In just a few short years, Revelry NYC has become the cannabis event where New York’s culture, commerce, and community converge. This year, it’s taking over Pier 36 in Manhattan on September 12–13, 2025, and according to co-founder Lulu Tsui, it’s bigger, more inclusive, and more dialed-in than ever.

As the Chief Experience Officer for On The Revel, Tsui has spent years designing events that bridge the gap between New York’s rapidly evolving cannabis industry and the community that sustains it.

“We create spaces, trade shows, events, and industry nights specifically for the cannabis industry,” Tsui told me. “To gather good people who are working in the industry, interested in the industry, and who want to support the community.”

Lulu’s story starts far from the Manhattan waterfront. Her family immigrated from northern China to Eugene, Oregon, in the late 1970s, a place she describes as “a little hippie college town that hasn’t changed since the ’60s.”

The people who helped her family adjust to life in America were cannabis growers and distributors. “I was just raised by aunties and uncles that had a very different viewpoint towards cannabis and psychedelics,” she said. This was in stark contrast to her “super hardcore communist dragon” parents, who, like many Chinese immigrants, were hesitant and still saw cannabis simply as “drugs.”

That early exposure shaped her belief that “community and how you talk about it, how you work with it, can change hearts and minds in such a huge way.”

Her first cannabis experience came at 13, facilitated by her aunt, followed by an equally intentional introduction to psychedelics from her uncle. “It’s not a taboo thing. It’s not a scary thing. It’s a healing thing.”

Photo: Angie Vasquez

Designing Experiences Like No One Else

Tsui and her co-founder, Jacobi Holland, approach event production like UX designers. “We’re the most annoying group to work with because we talk through the flow for every interaction,” she laughed. “From sponsors and exhibitors to attendees and speakers, we design based on what people need.”

They also have the rare advantage of having worked as operators themselves, Tsui in the Washington State market, Holland in Colorado, bringing firsthand understanding to every decision. “Would you have a shoe designer design a shoe if they’ve never worn shoes before?” she asked. “We know the challenges operators face.”

The team behind Revelry reads like a cross-disciplinary dream roster:

• Jason Starr, a human rights lawyer and co-author of New York’s MRTA legalization bill.
• Peter Marcato, neuroscientist and head of community and content.
• Gerald Dean, a veteran of sales and trade show production.
• Saki Fenderson, producer, activist, and longtime community organizer.
• Delilah Ware is, fresh graduate of LIM College’s Cannabis Program.

Photo: Erica Harris

For Tsui, diversity goes beyond surface appearances. “Diversity is your personal background, education, life story, religion, all of those things. We have multi-dimensional humans who all believe in being of service.”

From a Gym Basement to Pier 36

Revelry’s first trade show took place in early 2023 in the basement of a gym. Even then, the formula clicked: 60 exhibitors, 44 of the state’s 60 licensed dispensaries, and a lot of handshakes.

Now, with their sixth trade show approaching, the scale has exploded. This year’s Buyers’ Club will feature 200+ legal New York cannabis brands and over 400 retailers.

“We’re calling it the New York Hunger Games,” Tsui joked. “There’s always chaos in the headlines, but what we’re trying to do is highlight the people who are still pushing forward as best as they can.”

A Lineup as Bold as the City Itself

This year’s Revelry Festival stage is stacked with talent that embodies New York’s unmatched cultural energy. Black Thought brings lyrical mastery, while Angel & Dren infuse the waterfront with their genre-bending DJ sets. Phony Ppl will deliver their signature blend of soul, R&B, and hip-hop, joined by the culinary creativity of Chef Nikki and the Latin-inspired sounds of Dos Flakos. Scottie Beam takes the mic for a keynote conversation, and Eagle Witt brings the laughs with his sharp comedic edge.

It’s a lineup that reflects exactly what Revelry stands for: the seamless blend of serious industry connections with the art, music, and flavor that make New York a global icon.

Building on the success of May 2025’s Buyers’ Club, which drew 1,800+ attendees and connected 300+ buyers with 160+ brands, this September’s festival is set to further cement New York’s role as a cannabis powerhouse.

