Cultivate, a brand new three-day festival celebrating the intersection of music and cannabis culture, made its debut in Chicago with a diverse, multi-genre lineup highlighting the ubiquity of cannabis in various music subcultures.
From hip-hop legends GZA (Wu-Tang Clan), Vic Mensa, The Pharcyde, and Afroman, to reggae and ska acts Julian Marley and Fishbone, to punk, rock, psych, and metal bands Crumb, The Record Company, Andy Frasco & The U.N., Graveyard, Murphy’s Law, Black Lips, Earthless, and Mac Sabbath, the inaugural Cultivate festival had enough variety to please stoners of varying musical tastes, plus an array of food trucks, vendors, and cannabis education resources. Although there was no actual cannabis for sale onsite, the festival provided a local dispensary shuttle for no-hassle nug runs.
Cannabis festivals have been around for years, but Cultivate is part of a new generation of weed-themed music festivals, following the region’s first cannabis-friendly fest, The Miracle In Mundelein, earlier this summer. In addition to bringing artists from different genres together under the banner of cannabis, such festivals offer a possible alternative to the traditional music festival business model, wherein festivals rely in large part on alcohol sales to turn a profit.
As alcohol consumption continues to decline among younger generations, it may be necessary for the industry to turn over a new leaf, so to speak, and events like Cultivate are leading the way in developing a new cannabis-based approach in line with changing drug laws.
Click below to check out fan-shot videos and daily photo galleries from the inaugural Cultivate festival, courtesy of photographer Brett Bergen, below.
Murphy’s Law – Cultivate – The Nursery – Chicago, IL – 8/25/23 [Full Set]
[Video: ween4me1]
Andy Frasco & The U.N. – Cultivate – The Nursery – Chicago, IL – 8/25/23 [Full Set]
[Video: ween4me1]
