The Weedkend Cup 2017 in Gijón, Spain

The Weedkend 2017

This summer, one of Spain?s greenest corners became a shade greener when last weekend, on the 10th June and for the third consecutive year, the beautiful seaside town of Gijón hosted The Weedkend 2017 (previously Asturcannabis), a diverse and popular cannabis event, expo and competition.

Set on the Bay of Biscay in the north of Spain, and backed by the green mountains of the Picos de Europa, this part of the principality of Asturias is famed for cider, beef, powerful blue cheese (of the dairy variety!) and its spectacularly wild coastline. It was here in 2014 that a group of young cannabis enthusiasts decided to take their love for the plant one step further, become activists and form their own cannabis association. Thus CISCA (Cannabis Interior Social Club Astur) was created with the aim of representing user?s rights, responsibly educating about the benefits of cannabis, and working towards political and legislative change normalising its use within their community, whether medicinal or recreational.

After travelling to all corners of Spain visiting various events large and small, the team at CISCA were inspired by the energy of the national scene and decided to organise their first cannabis competition, Asturcannabis in 2015. The event was relatively small but even so, the reception was overwhelmingly positive and the attendance far exceeded expectations! This meant things had to expand for the second year?s event in 2016 when the team decided to rename it as The Weedkend, and this year things have become even bigger and better organised, drawing more attendees and exhibitors from across the country and a wide range of education, activism, debate, entertainment and celebration!

This year, as in previous years, the events of the Weedkend took place at El Jardin (The Garden) nightclub, situated in a quiet, leafy suburb to the east of Gijón. It?s the perfect venue for this kind of event, with ample exterior space on the multi-level patio as well as plenty of indoor space with room to carry out the diverse activities planned throughout the day.

Throughout the day, the patio area was busy and populated with stands from a wide range of exhibitors from within the cannabis sector, with strong representation from Spanish seedbanks and growshops as well as stands from international companies like BioTabs and Powder Feeding by Greenhouse Seeds, where attendees had the opportunity to discover new products and consult the experts. Pleasantly shaded by palm trees for most of the scorching hot day, the patio was also the scene for a wide range of cultural activities over the course of the day, from Graffiti artists spraying live on the stage, to Breakdancers giving a demonstration of their skills, to a theatre show with puppets and much more!

Among the various stands and displays an area, sponsored by Delicious Seeds, was set aside for the use of cannabis associations to encourage discussion, debate and education around the themes of activism, cannabis use, rights and legalisation, with a 'Tu Papel Importa' (Your Paper Counts) stand dedicated to collecting signatures for an IPL (Popular Legislative Initiative) pushing for the regulation of cannabis clubs and associations in Spain. In addition to this, the indoor areas hosted more activities dealing with the themes of cultivation, legislation and regulations, such as a debate/discussion between representatives of some of the main political parties and activists, a lecture from cannabis law specialists S&F Abogados talking about the legal status of cannabis in Spain and a talk about the beneficial properties of worm humus by local producers Asturhumus.

Apart from the more serious side of things, there was no shortage of other fun activities to see and do: attendees were able to ride a mechanical bull courtesy of HortiTec; have a caricature painted by Caricaturas Leafar; see a demonstration of cannabis molecular cookery from the experts at Geabiopharma (who also created the spectacular trophies for the competition) and sample the delicious results; try a cannabis cocktail and also see live solventless cannabis extractions carried out by Kathmandú Grow with a hydraulic rosin press.

As the day wore on and the evening came, temperatures dropped a little and the music began, starting with the Reggae Party, with live performances from Ital Erik & Señor R (Delicious Seeds) and a DJ session from Barbass Sound.

Midway through the evening, the music stopped for just long enough to stage the prize-giving for this, the third Weedkend Cup, with five categories judged by the public, the participants and a panel of expert judges. The awards were presented by special celebrity guest Antonio Velázquez aka ?El Zurdo? from the successful Spanish stoner web-series Malviviendo.

After the awards were all presented and the celebrations were over, the party started up again with an vibrant concert by Little Pepe & DJ Mecks playing a superb blend of Reggae and Hip Hop to the crowd?s delight, with the sounds continuing until the early morning with the WeedkenDJ?s hosting a techno/house party with sets from the best local DJs: Nass, Alberto Palacios, G.I.L.L.U. & Eulogio.

This year's The Weedkend was once again a great, professionally organised event for both attendees and the exhibitors, CISCA have created something truly special for the north of Spain, many thanks to all the team for their hard work, we?re already looking forward to visiting Gijón again next year!

Cup Results Weedkend 2017:

Outdoor:

1. Critical Somango (Euskannabis Seeds) ? Euskannabis
2. OG KUSH x SFV ? SantYerbasi Valladolid
3. Girl Scout Cookies (Blimburn Seeds) - Euskannabis

Indoor:

1. Critical Mass ? Mario (Grow Up Store)
2. Claustrum (Positronics Seeds) ? Tosty (La OVA C.S.C.)
3. Petrol OG ? Rubén

BHO/Rosin:

1. Desconocida Kush ? Delicious Seeds
2. Asian Dreams (Farandula Seeds) ? Ieltxu (Moñigolandia Grow Shop)
3. Hostia Puta ? Rubén (Terra Grow Shop)

Hash:

1. Jack Diesel (Positronics Seeds) ? Juan Presa (Kathmandú Grow Shop)
2. Mr. Eiden Mass ? Mr. Hide Seeds
3. Grapefruit Kush (Zen Seeds) ? The English Cut

Interior Professional:

1. Mediterranean Winds ? Hidden Breeder
2. Moby Dick (Dinafem) ? White Rabbit Grow Shop
3. Aloha (Farandula Seeds) ? Los 5 Sentidos

Best Product:

1. Cannabis Nectar Extracts -  Geabiopharma