Two Days, Two Experiences

Day 1 – Friday, Sept. 12: Industry-Only Buyers’ Club

This is all about business. “Ninety percent of our attendees are buyers,” Tsui explained. “You’re talking to the decision makers who can give you a purchase order or become a hot lead.”

Day 2 – Saturday, Sept. 13: Revelry Festival

When the doors open to the public, the vibe shifts from trade show floor to full-blown cultural celebration. Music, food, live art, and consumer education panels set the tone for a uniquely New York experience.

This year’s programming includes:

• Consumer Education & “Keeping It Real” Brand-Building panels
• OG New York Legacy Strain Stories
• A Psychedelics Panel previewing On The Revel’s January psychedelic conference
• Keynote interviews with Scotty Beam and Black Thought
• Live performances from Phony Ppl, Angel + Dren, Dos Blacos, and more surprise guests

And yes, Tsui is trying to bring in roller disco.

Navigating Stigma and Winning Over Venues

Landing a venue like Pier 36 is not as simple as signing a contract and mailing in a deposit. For Tsui and her team, it can be a year-long process of building trust, answering concerns, and proving that a large-scale cannabis event can run as smoothly and as safely as any other major cultural gathering in New York City.

“It usually takes me and the team a year to get sign-off for a festival this large,” Tsui said. While sales managers at potential venues are often excited about the idea, the final decision-makers can be more cautious. “We’re still dealing with that stigma, what about the children, there’s going to be crime, all of those misconceptions,” she explained.

Overcoming that hesitation requires more than just promises. Revelry leans on a proven track record: years of hosting high-profile, incident-free events, maintaining clear communication with venue partners, and leaving every location in better condition than they found. This level of professionalism has not only earned them repeat invitations but also allowed them to secure spaces that are rarely, if ever, used for cannabis-related gatherings.

By combining transparency, meticulous planning, and genuine respect for their hosts, Tsui and her team are showing New York and the rest of the country that cannabis culture can be celebrated openly, responsibly, and with the same level of polish as any top-tier music festival or industry convention.

New York Cannabis Culture: Quiet but Powerful

Unlike California, where cannabis can be a loud part of personal identity, Tsui says most New Yorkers consume quietly. “Everybody I know consumes weed, they’re just not loud about it. It’s part of their creative process, their hiking trip, their meditation, their breathwork.”

Part of Revelry Festival’s mission is to grow the “addressable consumer market” by making cannabis as integrated into lifestyle culture as food, music, and art.

Not Just Another Trade Show

Trade show fatigue is real, but Tsui believes Revelry thrives because it’s more than a convention center with booths. “We don’t see things as transactions. We’re very rich in culture, community, and industry currency.”

Her team listens closely to feedback after every event and experiments with new ideas, even if they might fail. “Most of the time it hits. Sometimes it doesn’t. But no one’s pointing fingers.”

This openness to iteration keeps the event fresh, and the mix of business-first focus on Day 1 and community celebration on Day 2 ensures that both sides of the industry get value.

The Bigger Picture

Tsui envisions a future where cannabis events in New York are as culturally embedded as art fairs and music festivals. “Let’s do what New York does best with culture. Let’s bring the food. Let’s bring music. Let’s bring good vibes. Let’s bring cannabis.”

By carefully curating both the brands that exhibit and the audience that attends, Revelry NYC has become a trusted platform for genuine connection between legacy and legal operators, between industry insiders and consumers, and between cannabis and the broader cultural fabric of the city.

Revelry NYC 2025 At a Glance

Location: Pier 36, Manhattan

Dates:

• Friday, Sept. 12 – Industry-only Buyers’ Club (Brands, Cultivators, Processors, Retailers, Microbusinesses, Licensed Operators)
• Saturday, Sept. 13 – 21+ Public Revelry Festival

Highlights:

• 200+ Legal NY Cannabis Brands
• 400+ Retailers & Buyers
• Consumer Education & Brand Panels
• OG Legacy Strain Stories & Psychedelics Discussions
• Live Performances & Surprise Guests

As I wrapped up our conversation, Tsui reminded me:

“We’re just trying to create spaces for people to gather, and I think we’re pretty good at it.”

