In a perfect world, every music fest would be as utopian as the Legends Valley Music Festival: tidy campsites, flush toilets, and all the free swag you can possibly get your hands on.
To top it off, the folks behind the fest are one-upping last year’s inaugural event with a special collaboration that is sure to excite those who purchased their tickets months in advance: marijuana media giant High Times has jumped on board to host the first-ever High Times Cannabis Cup in Canada.
Camping, concerts, a massive cannabis expo, and more free dabs than you can shake a stick at will round out the festival’s offerings. It’s guaranteed to be a weekend you won’t soon forget.
Not only does the collaboration mean a bigger festival with a new name (High Times Cannabis Cup Canada); it also means that rapper Wyclef Jean will be joining the likes of House of Pain, Sloan, Five Alarm Funk, The Harpoonist and the Axe Murderer, Delinquent Habits, and other artists who will be hitting the stage during the four-day fest.
American metal band Body Count was set to play the festival as well, but had to pull out when the band’s bassist was injured in an accident.
According to festival organizer Matt Harvey, the cannabis cup will still have the same rules as last year’s Bio Cup, but will bear the High Times name.
‘All weekend long there’s a people’s choice competition, and there will be a celebrity panel of judges, plus a whole bunch of celebrities in the Vancouver and B.C. cannabis industries.
‘Basically, people who can tolerate being saturated with a lot of THC,’ Harvey tells the Straight with a chuckle.
The awards ceremony for the cup will take place on Sunday.
For Harvey, who organized the festival’s first cannabis cup last year, working with High Times means more publicity for not just Legends Valley, but B.C. Bud, too.
It also means that attendees will find two to three times the number of vendors at the cannabis expo.
The long-time grower says he’s excited to see what other growers are bringing to the table this year.
‘I won my first Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam in 2004 for God Bud, and it was a life changer, and such a prestigious feat. I wish good luck to everyone who entered,’ he said.
His band, Antipolitic, will also hit the stage on Saturday, opening for Delinquent Habits.
‘I’m excited for the whole vibe. It will be cool to see House of Pain on their 25th anniversary too,’ he added.
‘If you’re a cannabis connoisseur or aficionado, you should definitely come—let’s vibe out on the music and the beauty of Lake Cowichan—and don’t miss the Antipolitic show.’
If you’re still not sure what to expect, check out our post-festival blog from last year.
The Legends Valley Music Festival/High Times Cannabis Cup Canada will take place at Laketown Ranch in Cowichan Valley from Thursday, August 24 to Sunday, August 27. Find tickets here.
