowing this event to happen, doubly so for making Canadian history by allowing them to close traffic to a city block for the event.
In a previous news release, BCCFC Vice President Richard Willems said “While we all knew Prince George was a cool city, now it is official. Earlier this year, Prince George dramatically reduced annual cannabis retail fees. Then they welcomed our BC Craft Cannabis Summit. This permit completes the hat trick!”
You can find out more information on the event here.