For anyone invested in the future of New York cannabis, whether you’re a brand, buyer, advocate, or consumer, Revelry NYC isn’t just another date on the calendar. It’s where the state’s cannabis culture comes to life.

In just a few short years, Revelry NYC has become the cannabis event where New York’s culture, commerce, and community converge. This year, it’s taking over Pier 36 in Manhattan on September 12–13, 2025, and according to co-founder Lulu Tsui, it’s bigger, more inclusive, and more dialed-in than ever.

As the Chief Experience Officer for On The Revel, Tsui has spent years designing events that bridge the gap between New York’s rapidly evolving cannabis industry and the community that sustains it.

“We create spaces, trade shows, events, and industry nights specifically for the cannabis industry,” Tsui told me. “To gather good people who are working in the industry, interested in the industry, and who want to support the community.”

Lulu’s story starts far from the Manhattan waterfront. Her family immigrated from northern China to Eugene, Oregon, in the late 1970s, a place she describes as “a little hippie college town that hasn’t changed since the ’60s.”

The people who helped her family adjust to life in America were cannabis growers and distributors. “I was just raised by aunties and uncles that had a very different viewpoint towards cannabis and psychedelics,” she said. This was in stark contrast to her “super hardcore communist dragon” parents, who, like many Chinese immigrants, were hesitant and still saw cannabis simply as “drugs.”

That early exposure shaped her belief that “community and how you talk about it, how you work with it, can change hearts and minds in such a huge way.”

Her first cannabis experience came at 13, facilitated by her aunt, followed by an equally intentional introduction to psychedelics from her uncle. “It’s not a taboo thing. It’s not a scary thing. It’s a healing thing.”

Photo: Angie Vasquez

Designing Experiences Like No One Else

Tsui and her co-founder, Jacobi Holland, approach event production like UX designers. “We’re the most annoying group to work with because we talk through the flow for every interaction,” she laughed. “From sponsors and exhibitors to attendees and speakers, we design based on what people need.”

They also have the rare advantage of having worked as operators themselves, Tsui in the Washington State market, Holland in Colorado, bringing firsthand understanding to every decision. “Would you have a shoe designer design a shoe if they’ve never worn shoes before?” she asked. “We know the challenges operators face.”

The team behind Revelry reads like a cross-disciplinary dream roster:

• Jason Starr, a human rights lawyer and co-author of New York’s MRTA legalization bill.
• Peter Marcato, neuroscientist and head of community and content.
• Gerald Dean, a veteran of sales and trade show production.
• Saki Fenderson, producer, activist, and longtime community organizer.
• Delilah Ware is, fresh graduate of LIM College’s Cannabis Program.

Photo: Erica Harris

For Tsui, diversity goes beyond surface appearances. “Diversity is your personal background, education, life story, religion, all of those things. We have multi-dimensional humans who all believe in being of service.”

From a Gym Basement to Pier 36

Revelry’s first trade show took place in early 2023 in the basement of a gym. Even then, the formula clicked: 60 exhibitors, 44 of the state’s 60 licensed dispensaries, and a lot of handshakes.

Now, with their sixth trade show approaching, the scale has exploded. This year’s Buyers’ Club will feature 200+ legal New York cannabis brands and over 400 retailers.

“We’re calling it the New York Hunger Games,” Tsui joked. “There’s always chaos in the headlines, but what we’re trying to do is highlight the people who are still pushing forward as best as they can.”

A Lineup as Bold as the City Itself

This year’s Revelry Festival stage is stacked with talent that embodies New York’s unmatched cultural energy. Black Thought brings lyrical mastery, while Angel & Dren infuse the waterfront with their genre-bending DJ sets. Phony Ppl will deliver their signature blend of soul, R&B, and hip-hop, joined by the culinary creativity of Chef Nikki and the Latin-inspired sounds of Dos Flakos. Scottie Beam takes the mic for a keynote conversation, and Eagle Witt brings the laughs with his sharp comedic edge.

It’s a lineup that reflects exactly what Revelry stands for: the seamless blend of serious industry connections with the art, music, and flavor that make New York a global icon.

