Somerset Festival Cherish Cannabis Culture with Cypress Hill hip hop concert

Sponsored by a local marijuana dispensary Solar Therapeutic, the two-day festivity hosted a VIP awards ceremony Friday and continued Saturday with a music program. Hip hop legends Cypress Hill were the highlight of the second day. Method Man & Redman also appeared as performers. 

As the festival drew crowds from all around, Somerset hotels were said to be fully booked over the weekend. Attendees said it was great to see a cannabis event taking place somewhere outside Boston. 

Besides concerts, the main drew of the event was vendors and dispensaries from across Massachusetts and other states, who set up their tents at a clearing near one of Somerset's local dispensaries. 

"For us, this is our culture. We're all different, but we love the plant," said Krystal Rivera, the packaging lead from cannabis grower Bountiful Farms, the company which won Best Overall in the cultivator's competition with their strain Piña Grande. Bountiful Farms runs a shop in the town of Natick, Middlesex County. 

One festival attendee, Izzy Rock, drove along with his partner Rosie Juritsch from New York City to attend the music part of the festival. He said it would be great to see the event return next year, The Herald News reported.

"I really hope they keep this going," he said, a sentiment also shared by other attendees and vendors.

Rock said Cypress Hill and Method Man & Redman were the perfect choice of musical acts to represent cannabis culture.

"They couldn't have picked better artists," he said. "Except maybe Snoop Dog or Willie Nelson."

Brad Flight of Somerville told the Herald the festival was a sign that the cannabis industry was becoming more successful. The Somerville man said not many people understood the full scope of the law, nor did they attempt using cannabis when it was initially legalized in Massachusetts, in 2016. He said now there's more acceptance around the use of marijuana. 

"It's nice to see cannabis events outside of Boston, especially as we see a better understanding of legalization and what it means," he said.

Danielle Miller, a marketing associate for Pittsfield-based dispensary Berkshire Roots, told the Herald the event was an opportunity for those who are part of the industry to network together. Her company presented gummies edibles at the event. 

"It's been nice to connect with the cannabis community from all over," she said.

While Friday's VIP event was expected to attract around 500 people, Saturday's music festival permitted up to 2,000 people. Both the cup and the concerts were held outdoors and followed protocols to protect against the spread of covid-19. 

Alcohol was served during the event, and dispensaries gave away THC-free goodies to attendees. 

Hopefully, see you in Somerset next year!