This past weekend was a big one for us here at CAFE! After weeks of careful planning and a whole lot of excitement building up, our Laughing Loud event took place in Toronto’s West End on Saturday, September 23. With over 20 vendors, a strong lineup of the city’s best comedians and an out-of-this-world infused food and beverage experience, we were all set for a fantastic event. The night saw over 700 guests – we would say this has been one of our best events so far!
Laughing Loud took place at The Lithuanian House, a multi-floor venue with lots of space for all the fun offerings we had planned. It was a beautiful, warm and sunny day, and guests began to line up early in eager anticipation. By the time doors opened, the line was already snaking around the block! Those waiting to get in were happy and excited, mingling with each other chatting about the event about to take place. Laughing Loud was so much more than a cannabis festival – it was a celebration of arts and culture in every sense. From the talented comedians preparing to take the stage, the art sessions where guests could express their creativity, and the wonderful culinary and mixology offerings created by our team of chefs and baristas, this event had a lot to offer to guests in every sense, no matter their level of passion for cannabis.
Once inside, guests were faced with a couple of options – visit our bustling marketplace on the lower level, or head upstairs to our mocktail bar and food station where lots of delicious infused goodies were being prepared. Most headed downstairs to the marketplace first, where over 20 vendors had set up their booths and were ready for the crowds! Guests wandered from booth to booth, meeting brand reps, scoring product samples and checking out exciting products on display. Different kinds of edibles were available, from gummies and chocolates to the spacey concoctions by our friends at Stellar Treats. Euphoria Extractions was on hand with their ever-popular chocolate fountain, which had guests eager to spear some fruit or marshmallows and coat them in the infused chocolate!
The marketplace was a lot of fun for our guests. Aside from edibles and flower, guests got to experience a sweet “inhalable” cup of potent vapour from our friends at Red Earth Cannabis, and a full dab bar courtesy of Solventless. CAFE was on hand with light-up LED rolling trays for guests to take home, and right beside us was Ashante – leading a special Puff & Paint session for guests! The seats quickly filled up and Ashante took on a few small groups that enjoyed creating a little mini canvas to remember the night by.
Upstairs, the mocktail bar and food service were in full swing. Guests lined up to try our delightful infused drink concoctions, every one of which were an absolute hit! Not only were the drinks delicious, they were simply stunning to look at, and the light infusions kept guests enjoying a pleasant buzz throughout the evening.
Another highlight of the evening was our infused food station, with small plates prepared and served up by Chef Pat Newton and his team. The menu was filled with so many mouth watering descriptions that many people simply ordered a whole tray of items – it was that hard to choose! From the crispy Corn Cob Pipes and Toke’Quitos to the Big Mac style Pot’Stickers, each plate was bursting with loads of flavour and were just as beautiful to look at. The menu featured several desserts as well for those with a sweet tooth, and infused Scooby Snacks for those that surely had the munchies after all the cannabis treats that night!
The main theatre space at the venue was the stage for our comedians, and what a show it was! We hosted some of the city’s top talent to wow our guests, including headliners Brad Gosse, Jared Nathan and Keith Pedro. Each comedian absolutely killed it on stage, and had guests in stitches! Our comedy show took place in two segments, to allow guests time in between to wander around, check out the marketplace or grab some food and drink.
All in all, Laughing Loud was an amazing event! We are still hearing from guests how much they loved the night, even weeks later. Better yet, we keep getting asked when the next one will take place! We are humbled that our show was such a hit, and extremely thankful to all of our hardworking staff, our dedicated vendors, Chef Pat, Ashante, and our CAFE barista team for making the night an unforgettable one. Thank you to all who attended! We are already planning the next Laughing Loud event, and can’t wait to do it all over again – stay tuned to find out more!