Building on the success of May 2025’s Buyers’ Club, which drew 1,800+ attendees and connected 300+ buyers with 160+ brands, this September’s festival is set to further cement New York’s role as a cannabis powerhouse.

Two Days, Two Experiences

Day 1 – Friday, Sept. 12: Industry-Only Buyers’ Club

This is all about business. “Ninety percent of our attendees are buyers,” Tsui explained. “You’re talking to the decision makers who can give you a purchase order or become a hot lead.”

Day 2 – Saturday, Sept. 13: Revelry Festival

When the doors open to the public, the vibe shifts from trade show floor to full-blown cultural celebration. Music, food, live art, and consumer education panels set the tone for a uniquely New York experience.

This year’s programming includes:

• Consumer Education & “Keeping It Real” Brand-Building panels
• OG New York Legacy Strain Stories
• A Psychedelics Panel previewing On The Revel’s January psychedelic conference
• Keynote interviews with Scotty Beam and Black Thought
• Live performances from Phony Ppl, Angel + Dren, Dos Blacos, and more surprise guests

And yes, Tsui is trying to bring in roller disco.

Navigating Stigma and Winning Over Venues

Landing a venue like Pier 36 is not as simple as signing a contract and mailing in a deposit. For Tsui and her team, it can be a year-long process of building trust, answering concerns, and proving that a large-scale cannabis event can run as smoothly and as safely as any other major cultural gathering in New York City.

“It usually takes me and the team a year to get sign-off for a festival this large,” Tsui said. While sales managers at potential venues are often excited about the idea, the final decision-makers can be more cautious. “We’re still dealing with that stigma, what about the children, there’s going to be crime, all of those misconceptions,” she explained.

Overcoming that hesitation requires more than just promises. Revelry leans on a proven track record: years of hosting high-profile, incident-free events, maintaining clear communication with venue partners, and leaving every location in better condition than they found. This level of professionalism has not only earned them repeat invitations but also allowed them to secure spaces that are rarely, if ever, used for cannabis-related gatherings.

By combining transparency, meticulous planning, and genuine respect for their hosts, Tsui and her team are showing New York and the rest of the country that cannabis culture can be celebrated openly, responsibly, and with the same level of polish as any top-tier music festival or industry convention.

New York Cannabis Culture: Quiet but Powerful

Unlike California, where cannabis can be a loud part of personal identity, Tsui says most New Yorkers consume quietly. “Everybody I know consumes weed, they’re just not loud about it. It’s part of their creative process, their hiking trip, their meditation, their breathwork.”

Part of Revelry Festival’s mission is to grow the “addressable consumer market” by making cannabis as integrated into lifestyle culture as food, music, and art.

Not Just Another Trade Show

Trade show fatigue is real, but Tsui believes Revelry thrives because it’s more than a convention center with booths. “We don’t see things as transactions. We’re very rich in culture, community, and industry currency.”

Her team listens closely to feedback after every event and experiments with new ideas, even if they might fail. “Most of the time it hits. Sometimes it doesn’t. But no one’s pointing fingers.”

This openness to iteration keeps the event fresh, and the mix of business-first focus on Day 1 and community celebration on Day 2 ensures that both sides of the industry get value.

The Bigger Picture

Tsui envisions a future where cannabis events in New York are as culturally embedded as art fairs and music festivals. “Let’s do what New York does best with culture. Let’s bring the food. Let’s bring music. Let’s bring good vibes. Let’s bring cannabis.”

By carefully curating both the brands that exhibit and the audience that attends, Revelry NYC has become a trusted platform for genuine connection between legacy and legal operators, between industry insiders and consumers, and between cannabis and the broader cultural fabric of the city.

Revelry NYC 2025 At a Glance

Location: Pier 36, Manhattan

Dates:

• Friday, Sept. 12 – Industry-only Buyers’ Club (Brands, Cultivators, Processors, Retailers, Microbusinesses, Licensed Operators)
• Saturday, Sept. 13 – 21+ Public Revelry Festival

Highlights:

• 200+ Legal NY Cannabis Brands
• 400+ Retailers & Buyers
• Consumer Education & Brand Panels
• OG Legacy Strain Stories & Psychedelics Discussions
• Live Performances & Surprise Guests

As I wrapped up our conversation, Tsui reminded me:

“We’re just trying to create spaces for people to gather, and I think we’re pretty good at it.”

