Hello, I'm new around here, and am not sure this is the right place to ask this, so I apologize in advance for my naïveté. I'm going to the Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam for the first time in a couple weeks, and I'm not really sure why I would buy a ticket. I can't seem to find any specific information on what a ticket gets you. Are the competing shops only open for people with tickets? Can I only get a map of competitors if I have a ticket? I'm not really interested in any music or smoking events, I just want to enjoy myself in Amsterdam and am hoping the festival being there at the same time will mean some extra excitement in the air. Has anyone here ever bought a ticket? What did it get you? Do you think it was worth it? PS - I did try searching for this information before coming here. Thanks in advance!
@gus_cucamunga Haven't been to that specific one but I can tell what the 3 in California I've attended were like. The Ticket get you in. Simple as that, can't get in without one. Now since the ticket wasn't cheap $80.00 USD you sample every free hit at every booth you pass. Every 2nd or 3rd booth has from 1 to 6 bongs and dab rigs set up and pretty young things to assist you in getting a hit. Most shops will have egg mouth pieces you can buy so your not kissing every bong you hit. It's just a soft rubber egg with a hole in it. Edibles and weed and hash and HUGE sheets of shatter-BHO at nearly every booth. Seed sellers. Equipment sellers. Clones. In short it'll have everything from seeds to BHO vacuum ovens for sale. The sheer volume was quite overwhelming. I'd go again just because. We'll have more festivals come spring here and I'll attend a couple for sure just for the fun of it all even if I'm old and can't stand the music. Surprising number of us really old folk will be found at them too, You'll find us huddled around the only booth playing 60s Rock and Roll. This will be the first year you won't need a medical card to get in so it should be bigger then ever. BNW
Thanks for your response! Now, again, I may be showing my ignorance, but I had pictured the one in Amsterdam taking place at different coffee shops rather than in one area with a bunch of booths. On the High Times website, there's so little information about the event, and it's less than two weeks away. It just mentions crawls, evening events and the opportunity to vote for the winners. It doesn't list any more details about the competitors, an area or place this is all going to happen, or really anything. Maybe I just have to wait a little for them to post more details, but you would think this is like the 4th of July or New Year's Eve celebration for the different Cannabis Cups around the world.
4th of july is not world wide...but I hear what your saying. Amsterdam is a fun place, try to stay on the canal near the red light district if you can. Its then walking distance to everything and the barges often have their own bar.
Thanks for the advice! I guess the 4th of July was a bad example. I know it's just an American thing, I was just trying to say that the Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam is like their biggest event of the year, you'd think they would have very detailed information about a schedule and what you get with a ticket. There is a little more info there, and it sounds like the majority of the festival will take place at a particular coffee shop, and a ticket just gets you admission to after-parties and the chance to vote. I'm not too interested in that, I was mostly just hoping to find a map or list of the coffee shops competing this year. I'm really just interested in checking out the coffee shops and enjoying walking around the beautiful city.
I think it gets you certain amount of samples to try out for voting. And some gift bag stuff. I could be wrong. Thought I heard that about the Amsterdam one. You do have to travel to different shops. I think ticket includes samples at shops that are entering.
I see. That makes more sense about the ticket. I may get a one day pass to check it out. I'm interested in all of the above as well as peyote, which I've heard may be available here and there. However, everything I read says that you can't just buy it and eat it, that you have to do something to make it "edible" or usable. However, I've been unable to find any directions that describe what you need to do. I'm renting a studio through Airbnb, so I'll have a kitchen/microwave/stove/etc if I need to do something to it, but I can't find out what that is. Anyone have experience with peyote that could at least say "you gotta boil it" or "you need to cut off the thorns"? I can take it from there. To everyone: Thanks for the advice and encouragement! I'm really getting excited for this trip.
The major train station used to have free live music on Sunday afternoons out the front. Great spot to chill. I'm not sure if they still do as its been many years since I was there.
Purchasing a ticket registers you as a judge in the amsterdam event. It gets you access to try the buds that are up for judging. The weed is not included in ticket price and not free in all places only a few will let you sample for free. Its usually held in a number of locations i.e each coffee shop entering a strain would require you to go to their shop to try. At least thats how it used to be.
