Wafts of food trucks, tie-dye, weed products at Cannastock

When we arrived to the MJN Convention Center in the City of Poughkeepsie on Saturday, there were wafts of food trucks, throngs of tie-dye and a woman behind the counter who simply shrugged when we went to check-in for our tickets – we had surely arrived to Cannastock, the day-long cannabis festival aimed to bring industry professionals and public consumers together as the state begins tiptoeing into the legal recreational market.

Over 50 vendors were on site to peddle pot-related products like special soil blends for optimal grows, closets to quickly cure buds, pipes and bongs galore, edibles and THC-infused seltzers, an area of arcade games, and a cloudy outdoor consumption spot for the more than 3,000 festival attendees. Panelists discussed the emerging cannabis industry and job opportunities, and featured speakers like JoJo Simmons, son of Joseph Simmons, aka Rev. Run of Run DMC. Budtenders were busy on hand to help roll any recreational products guests brought themselves (NYS law prohibited direct sales to consumers on site during the fest), and local growers got to tease consumers with their cannabis products currently available in legal dispensaries – like Harney Brothers, a branch of the tea company who has been growing marijuana in several greenhouses on their site in Millerton.

Miss it? See the video on the HVNY Instagram and mark your calendar: Cannastock will return this fall with an awards ceremony for New York State’s first-ever Excelsior Cup. Date TBA.