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Friday, August 7, 2020
The Spokesm
GRE Seattle Hempfest goes online-only this year By Kate A. Miner
EVERCANNABIS CORRESPONDENT
Hempfest is an annual event that has taken place in Seattle each August since 1991. Founded as a “small gathering of stoners” by Vivian McPeak and Gary Cook, Hempfest has grown into a three-day political rally, concert, and arts and crafts fair, with attendance well over 100,000. This year, however, Hempfest must take a new approach. It’s one that organizers may not have expected but are embracing with the same conviction and fortitude that has made Hempfest one of the world’s largest gatherings to advocate for the decriminalization of marijuana. The organization announced in late May that the 29th iteration of the annual event, originally scheduled for Aug. 14-16, 2020, would move to Oct. 10-11 and also take place completely online. McPeak, the organization’s director, is a peace, social justice, and cannabis rights activist who is committed to working cooperatively with citizens and public officials to accomplish common goals. “When the COVID-19 pandemic surfaced in March, we were not immediately concerned,” Vivian explained. “Our event is in August, and in our naivete we assumed all would be fine by then. But as things progressed it became obvious that there was no way we could safely produce our event in the parks this year. So unfortunately, our event, as we’ve been producing it for the last 28 years, cannot happen.” Just short of three decades of non-stop advocacy, he and other organizers found themselves fighting to salvage the event. “The decision to not hold the event has put the organization in somewhat of a financial crisis. We have financial obligations we are unable to meet, and we have never defaulted on a financial obligation,” he said. “In order to subsist we must meet those obligations, and the best way to do that is for Hempfest to survive – creating alternative revenue streams as fast as we can.” Meeting these obligations will only be possible with the partnership and support
