Top 10 Hemp-Friendly Events in Austin You Can’t Miss in 2024

Austin, Texas has quietly become one of the most important hemp hubs in the country. From policy conferences and grower summits to music-forward hemp festivals, the city gives farmers, brands, and consumers a place to connect in real life. If you want to understand why Austin leads the hemp industry – these are the kinds of events you don’t want to miss.

This guide highlights 10 hemp-friendly events in and around Austin for 2024 – along with tips for getting the most out of each one, and where to find compliant THCA flower and hemp-derived products before you go.

1. Texas Hemp Harvest Festival (Austin)

The Texas Hemp Harvest Festival is a music-first, hemp-second celebration that feels like a cross between a concert and a farmer’s market. Organized by Sweet Sensi, it typically happens in the fall and brings together live bands, hemp brands, and a crowd that actually cares about craft.

Why it’s worth your time:

• Discover small-batch Texas hemp brands side-by-side with bigger names.
• Sample legal hemp products, merch, and accessories in one place.
• Catch live music while meeting growers, processors, and makers in person.

Pro tip: Show up with a game plan. Make a shortlist of hemp brands you’ve been eyeing on hemp education blogs and use the festival to ask questions face to face.

2. Texas Hemp Summit (College Station, Austin-Area Core Audience)

Hosted by the Texas Hemp Coalition, the Texas Hemp Summit is one of the most important business and policy events in the region. While it’s held in College Station, it pulls a heavy Austin crowd – farmers, retailers, manufacturers, lawyers, and policymakers.

What to expect:

• Panels on cultivation, processing, cannabinoids, fiber, and retail.
• Updates on Texas hemp regulations and enforcement trends.
• Networking with people building the future of hemp in the state.

If you’re operating a brand, retail shop, or farm in Central Texas, pair this event with a review of Texas THCA legal status so you can ask smarter questions in the policy sessions.

3. Taste of Texas Hemp Cup (Austin & Central Texas)

The Taste of Texas Hemp Cup is all about flower quality. Growers compete for top honors across categories, and consumers get to see what award-winning Texas-grown hemp looks, smells, and smokes like.

Why hemp lovers show up:

• Judging and awards for the best hemp flower in Texas.
• Live music, vendors, and educational booths.
• A rare chance to compare top-shelf craft flower side by side.

Use this event to train your nose. Compare what wins awards to what you see in your jars at home. Check terp profiles on COAs (Certificates of Analysis) and compare them to your favorite THCA flower strains.

4. Texas Cannabis Policy Conference (Austin)

This conference focuses on the laws that shape both the hemp and marijuana sides of the industry in Texas. It’s more suits and spreadsheets than a street festival – but if you care about long-term access to THCA and hemp-derived cannabinoids, it matters.

Who it’s for:

• Retailers and brands that want to stay ahead of Texas rule changes.
• Advocates and consumers who want to support sensible hemp policy.
• Anyone confused by shifting rules around vapes, flower, and “intoxicating” hemp products.

Before you go, skim related guides like why Texans are turning to THCA disposables and Texas THCA legal status explained so the legal panels feel much less overwhelming.

5. SXSW Cannabis & Hemp Tracks (Austin)

South by Southwest (SXSW) isn’t a “hemp festival,” but its cannabis and hemp-focused keynotes, panels, and meetups pull in innovators from around the world. It’s where tech, policy, marketing, and cannabis all intersect.

Highlights:

• Panels on hemp-derived cannabinoids, wellness, and consumer trends.
• Brand and product conversations that hint at where the market is going.
• Networking with founders, investors, media, and policy advocates.

If you’re already downtown for SXSW, plan a “hemp day” by stacking relevant sessions and then winding down with a compliant, hemp-derived session at home. You can browse legal options in thisthat’s full product collection.

6. Texas Hemp Day at the State Capitol (Austin)

Hemp Day at the Capitol is advocacy in action. Organized by industry groups, this event brings farmers, retailers, and consumers directly into the statehouse to talk with lawmakers about hemp’s reality on the ground.

Why it matters:

• Face-to-face time with legislators and staff who influence hemp rules.
• Opportunities to share your experience as a consumer, farmer, or business owner.
• Education on how to testify, call, or email effectively between sessions.

