Sunday, April 20 — aka 4/20 — is known to many as the annual day for celebrating cannabis and hemp culture. Xpress joins the party this year with the paper’s first dedicated roundup of local hemp and cannabis news and events.
WagWorld HempFest
True to its name, WagWorld Pub in Fletcher is a dog-friendly bar with its own 1-acre, off-leash dog park. But canine companions will have to stay home for WagWorld’s inaugural HempFest event, Friday-Sunday, April 18-20.
Also limited to a 21-and-older crowd, the event serves as the grand opening party for WagWorld’s new Zen Den Holistic Lounge, a social spot offering cannabis-, kratom- and kava-infused drinks, plus nonalcoholic beers and seltzers, coffees, teas and its own Wag Garden dog play area.
The weekend’s focus is on hemp-related health and wellness, says owner Akasha Nickolas. “At WagWorld we believe cannabis is a gift from Mother Earth. The amazing medicinal effects of the entire plant should be celebrated, not villainized.”
The HempFest schedule is packed with live musical performances, food trucks, hemp-related wellness sessions and fun activities — Stoner Olympics, an adult Easter egg hunt and Stoner TerraOke (described as “elevated karaoke”) are all on the agenda.
“We are more than a dog bar; we are also an event center. We are also a growing community of like-minded, dog-loving and open-minded individuals,” says Nickolas. “This is a safe place for our welcoming community.”
Admission prices range from $7 for a single day to $50 for an Ultimate Pass that includes full festival admission, an alternative beverage flight and WagWorld Starter Kit with cannabis pre-roll and other goodies. WagWorld Pub is at 21 Redmond Drive, Fletcher. For more information, visit avl.mx/eph.
Second Breakfast Club and 420 pizza
Chefs Katherine and Griffin Riffe readily admit to being huge nerds. In fact, it was a conversation about the importance of food in fantasy novels that spurred the idea for the next event for their cannabis-infused fine-dining business, Infuso.
On Sunday, April 20, 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Infuso will partner with Hygge Market grocery and craft store to host Second Breakfast Club, a brunch buffet with microinfused dishes (less than 5 mg of cannabis per item) inspired by The Lord of the Rings.
“If all goes well, we plan to do more of these, exploring the culinary arts of other fantasy worlds,” says Griffin, noting possible Harry Potter and A Game of Thrones themes meals to come.
Hygge Market is at 188 Coxe Ave. Tickets are $80 plus taxes and fees. Learn more and make reservations at avl.mx/epi.
Infuso is also partnering through the end of April with Asheville Pizza South chef Drew Peterson to offer the Take and “Bake” frozen pizza. Made to be reheated at home in a 400-degree oven, the pie has a THC-infused sundried tomato pesto base, Hickory Nut Gap Farm hot soppressata, fresh mozzarella, chili-infused raw honey and fresh parmesan cheese.
Each pizza contains 25 mg of whole-plant, hemp-derived cannabis extract. It’s also available without THC upon request. Take and “Bake” is for ages 21 and older only, must be ordered by phone (not online) and is for pickup only. Find out more at avl.mx/epj.
Asheville Cannabis Tours
Food writer and restaurant tour guide Stu Helm knows a lot about the Asheville food scene, but he’s also a big fan of the city’s weed culture. Along with the food tours he offers through his Stu Helm Food Fan website and social media platforms, he organizes tours of local cannabis dispensaries.
Though his Easter 4/20 Asheville food and smoke tour is already sold out, he offers monthly walking tours of Asheville’s legal weed scene that include visits to up to seven dispensaries plus smokable and edible products, take-home treats and more. Helm is also available for private tours that include both restaurants and dispensaries.
To learn about Asheville Cannabis Tours, email Helm at stuhelmAVL@gmail.com or subscribe to his Substack newsletter at avl.mx/epl.