For anyone invested in the future of New York cannabis, whether you’re a brand, buyer, advocate, or consumer, Revelry NYC isn’t just another date on the calendar. It’s where the state’s cannabis culture comes to life.

“We are going to stand strong with our own tribal sovereignty on this issue.”

By Mary Annette Pember, ICT

The operators of the Little Pines cannabis dispensary in Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin say its location next to Munchies to Go was just a happy accident.

The Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Indians’s business development corporation opened Little Pines in early July, in a modest store front nestled next to Munchies in a small strip mall on tribal lands in northern Wisconsin. Munchies sells sandwiches, hot dogs and other snacks.

Given THC’s reputation for stimulating the appetite, Munchies would seem to be uniquely well situated. THC or tetrahydrocannabinol is also the chemical compound responsible for psychoactive effects in the cannabis sativa plant.

The fact that Little Pines opened at all in Wisconsin, however, where both medical and recreational marijuana are illegal, is not just a coincidence. Little Pines is unique and represents an unusual legal loophole in federal law regarding hemp and marijuana, allowing manufacturers to sell products infused with THC as long as it’s derived from hemp.

Both hemp and marijuana are examples of the plant genus cannabis. Legally, hemp and marijuana differ primarily in their THC content. The 2018 Farm Bill, however, which was approved during the first Trump administration, authorized production of hemp and removed the plant from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s schedule of controlled substances.

That opened the door to hemp products even if they have been infused with THC. And the new Indigenous brands are sparking interest as far away as Europe.

“If a state or tribal nation submits a plan to the [U.S. Department of Agriculture] to grow or sell hemp then they are allowed to regulate themselves,” said Candace Thompson, a citizen of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Indians and director of retail and cultivation at Little Pines.

“The state of Wisconsin hasn’t done that but the tribe has; we have tribal licensing and regulatory authority, “ she said.

A cash crop

Hemp and marijuana stores and dispensaries are nothing new on tribal lands or in mainstream America—there are nearly 15,000 cannabis dispensaries in the U.S., although the number of outlets selling CBD (non-intoxicating) products is difficult to determine. Grandview Research estimated the 2023 CBD market at $6.7 billion.

According to information published by the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association, 52 Native communities operate federally approved hemp cultivation programs and approximately 26 percent of the 574 federally recognized U.S. tribes are involved with hemp or cannabis programs. The ICIA is a nonprofit organization that serves as a resource for the Indigenous cannabis market.

Under the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp contains less than 0.3 percent concentration of THC on a dry weight basis, Thompson told ICT. Marijuana, however, contains higher concentrations of THC and is considered a Schedule 1 drug under federal law.

Hemp was a viable cash crop in the U.S. for years until the Harrison Act of 1914 and the Marijuana Tax of 1937 prohibited growing cannabis in any form.

But today, under the 2018 Farm Bill, the USDA is authorized to approve plans submitted by tribes and states for the domestic production of industrial hemp, which can be used to create fiber, fabric and a building material called hempcrete as well as food products containing cannabinoids such as CBD and THC.

Cannabinoids are a class of chemical compounds that affect the body’s endocannabinoid system, a complex transmitter network that controls many of our most critical bodily functions such as learning, memory, emotional processing, sleep, temperature control, pain, inflammation and others, according to Harvard Medical School. The cannabis plant contains over 100 cannabinoids including the psychoactive THC component and CBD, the non-intoxicating element valued for its purported therapeutic effects for pain and anxiety relief and its anti-inflammatory properties.

Once the hemp is harvested, Thompson said, manufacturers can enhance the percentage of THC.

“That’s the legal loophole,” she said.

According to Rob Pero, president and founder of ICIA, Little Pines is the first free-standing tribal business of its kind in Wisconsin. Pero is a citizen of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa tribe and the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin.

