It was founded by Caroline Phillips, who announced the inaugural event with an Indiegogo campaign, raising an initial $21,000 to help cover costs through crowd-sourced fundraising efforts.

National Cannabis Festival's inaugural event occurred on August 23, 2016, and was headlined by De La Soul, Jesse Royal, and BackYard Band.

[3] The education pavilion featured talks and demonstrations about cannabis growing, consumption, and social issues.

The 2016 judges panel included David Grosso, an at-large member of the Council of the District of Columbia.

[4] On November 17, 2016, organizers announced the 2017 event would occur on April 22, 2017, and would feature performances by Talib Kweli, The Pharcyde, BackYard Band, Kanyatta Hill of Culture, Empresarios, Pinky Killacorn & Visto, Reesa Renee, and DJ Ayes Cold.