Lighting Up the Strip: How Cannabis Competitions Thrive in Sin City
Las Vegas has become a natural home for “Cannabis Cup”–style competitions—where brands chase trophies and consumers help pick them—thanks to a mix of entertainment savvy, tribal innovation, and evolving state rules. The most recognizable banner is the High Times Cannabis Cup, which now runs in Nevada largely as a People’s Choice edition. Instead of a single mega-expo, licensed brands submit entries, and adult consumers buy judge kits from participating dispensaries, sample at home, and score products across categories like flower, pre-rolls, vapes, concentrates, and edibles. High Times sets kit formats and pricing and tallies the public’s scores to crown winners, keeping the contest consumer-driven and statewide.
Vegas’s Cannabis Cup story also has a colorful early chapter. The first modern Las Vegas–area High Times weekend took place March 4–5, 2017, at the Moapa River Indian Reservation, pairing concerts and exhibitors with competition. Day two, however, was canceled for safety amid 40–60 mph winds—an infamous weather twist that still gets referenced when people recall Vegas’s first big Cup weekend.
By 2019, organizers leaned into a pivotal Las Vegas partner: the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe. That December, High Times hosted a Nevada Cannabis Cup at the Tribe’s Vegas Tasting Room—then the only legal public consumption venue within Las Vegas city limits—showing how tribal venues helped bridge the gap before state-licensed lounges came online.
Running alongside the High Times competition is a homegrown festival with its own loyal following: the NuWu Cannabis Cup, produced by the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe at the NuWu Cannabis Marketplace campus just north of downtown. Staged in the outdoor NuWu Courtyard, the event combines live entertainment with blind judging and a multi-category awards ceremony. The 5th Annual NuWu Cup took place October 18, 2025, and the Tribe published winners shortly after—evidence of how quickly the festival has matured into a marquee showcase for Nevada brands.
If you hear locals talk about a “Cannabis Cup” weekend in Vegas, they might mean one of several complementary experiences: (1) High Times’ People’s Choice program where you participate by purchasing a judge kit; (2) NuWu’s festival-style awards on tribal land with legal on-site consumption; or (3) community award galas such as the Nevada Cannabis Awards Music Festival, which celebrates industry contributors (though without on-site sales or consumption). Together, these events reflect Vegas’s entertainment DNA while giving brands public feedback and visibility.
A quick rules primer helps first-timers. Nevada permits adult-use possession, but public consumption is restricted; that’s why tribal venues—and, more recently, state-licensed consumption lounges—are so central to the experience. Nevada issued the first state license after inspection in February 2024 to Smoke and Mirrors by Thrive Cannabis Marketplace, opening the door to a new hospitality category. The lounge debuted with THC mocktails and a curated atmosphere, signaling how Las Vegas aims to distinguish itself from other markets.
The lounge scene is still in motion. In April 2025, Smoke and Mirrors shuttered, leaving Planet 13’s DAZED! as the remaining open state-licensed venue at that time, while the Tribe’s Sky High Lounge continues under tribal oversight rather than the state Cannabis Compliance Board. Expect ID checks, no alcohol where state rules apply, and evolving programming as operators test what resonates with locals and tourists.
Bottom line: in Las Vegas, “Cannabis Cup” is both a competition and a culture—part consumer-judged showcase, part festival, all wrapped in the city’s flair for spectacle. Whether you’re buying a judge kit, cheering winners in the NuWu Courtyard, or sampling lounge-crafted THC beverages, Vegas offers multiple, legal ways to experience what’s best in the Silver State.