Photo credit: Dennis Brennan
What began as a smoke-in at the Wisconsin State Capitol has now become the non-profit organization known as The Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival. In the last decade, Wisconsin residents have watched as more and more states began to legalize both medical and recreational cannabis. The goal of the organization, other than the legalization of cannabis, is to advocate for the health and safety of both medical and recreational cannabis users. As it’s still illegal in Wisconsin, cannabis consumer advocacy is just as important as cannabis legalization.
The Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival is the longest-running cannabis legalization rally in the country. This year, it’s celebrating its 49th anniversary, as well as the second hemp harvest in Wisconsin’s history in more than half a century. The 49th annual Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival begins with an official kick-off party at Bos Meadery (849 E. Washington Ave., Madison, Wis.) on Friday, Oct. 4, from 6 to 10 p.m.
The event continues on Saturday, Oct. 5, and Sunday, Oct. 6, at the 700 and 800 blocks of State Street in Madison with a march to the capitol building (2 E. Main St.) and a rally at the capitol steps on Sunday starting at 3:30 p.m. The event features speakers not only from Wisconsin but from across the nation, ranging from hemp farmers to state representatives, as well as an array of live music and a wide variety of vendors.
This nearly 50-year-old festival started as a protest at the Wisconsin State Capitol rotunda against cannabis-related arrests of legalization activists in the 1970s. It steadily grew from there and led to the establishment of what is known today as the Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival. The festival started as a collective of volunteers, and in the ’80s started to include live music and the march to the capitol to rally for cannabis legalization. The event has continued to rise in popularity and attendance over the decades; indeed, rallies have counted some tens of thousands of people.
For more information—including a complete list of vendors, bands and DJs, speakers, sponsors, directions and how you can get involved—visit greatmidwestharvestfestival.com.
