Image: Emerald Cup

A longstanding California cannabis competition is hosting a celebration in December at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa.

Last week. the Emerald Cup announced the return of the Emerald Cup Harvest Ball (ECHB) on December 10 and 11.

The Emerald Cup, which founder Tim Blake and his friends began in 2003, held the first ECHB in 2021.

The ECHB will serve as a fall harvest afterparty and launch-celebration for the annual Emerald Cup Competition.

The celebration will mark the start of the entry period for brands, farms, and individuals to submit products for the 19th annual competition in May 2023 in Los Angeles.

Over 700 entrants competed in more than 50 categories in the 2022 Emerald Cup awards.

“The Emerald Cup Harvest Ball will offer a robust consumer marketplace that will include fresh harvest flowers, top-shelf genetics, and the year’s most highly south-after products,” states a Emerald Cup press release. “Concert stages will host chart-topping musical guests; Emerald Cup Sessions speaker panels will feature powerful voices, thought-leader, and visionaries from all corners of cannabis culture.”

Additionally, the ECHB will feature onsite consumption lounges, VIP experiences, infused beverage bars, beer gardens, artisan fairs, and organic food.

According to the Emerald Cup, the 2022 ECHB is the only way to experience the 2022 harvest’s best.

Among ECHB features will be the genetics-focused 2022 harvest, consumer marketplaces, educational speaker sessions, and the Area 101 Lounge—an homage to the Emerald Cup’s beginnings.

Attendees who purchase VIP packages can enjoy exclusive meet-and-greet experiences and a chance to secure presale tickets for the 2023 Emerald Cup Awards.

Image: Emerald Cup

By Benjie Cooper

Raised on geek culture, Benjie has been in cannabis news since 2014, and a consumer since long before that. Before starting CannaGeek, he wrote for the Candid Chronicle and co-hosted the Nug Life Radio Show.