Hempfest in Seattle
For three days in August, hundreds of thousands of people will descend on Myrtle Edwards and Centennial Parks on Seattle’s waterfront for the 23rd annual Hempfest, traditionally the largest annual gathering of pro-cannabis supporters in the world. This year, 2014, the first legal cannabis stores opened in Washington State, making this another hallmark year in the journey to re-legalizing hemp nation-wide. What started out as a “humble gathering of stoners” in 1991, conceived during a peace vigil in opposition of the first Gulf War and attracting a crowd of about 500 people, has grown to a world-renowned 3 day “protestival” celebrating human rights, equality, freedom, and of course, cannabis. Spanning 1.3 miles, two public parks, six stages, and more than 300 vendors and being staffed by over 1,000 volunteers, Hempfest isn’t just the largest annual pro-pot rally in the world — it is also one of the largest special…