Chalice Festival expected to draw tens of thousands of cannabis lovers to high desert

VICTORVILLE — More than 45,000 music and cannabis lovers are expected to attend this year’s Chalice Festival when it rolls into the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds.

Back for a third year in the High desert, the three-day “Cannabis, Music and Art Celebration” will begin July 13 and will feature music headliners Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Ludacris, Bassnectar, Sizzla, Curren$y, Pharcyde, Cut Chemist, Thriftworks and more, organizers announced Tuesday.

“With their great music lineup, I think the Chalice Festival organizers will meet their goal of 45,000 visitors,” Fair CEO Geoff Hinds told the Daily Press. “We’ll be ready for Chalice in July, but not before we welcome thousands of guests that will attend the fair in May.”

Dubbed “the Coachella of concentrates” by the San Francisco Chronicle, the Chalice Festival will feature world-renowned street artists, glassblowing workshops, hash makers, glass blowers and plenty of food vendors.

“On-site product vendors will be on hand to take advantage of the post-prohibition reality that legally mashes up recreational cannabis products with the large-scale music festival concept,” a Chalice press release said.

Check out our updated map showing shops licensed to sell recreational cannabis in California.

“In the last five years, Chalice has quickly grown into the world’s largest glass, hash, art and music festival,” organizers said. “The annual party is a summertime powerhouse and a vibrant, must-attend celebration of cannabis culture.”

With the recent arrival of legal, adult-use cannabis in California, and with recreational marijuana sales now allowed inside some state fairgrounds, adult attendees at this year’s Chalice will be able to purchase and consume cannabis onsite.

“This year’s Chalice will make history in several ways. We’ve always been a leader, and we plan to lead by example at Chalice 2018,” event founder Doug Dracup said. “We know all eyes will be on us, and we have no doubt that we will set the bar for the future of legal cannabis and its relationship with music and arts festivals.”

Top glass artists at Chalice are expected to include DWreck, Mothership, JD Maplesden, Mr. Gray and JAG x SALT and graffiti creatives like CBS Crew, Mark Dean Veca and Kenny Scharf, who often perform their craft live.

Last year’s festival drew 35,000 fans, with local eateries reporting brisk sales and hotel rooms sold out across the High Desert.

“With every hotel room sold out within 50 miles and people coming in from all over the country and world, large-scale events like Chalice make a tremendous economic impact on our community,” Hinds said. “Everyone benefits when thousands of people visit the High Desert.”

Entrance to Chalice will be restricted to those ages 21 or over. Tickets are $105-$115 per day or $165 per three-day pass. VIP passes are $165-$185 per day or $325 for a three-day pass. For tickets and more information, visit www. chalicecalifornia.com.

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