The twenty-sixth Annual Moscow Hemp Fest will be on Saturday, April 15 from 10 a.m.-7:00 p.m. at East City Park. There will be seven musical acts, plus DJs, playing throughout the day. In addition, there will be over 30 local craft vendors plus food from local sources.
The Moscow Hemp Fest has its roots at the University of Idaho. It started in 1996 when a student group formed to promote industrial hemp. They decided to hold a Hemp Fest during UI moms weekend, especially since there were so many activities at Washington State University for moms weekend!
They decided to create a festival with music and an information platform to create awareness about hemp and its positive uses when anything cannabis was highly stigmatized, especially in Idaho!
Fast forward to 2023, most people have a better understanding of why the medical marijuana movement is important, but here in Idaho we still have to convince our legislators that decriminalizing and legalizing medical marijuana is the way to go.
To that end, we have a new petition that needs over 50,000 signatures statewide and the Moscow Hemp Fest is a great place to inform the public about how we can use our powers as citizens to make changes to the law. It would be great to see students not only sign the petition but get more involved in the process of making change!
Musical acts featured at the event include Andru Gomez and Will Fontaine, both local singer songwriters with mellow Americana music. Gramma Jam, a new band led by Garrett Clevinger of Moscow, will also be in attendance.
General Mojo’s, an alternative rock band from Seattle will also be joining us, as well as Los Mal Hablados of Portland, formerly from Pullman and led by Eric Molina Snacks at Midnight, a high energy rock and roll band from Spokane, will also grace the stage before local band Solid Ghost, led by Jamyz Dence, ends the show with their soulful rock and blues.
Food vendors include Sushi Man, Marianas Tamales and the Battleground Food Truck, plus a new food truck from Clarkston.
The Hemp Fest is a great place to get facts about medical marijuana but also enjoy a springtime community celebration. It’s been a solid tradition to attend the Hemp Fest with moms when this first began. But without any older students to follow in the footsteps of the past, I’m hoping new students will venture out into the community and enjoy what we have to offer!
For more information, go to the Moscow Hemp Fest Facebook page or www.moscowhempfest.com.
Music Schedule:
Andru Gomez 10:30-11:15 a.m.
Will Fontaine 11:30-12:00 p.m.
Gramma Jan 12:15-1:00 p.m.
General Mojo’s 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Los Mal Hablados 3:00-4:00 p.m.
Snacks at Midnight 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Solid Ghost 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Arlene Falcon is the organizer of Moscow Hemp Fest and owner of Tye Dye Everything.
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