Unanswered questions

Today, the sale of hemp-derived THC products are virtually unregulated in Wisconsin. The Cap Times reports that state lawmakers are grappling with regulating these substances, but currently there is no age limit for purchase. In 2024, Wisconsin public health and substance abuse experts published a report calling for a 21 years and older age requirement. Meanwhile, the market for THC beverages and other products are booming in the state.

According to Thompson, tribal regulations forbid the sale of Little Pines products to persons under 21.

The tribe began work on the cannabis project about two years ago and considered decriminalizing marijuana on the reservation. Since Wisconsin is governed by Public Law 280, however, tribal leaders decided to wait for the state to determine the legality of marijuana, Thompson said. Public Law 280 is a federal law that authorizes state criminal jurisdiction on reservation lands.

The tribe is putting together a cannabis commission to help guide regulations going forward and is planning on cultivating its own hemp for THC extraction as well as creating their own products, according to Thompson.

But what about the risk of arrest for possessing THC products purchased at Little Pines?

“Well, we’ve asked that, too, because drug dogs can’t tell the difference between CBD and THC. It smells the same,” Thompson said. If police stop customers, however, they have the receipt from Little Pines showing it’s not illegal.

“Then we go from there,” she said.

Police so far appear to be turning a blind eye to purchase of hemp-derived THC products in Wisconsin, Thompson noted.

But tribes selling THC-derived marijuana products in other Public Law 280 states that criminalize possession may face a more uncertain legal landscape. For instance, the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska announced on July 15 that it has established the first fully legal and regulated medical and adult use cannabis system in Nebraska.

Although voters in the state approved legalizing the sale of medical marijuana in the last presidential election, Nebraska has been slow in creating permanent regulations governing its sale. Since recreational marijuana sale and use is still illegal in the state, law enforcement could potentially arrest customers leaving the reservation.

“If we see attempts by the state at seizing products or cracking down on customers, that will be met with rounds of lawsuits and litigation,” Omaha Tribe of Nebraska Attorney General John Cartier told ICT.

The Omaha Tribe plans to create a mechanism to issue its own medical marijuana-use cards for clients.

Tribal leaders hope to begin sales of marijuana on the reservation during the first quarter of 2026, according to Cartier.

“We are going to stand strong with our own tribal sovereignty on this issue,” Cartier said.

Regulations and controls

During a recent visit to the Little Pines store, ICT noticed a drink on the store’s shelves called “Happy Dazed.” The 10-ounce can of Black and Blue Lemonade featured a wild-eyed cartoon face and appeared to contain one serving of a beverage.

Somewhat smaller letters near the very bottom of the can, however, indicated that it contained 50mgs of THC. And according to the ingredient label on the back, the single can held 10 servings.

Edibles sold in states where marijuana is legal, either medically or recreationally, usually contain between 5-10mgs of THC per serving. After purchasing and drinking about two ounces of Happy Dazed, ICT enjoyed a long, deep sleep.

Indeed, information about dosing and labeling is an issue for the market as a whole, according to Mary Jane Oatman, chief executive officer of ICIA told ICT.

“That’s one of the conversations we often have with our health advisory round tables,” said Oatman, who is an enrolled member of the Nez Perce Tribe and descendant of the Delaware Tribe.

In the state of Washington, for instance, retailers include a single dosing cup shrink wrapped around high THC-content beverages, she noted.

Idaho has gone further in regulating hemp products. In 2021, the state Legislature enacted the Industrial Hemp Research and Development Act, which prohibits the cultivation and sale of hemp products containing any THC, according to Oatman.

Future of cannabis for tribes

Although there are a number of regulatory, licensing and financial hurdles for tribes entering the cannabis business, the future looks lucrative.

The Lac du Flambeau tribe anticipates a profit of around $3 million by year seven of operating its cannabis business, according to Thompson.

And Oatman noted that several European countries, including Germany, are expressing interest in selling Indigenous cannabis brands.

“They want Indigenous brands on their shelves,” said Oatman. “The draw for European clients is that nobody knows plant medicine healing more authentically than Indigenous communities who are raising the bar in quality.”

She predicts that Indigenous brands will reach Europe later this year or in 2026.

This story was first published by ICT.