High in the Desert: Cannabis, music and food

Cannabis, music and food are colliding during High in the Desert this 420 at the MSA Annex concert grounds, the first open-consumption cannabis fest in Tucson.

The doors will open at 2:30 p.m. to artists such as famed hip-hop musician Grieves, local six-piece act Desert Fish and reggae headliner Iyaterra, with food overseen by a menagerie of vendors and trucks.

“It’s about crossing different platforms as far as cannabis, food and music goes and sharing those platforms with each other’s followers,” said Louis Franco, co-creator of the event and music industry veteran. “We’ll have 1,200 people open for cannabis consumption.”

Tickets start at $55. The event is as much a ticketed experience for people to get high and have fun as it is for people to network and meet others in the industry, Franco said.

Plus, the samples given away total quite a lot — around $150 to $200 if you hit all the spots, according to him.

“Nothing is for sale in there, everything is sampled,” he said. “Our goal is for cannabis to be the focus, with everything supporting that. It, of course, goes both ways, though, because cannabis and the culture surrounding it lifts its surroundings up.”

The event is the result of Franco getting pulled into the cannabis industry during the pandemic, years after working in the live music industry.

With co-creator Shane Reiser, the owner of Tucson Foodie, he found the perfect match for a new event.

“I wanted to explore the intersection of food and … other things” Reiser said slyly. “Food and cannabis are linked.”

Even if weed isn’t one’s thing, it could be argued that the food at the event alone will provide all one needs, Reiser said.

Additionally, he said there will be open vendors of THC adjacent things such as CBD and merchandise at the grounds for people to enjoy.

VIP tickets include access to stage-side VIP tented area, free food and drinks, and exclusive sponsor gifts.

“We’ve been on a mission. We both had an idea to do an open-consumption festival, which Tucson has never done. We’re trying to tap into our community,” Reiser said. “Tucson is my home. I want to share the things I love with it.”

High in the Desert

WHEN: 2:30 p.m. Thursday, April 20

WHERE: MSA Annex, 267 S. Avenida del Convento, Tucson

COST: Tickets start at $55

INFO: eventbrite.com

This article appears in Apr 13-19, 2023.