Sadly, the second weekend of Kushella will not take place as organizers announced on Facebook that the event is cancelled. 

The Desert Sun reported on the cancelation, noting that the event drew its share of criticism from the local community as members of the La Colonia neighborhood reportedly spoke out against Kushella at a city council meeting. Attendance this year also suffered and the festival will still be required to pay the city $19,000 for the lease of the land and other expenses. 

Joy Miedecke, president of the East Valley Republican Women and one of the people who spoke out against the event, said that hearing about the cancellation “made (her) day better.” 

Kushella, also dubbed “Amsterdam in the Desert,” boasted live music along with a place to legally smoke marijuana. The festival, put on by members of the Coachella Grow Association, was supposed to run in conjunction with nearby Coachella over two weekends. Kushella hopes to return later this year.