Thanks onthemooch! That makes sense. I don't think I'll buy a ticket. One last, quick question though: can people without a ticket still walk in to a shop that's competing. Not to vote or anything, but just as a normal customer? And to everyone: is there anything not pot-related that you think is important or essential to see? I've gone through the Lonely Planet and chose a ton of stuff, but I'm curious if there's stuff "off the beaten path" that people think is really great to see there. When I got my ticket, I didn't think of the weather, I didn't realize how cold it'll be, but I'm in Chicago, so I'm sure I can handle it. I'm just thinking about the amount of rain and sunshine and how that'll effect where I go and what I do. Any suggestions for food would also be greatly appreciated. I marked a bunch of places, but if anyone has a place they particularly like… This forum has been great! I really appreciate everyone's input/advice
I'm not sure of they still do them but there was free to use bicycles scattered around the place. This is a great way to ride along the canals and get about.
Howdy brother! Amsterdam is a beautiful place with super friendly folks. It's been some years since I've been but these are the highlights of our trips. Last time we were there we had an overnight flight and rolled into Centraal Station about 6 in the morning, they have a place where you can store your luggage so you don't have to drag it around all day waiting to check in to your lodging. Highly recommend this, think it was like 15 Euro for our bags. Being so early when we'd arrived the city was completely dead, nothing open at all. Started walking around and found a coffee shop that had just opened-they open at 7 and are just around the corner from Centraal. The name was Prix D'ami. Nice chill spot. Honestly the bud tender/coffee girl was a bit cold/rude but the coffee was very good and fresh squeezed OJ was on point. Got a gram of Chocolope and smoked a big doobie. Got into a conversation with an acting troupe (that's what they called themselves) who were getting baaaaaaaaked before a train to Germany. They gave us two half grams they didn't want to risk on the train and stumbled out into the city. Around the corner from Anne Franks house is a little pancake restaurant-easy to miss, down some stairs-that was insanely good. I had bacon and eggs pancakes and the wife got strawberry and cream...I will remember those pancakes for the rest of my life! Favorite coffee shop was Katsu. Nice chill shop that makes you feel like a local. Good weed. We had an apartment outside of the city center and every evening on our way home we'd stop at the Taj Windmill brewery. Fucking excellent beer and very friendly folks. The Van Gogh museum is great, go early before it gets too crowded. Wear comfortable shoes as the city is very walkable. Keep an eye out for those bikes...they are practically silent and have the right of way. Have a great trip!
Hey OP, I live in Amsterdam from time to time, and there's basically a "Cannabis Cup" going on 24/7, 365. Whether you get a ticket for it, or don't, or just show up on a regular day in a regular street, you'll have plen-ty of opportunities of testing out dozens of strains fairly cheaply (compared to US prices). The actual Cannabis Cup may be a set event, but you definitely do not have to show up during that , to have access to all the herby goodness Amsterdam has to offer. That is available to you any day. As far as other substances goes, that is available as well, but cannot be publicly discussed here in the forums. Feel free to message me if you want more info.
What part of Amsterdam do you recommend for those kind of gathering? I have family in Germany, and want to visit them soon, all while seeing those places too! Haha
After going on the trip, I would have to say that I was not at all interested in joining in on the Cannabis Cup. You got access to some really lame music shows, and the coffee shops that were on their itinerary were definitely filled with enough rock heads or frat guys to make me leave for a quieter location. The pot was excellent everywhere, and there are tons of great coffee shops with much better vibes that I don’t regret not getting a ticket all. Unless you’re looking for rowdiness and looking like the stereotypical “filthy American,” I would just enjoy the beautiful city by foot, and go in to whatever place draws you. Usually, we would go in to a shop, smoke a joint and have a hot chocolate, then head back out to see something amazing, so paying a lot of money, and just seeing a million coffee shops would really be a waste of witnessing a remarkable city. I was really struck by how much their culture practices what we preach. The people are proud of the community they’ve built, and we could learn a lot from them. And I’m not just referring to legalizing drugs. Go there! You will see what I mean.