Harvest Ball 2021 : Preview to the Emerald Cup

The first ever Harvest Ball, a celebration of this year's cannabis harvest, will be held on the weekend of December 11th and 12th. Written by Tom Searcy.

The Sonoma County Fairgrounds is a mecca for the best of cannabis events in California. Both the Emerald Cup and Hall of Flowers are held at this venue, and it has become home to California’s cannabis family. This year the Emerald Cup will be replaced with the first ever Harvest Ball, a celebration of this year’s cannabis harvest. This event will be a 2-day celebration of cultivators and crafters of cannabis held on the weekend of December 11th and 12th.

The Emerald Cup is a state sanctioned cannabis competition and awards event. This event will see farmers large and small enter their cannabis flower and products into a judged competition. Winners will be announced on the second day of the competition. Those that win will take home a coveted Emerald Cup and their product will be sought after by consumers across the state because of their prestigious award. This competition truly showcases the California cannabis farmer and is open to all licensed cultivators and brands.

The 2021 Harvest Ball is sponsored by some big industry names including Cookies, Puffco , Compound Genetics, and the Humboldt Seed Company. Puffco, fresh off of their ultra-successful Puffcon event in early October, will be sponsoring the Grace Pavilion area.

This year the Harvest Ball will feature live music from Big Wild , Trevor Hall , and many more. Attendees can also expect the World Famous Emerald Cup Cannabis Marketplace to be in full swing. Many brands will be selling a large selection of the best flower and products the state has to offer, some of which are exclusive to this event, while others are debuting for the first time.

Along with the large array of products, participants can also expect an array of panel discussions with topics ranging from the New Wave of Psychedelics, Cannabis Under the Covers, Hip-Hop History, the War on Drugs and more.

The Harvest Ball is being held in response to input from participants of the Emerald Cup in years past. The event will be a jump-off point, and the first stop on the road to the Emerald Cup in Southern California, to be held in the Spring of 2022.

By pushing back the intake date, this allows farmers ample time to properly dry, cure and prepare their incredible cannabis flower for entry. It also allows testing facilities to run thorough tests without a time crunch, making sure the high stakes of the entries are not jeopardized.

Many CEOs will be present to make their decisions about the coming year’s purchases based on which brands and products take home an Emerald Cup award. Giving competitors and testing labs more time means a more meticulous and calculated testing process, which in turn will ensure a fair competition.

Categories for the Emerald Cup competition this year include Best Flower, Cartridges, CBD, Edible, Solventless, and the Breeders Cup. With each category broken into many subcategories, the diversity and uniqueness of all types of cannabis processing is comprehensively represented throughout the competition. The Harvest Ball will arguably be showcasing the best products made by the most renowned farmers in the world. The competition will showcase over 600 entries in over 40 categories along with a direct to consumer marketplace, making this the most unique and diverse cannabis competition in the world!