Sierra Nevada World Music Festival was back from a five-year hiatus to offer an incredible line-up of music and performances. The festival is held in the beautiful setting of Boonville, a small town in the Southwest region of the Emerald Triangle, in Mendocino County. There are redwood trees, pines, and many other types lining a creek and surrounded by mountains. The main stage has a backdrop of sunny blue skies and clouds on most summer days, with the festival running the weekend of June 16-18, 2023.
One of the premier festivals in Northern California, The Sierra Nevada World Music Festival (SNWMF) celebrates 29 years of bringing world-class acts. The founder, Warren Smith is a self-proclaimed super-fan of Reggae music, and has been organizing festivals since 1993 in California and in Jamaica. The SNWMF has curated performances from legends like Jimmy Cliff, Bunny Wailer, Toots & The Maytals, Damian Marley, Wailing Souls, Black Uhuru, Lee Scratch Perry, Marcia Griffiths, Burning Spear (who returns this year), and Beres Hammond (who also returns this year). More recently, the festival has seen next generation reggae artists like Protoje, who returns this year, and Chronixx, as well as the most recent Grammy winner, Kabaka Pyramid. Top reggae DJs and soundmen including Jah Shaka, Stone Love, Mad Professor and David Rodigan have also been featured participants.
The history of cannabis and Reggae festivals is a rich one, with the plant, culture and cultivators closely connected to the production of festivals in the Emerald Triangle. Many former investors in the festival are also cultivators or connected to the cannabis industry in some way. This source of funding for festivals is not as common as before, and festivals are forced to raise ticket prices and find alternative sponsors, including more alcohol vendors.
Although the business has changed in regard to festivals in the Emerald Triangle, the culture of cannabis at the festivals has only gained momentum. The SNWMF is a camping festival, and the campgrounds are full of cannabis decorations, tools like bongs and dab rigs, and lots and lots of people getting high. Inside the festival clouds come out of the crowds in front of the mainstage, as lasers create colorful designs in the smoke. People are pulling out their pre-rolls or rolling up fatties as the music grooves.
Anthems praising “ganja” and promoting the lifestyle are synonymous with Reggae music, and the artists at SNWMF delivered. Tarrus Riley sang “Herbs Promotion” and Protoje rocked the party with “Weed & Ting”. In the afterhours, also called the “Dancehall” in Jamaica, featured DJs from Jah Warrior Shelter and Warrior Sound International. The Dancehall DJs played into the late night with weed songs in genres including Dub, Dancehall, Oldschool, and Roots.
The culture of cannabis is celebrated at the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival. It has a long history of being deeply connected with the Emerald Triangle and will continue to grow as the festival expands and cannabis access expands along with it. Visit the website to learn more about this year’s festival, and stay up to date about next year: https://www.snwmf.com/
