Comedy Legend Tommy Chong to Appear at 54th Annual Ann Arbor Hash Bash
Stoner comedy legend Tommy Chong is returning to the upcoming 54th annual Ann Arbor Hash Bash. Chong, 87, is best known for his association with the 1970s and 1980s “Cheech…
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 27: Tommy Chong speaks during the AFI FEST 2024 Presented By Canva “Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie” Screening and Q&A at TCL Chinese 6 Theatres on October 27, 2024 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for AFI)
Stoner comedy legend Tommy Chong is returning to the upcoming 54th annual Ann Arbor Hash Bash. Chong, 87, is best known for his association with the 1970s and 1980s "Cheech and Chong" duo. He will speak at the marijuana rally at the University of Michigan Diag on Saturday, April 5.
Joey Marin, Cheech Marin's son, is anticipated to join Chong at this year's marijuana festival in Ann Arbor. The festival traditionally begins at noon on the Diag on the first Saturday in April.
According to an MLive report, Chong has occasionally appeared at Hash Bash several times over the past several decades. At age 77, he praised Ann Arbor during the 45th annual edition of the festival in 2016. At that time, cannabis activists were trying to legalize marijuana in Michigan. Voters approved its legalization in the state in 2018.
“Ann Arbor was the first, the very first, to stand up and tell everybody there's nothing wrong with this plant,” Chong told the crowd of thousands in 2016. He also appeared at the Hash Bash festival in 2015 and, with his wife Shelby and his comedy partner Cheech Marin, performed a comedy show at the Michigan Theater in downtown Ann Arbor as part of Hash Bash in 2010.
In addition to Chong, speaker presentations will include marijuana activists such as “Mr. Hash Bash” Adam Brook and U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell. Musical acts such as Cosmic Knot, Luna Pier, and local blues musician Laith Al-Saadi will also be included.
Hash Bash will be held in conjunction with the nearby Monroe Street Fair, taking place on Monroe Street from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Vendors, arts and crafts booths, and food trucks will all be part of the event.
According to MLive, Hash Bash and the street fair attract thousands of visitors from across Michigan and beyond. Organizers say the estimated economic impact of the festivities ranges from $2.75 million to $7.55 million in one weekend alone.
Destination Ann Arbor, a nonprofit that markets visitation to Ann Arbor, has a webpage dedicated to Hash Bash with more details.
