Rooted in the rugged mountains of the world-famous Emerald Triangle in Northern California, the Emerald Cup proudly continues an 18-year tradition of celebrating the cannabis plant, the culture surrounding it, and the farmers who bring it to harvest each year with the iconic Emerald Cup Awards and now the Emerald Cup Harvest Ball.

The California cannabis market is the largest and most diverse on the planet and the Emerald Cup has long stood as the premier competition, celebration, and direct-to-consumer marketplace for the best that Cali has to offer.

In response to years of valued feedback from Emerald Cup participants, 2021 will offer the first of its kind Emerald Cup Harvest Ball in Santa Rosa on December 11th & 12th at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds.

The Emerald Cup Harvest Ball will have the same welcoming, grassroots vibe from past Emerald Cup events including two stages of chart-topping musical acts, in-depth ‘Emerald Sessions’ panel discussions with cultural thought leaders, delicious health-conscious food and beverage vendors, indoor and outdoor consumption lounges, VIP experiences, and of course, our full spectrum marketplace that provides full access to the fall’s fresh cannabis harvest, a wide array of top-shelf genetics, an unrivaled collection of heritage and new-gen products, and face-to-face interaction with the folks behind the most highly sought-after cannabis brands in California.

A 2-day post-harvest “afterparty”, the Emerald Cup Harvest Ball also serves as the first stop on the road to the Emerald Cup Awards which will take place in 2022 in Southern California.

Our reasons for changing up the December tradition for the competition are two-fold:

1. By pushing the intake date and the competition itself back on the calendar, farmers will have more time to properly harvest their outdoor cannabis crops, giving them ample time to dry and cure their samples before entering them. This is a direct result of feedback in action – we hear you.

2. Since the Emerald Cup’s roots run so deeply in the cannabis culture, everyone from CEOs to connoisseurs are keeping a close eye on which brands and products take home Emerald Cup Awards. With the stakes higher than ever, this new timeline allows us to be more deliberative in the testing and judging processes, ensuring a fair and accurate competition.

Today, the Emerald Cup Awards stands as a fan-favorite aspect of our events and offers an air of legitimacy to the award winners that is lacking in the culture and the industry.

The Emerald Cup began as a friendly contest and has always been a reflection of societal acceptance of the cannabis plant.

From the early years of low-key, insider-only competitions where many farmers still concealed their identities for fear of prosecution, to the epicenter of loud and proud cannabis culture it has become today, the Emerald Cup remains a steward of authenticity, a celebration of the farmer and the harvest, and a destination for all those who seek the finer things in life.