If you care about keeping products like compliant THCA flower and hemp-derived extracts available, this is one of the most impactful days you can spend in Austin.

7. Texas Hemp Roundup & Networking Events (Austin & Dallas)

The Texas Cannabis Roundup and similar networking mixers bring together operators from all corners of the state. While some events are hosted in Dallas or Houston, Austin brands and professionals are always deep in the mix.

What you’ll get out of it:

• Face time with processors, lab owners, retailers, and service providers.
• Potential partnerships for white-labeling, distribution, or collabs.
• A better feel for how other Texas markets compare to Austin.

Bring business cards, your elevator pitch, and a clear idea of what you’re looking for – whether that’s a new retail account, a COA testing partner, or feedback on your THCA product lineup.

8. Hemp Education Workshops & Farm Tours (Austin Area)

In and around Austin, you’ll find smaller-scale workshops and farm tours focused on cultivation, curing, and compliant product manufacturing. These don’t always make big headlines, but they’re incredibly valuable.

Typical topics include:

• Soil health, genetics, and integrated pest management for hemp.
• Post-harvest handling, drying, and storage for maximum freshness.
• How to read and use COAs, including total THC calculations and terpene data.

Pair what you learn with real-world examples by checking out strain-specific COAs in thisthat’s Certificate of Analysis library and comparing lab numbers to your own experience.

9. Austin Hemp-Friendly Markets, Pop-Ups & Brand Activations

Throughout the year, Austin hosts hemp-friendly vendor markets, pop-ups, and collabs at music venues, breweries, and creative spaces. These are usually smaller than full festivals but just as useful for discovery.

Why they’re worth adding to your calendar:

• Try products in a relaxed, community setting.
• Meet local makers behind tinctures, edibles, flower, and accessories.
• Support hemp brands that are rooted in Austin’s culture, not just the internet.

When you find a product you love, look for a QR code or link to view the brand’s COAs and hemp education resources – similar to how thisthat’s Hemp Education hub backs up every product with real information.

10. Online Hemp Seminars & Hybrid Events (Austin-Based Voices, Global Reach)

Many Texas organizations now host online-only or hybrid hemp seminars featuring Austin-based experts. These sessions are ideal if you can’t make it across town but still want to stay plugged in.

Good use cases:

• Deep dives into new regulations and compliance expectations.
• Marketing, branding, and e-commerce strategy for hemp brands.
• Technical talks on extraction, live resin, and live rosin production.

Use these virtual events to refine your strategy – then browse real-world examples of live resin and live rosin products to see how theory shows up in actual labels, strain selections, and product formats.

Tips for Attending Hemp Events in Austin

• Plan ahead: Many events require early registration or have limited capacity.
• Know the rules: Review Texas hemp law basics and THCA legal status before you travel with products or samples.
• Network with intention: Decide whether you’re there as a consumer, buyer, or brand – and move accordingly.
• Take notes: When speakers mention key regulations, lab practices, or marketing ideas, jot down the details and follow up later.

Stay Compliant & Informed in Texas

Texas hemp rules continue to evolve – especially around smokable products and vape formats. Before you hit any event, it’s smart to brush up with resources like:

• Texas THCA Flower Legal Status Explained
• Why Texans Are Turning to THCA Disposable Vapes
• thisthat CBD Certificate of Analysis (COA) Library

Before the Event: Stock Up the Smart Way

Whether you’re heading to a full-on hemp festival or a policy-heavy summit, showing up with the right products – and knowledge – makes the experience better.

• Explore indoor, greenhouse, and sun-grown THCA flower to dial in your preferred terpene profile and growing style.
• Check out compliant THCA disposables, carts, and edibles so you’ve got reliable, lab-tested options before and after the event.
• Always scan the COA QR code or visit the COA page so you know exactly what’s in your jar, pen, or gummy.

Austin’s hemp scene is only getting stronger. Put a few of these events on your calendar, pair them with solid education from thisthat’s Hemp Education blog, and you’ll be ahead of the curve as Texas writes its next chapter in hemp.