True To Form, Advanced Nutrients Throws Cannabis Industry's Most Decadent Party Ever

Los Angeles, California, is the undisputed mecca of the cannabis world. The sheer size of the marijuana market alone exceeds that of the legal cannabis in all of Canada.

This makes the region famous for elaborate cannabis-themed celebrations and parties. Rented mansions and an abundance of free weed aren’t unusual for a strong brand launch celebration. Even smaller scale events attract like-minded crowds and the occasional selection of edibles.

Four-twenty (April 20th) and 710 (July 10th) have become industry-designated holidays inspired by a creative group of high school students and upside-down calculator interpretations, respectively. But on this occasion, it was the night before Halloween 2021 that would become an adventure to never forget. 

I found myself with a group of 20-somethings being driven up the narrow, winding residential streets of Beverly Hills late that night. Sitting shotgun, a pimply-faced kid in a makeshift zombie costume commandeered the shuttle van’s stock stereo and streamed Tiesto’s infectious song, “The Business,” full tilt.

I laid back into the bucket seat, drew a toke from my Vessel vape pen, and enjoyed every moment of the ride in anticipation of the festivities ahead. This was how to properly forget pandemic-stricken 2020 that quieted the cannabis community and celebrate having survived it.

An Instagram-published drone shot video of the venue published a day earlier, aptly captioned, “the calm before the storm,” gave preview of the night to come.

Famed Parties

Advanced Nutrients, the cannabis industry’s long-standing and largest soil amendments and supplements company, and its CEO Michael “BigMike” Straumietis, have been known to host extraordinary events. I’d attended one in the past, then somehow fell off the invite list before becoming a last minute add this time around.

The first time was great. An abundance of crab legs and free weed, and a fabulous dab bar as I recall.

But this...this was a whole other level magical. Advanced Nutrients’ BigMike now takes claim to having produced the most elaborate, mesmerizing, and enchanting cannabis party ever hosted.

And not a single person who attended would disagree.

Part EDM festival, part carnival, one-hundred percent magical, BigMike’s Halloweed Bazaar of 2021 attracted a who’s-who of the cannabis industry along with mainstream celebrities.

Halloween, with its brisk, cool nights, October morning fog, and an abundance of excuses to be who, or dress as anything you like, is a favorite for BigMike and his parties, and this was above and beyond.

The party featured an entire production by Cirque Lunaire’s ornately decorated and unbelievably talented aerial performers before a synchronized display of erupting water fountains. A grimace faced, evil-looking jack-in-the-box with alabaster white skin, spider like hands, and a multi-colored joker’s cap made for a favorite selfie prop.

Cages with dancers, spot lights, palm and tarot readings, circus acts, face-painting, step-and-repeats, juggling, fire performers, and lots of electronic dance music, blanketed the vast mansion backyard spread.

Proactively compliant, the event required proof of vaccination (or recent negative COVID test) for admission. If you’re fortunate enough to have been invited to join, you compied, and hundreds upon hundreds did.

What I found most noticeable and remarkable about the entire Halloweed Bazaar production was its precision in execution. There’s no self-parking or even valet for a production of this scale, it all needs to flow tighter than mass transit.

And how do you erect a Ferris Wheel in the backyard of a mansion in the middle of a residential neighborhood, anyway?

Advanced Nutrients

Optimal cannabis cultivation requires similar protocols and exactness to generate consistent yields. One needn’t look far to see where precision are core to Advanced Nutrients’ corporate genetics.

Peruse the company’s website and you’ll find the “Advanced Nutrients Calculator” clients regularly use to create and update their plants’ feeding schedule with hundreds of varied feeding chart recipes designed to maximize peak performance and “bud-getting benefits” yield in cannabis plants.

I ate a still-warm, moist, lightly glazed marinara meatball and just a moment later an glove-wearing attendant was there to take my serving toothpick and dispose of it. My napkin fell on the lawn and before I could, she picked it up.

Nothing is left to chance with BigMike and Advanced Nutrients. Everything is on point, whether it’s growing a new award-winning strain or eating a meatball, it’s done with precision and process.

Widely regarded as one of the world’s most influential cannabis brands, Advanced Nutrients was the first to develop a comprehensive nutrient system designed to unlock the true genetic potential of cannabis in 1999. Ultimately, delivering a next-generation system that targets every phase in the plant’s journey from seed to full growth, providing optimum nourishment for award-winning yields.

Beyond the bountiful grows, megawatt LEDs, and massive fog machines, Advanced Nutrients is more than a company strictly focused on hard working and equally hard playing, it’s also one about giving back.

Humanity Heroes

Since 2014, Straumietis’ non-profit, Humanity Heroes, has equipped over 40,000 homeless people in Southern California with backpacks containing daily, life-giving essentials through its “Humanity Pack” campaign. The unique "direct action" program deploys volunteers to Skid Row, Los Angeles, delivering these backpacks straight to the people who need them most.

When COVID-19 hit, Humanity Heroes responded with immediate action to provide hygiene kits, face masks, and other safety essentials to those without direct access to them. And in 2020, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and the City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks recognized the refreshingly progressive program and non-profit for its contribution to the homeless shelters during the pandemic.

Rightful Celebration

But on this particular night, Advanced Nutrients was all carnival.

As I hazily boarded the return shuttle back to the UCLA parking garage, I reflected on the evening. More than a terrific excuse to rip a dab and nurse a pre-roll in one of the world’s most celebrated cities, it was glorious revelry in once again being together after a lonely 2020, and praise for another year’s harvest.

BigMike’s Halloweed Bazaar reminded me that the cannabis industry, while still in its nascent stages, is one of the most exciting businesses to be in.

More of my favorite BigMike’s Halloweed Bazaar Instagram posts and reels: REEL by @josephjericho | REEL by @reenatolentino | REEL by @jo.from.rove | VIDEO by @gypsy_lyssa

Photo: YouTube/Advanced Nutrients  

Andre F. Bourque is a cannabis industry connector, licensing consultant, brand strategy advisor, and occasional writer when he feels inspired. In addition to Benzinga, Andre’s articles have been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur.com, HuffPo, Yahoo Finance, Ebony Magazine, and Ebony.com.

You can connect with him on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.