In June 2024 we travelled to Berlin for Mary Jane, one of Europe’s biggest cannabis expos. It was the first edition since Germany legalised cannabis for adults on 1 April that year, and you could feel it. The expo had moved to a new, much larger venue, the number of exhibitors had jumped and the atmosphere was something special. Here we look at the expo, what was on show and how our weekend in Berlin went.
Key facts
- Mary Jane Berlin took place on 14–16 June 2024 at Messe Berlin, the first time on the city’s main exhibition grounds.
- More than 400 exhibitors and around 40,000 visitors took part, up from 250 exhibitors and 28,500 visitors the year before.
- It was the first edition after Germany legalised cannabis for adults on 1 April 2024.
- The expo covered the whole plant: seeds and growing, accessories, medical cannabis, hemp and culture.
- We were there, caught up with old contacts and made many new ones.
What is Mary Jane Berlin?
Mary Jane Berlin is a hemp and cannabis expo and festival that has been held every summer since 2016. It was founded by Nhung Nguyen and Duc Anh Dang with the aim of showing the plant in a new light and bringing the whole industry together in one place. The expo has grown fast. In 2023 it drew around 28,500 visitors and 250 exhibitors from 40 countries, and the Arena Berlin venue was becoming too small.
For 2024 the expo therefore moved to Messe Berlin in Charlottenburg. It took over three halls at the north entrance and the neighbouring Palais am Funkturm, around 20,000 square metres in total. The move made it possible to almost double the exhibition space.
The first expo after German legalisation
On 1 April 2024 Germany’s new cannabis law, the Cannabisgesetz, came into force. Since then adults may carry up to 25 grams of dried cannabis, keep up to 50 grams at home and grow up to three plants. From 1 July the same year, non-profit cultivation associations could also apply for a licence. Mary Jane opened just two and a half months after the law took effect, and interest was huge.
The organisers expected more than 40,000 visitors, and that is what they got. According to reports after the event, between 13,000 and 14,000 people came each day. Organiser Nhung Nguyen described the industry as booming since legalisation, and ahead of the event the organisers said Mary Jane was for the first time bigger than Spannabis in Barcelona, long Europe’s largest cannabis expo. If you want to know how the law has worked out since, we have written about it in
Germany’s cannabis law two years on.
The whole plant in one place
What makes Mary Jane special is its breadth. You could find everything from seed banks and growing equipment to rolling papers, glass, vaporizers, hemp textiles, medical cannabis and food. Exhibitors came from all over the world, including Hong Kong, Brazil, Israel and Slovenia.
Growing was the biggest area. Roughly a third of the floor space was dedicated to cultivation and harvesting, which reflects the fact that Germans can now grow at home. There was everything from soil, nutrients and lights to small indoor greenhouses where watering and lighting are controlled via an app. Seed banks such as Dutch Passion and Royal Queen Seeds showed off new strains, and interest in genetics was high. If you want to understand what strain names and labels actually tell you, read our article
Sativa vs indica: what is the difference?
The accessories industry was there in force too, with rolling papers, filters and other accessories from brands such as OCB and G-Rollz. Another clear trend was the medical side. More online pharmacies exhibited than in previous years, and more visitors were using cannabis for medical reasons.
Talks and debates
Alongside the exhibition ran a conference programme with around 35 speakers from medicine, research, business and politics. Panels and talks covered medical use, the new legislation, prevention and the protection of young people. Many of the conversations centred on how the cultivation associations would work in practice and what requirements apply to electricity, fire safety and premises when growing on a larger scale.
Politicians from several parties took part in the debates, something that would have been hard to imagine just a few years earlier. It says a lot about how quickly attitudes to cannabis have changed in Germany.
Festival, music and the Euros
Mary Jane is as much a festival as an expo. The outdoor area had been named Gras Wiesn, a nod to Oktoberfest, with food stalls, a graffiti wall, games and a vape bar. The European Football Championship kicked off in Germany on the same day the expo opened, so the matches were shown on a big screen. Performers included Marvin Game, Plusmacher, Noah and Luvre47, and on the Saturday evening there was an afterparty at the Palais am Funkturm.
The popularity had a downside too. On Saturday it got so crowded that the entrances had to be closed temporarily for safety reasons, and the queues grew long. The organisers learned from it. For 2025 more entrances were added, an awareness team was introduced and the festival area became completely alcohol-free.
Our weekend at Mary Jane
For us, expos like Mary Jane are some of the most important days of the year. This is where we meet growers, producers and suppliers we have worked with for years, face to face instead of by email and video call. During the weekend in Berlin we caught up with many old contacts and followed up on partnerships that are already working well.
Just as valuable were all the new contacts. When more or less the entire European industry gathers under one roof, there are plenty of spontaneous meetings in the aisles, at the stands and out in the festival area. We have kept in touch with several of them since.
We also came home with a feel for where the market is heading. Legalisation had only been in place for a few months, but the energy in the halls was obvious, and it was growing that got people most excited. With so many people now growing their own, interest in strains, genetics and quality is rising, and that is a development we like. We have been to more expos since then, including Cannafest in Prague:
Our visit to Cannafest and Czechia’s path toward legalisation.
Mary Jane after 2024
The expo has kept growing. In 2025 it was extended to four days with a dedicated B2B day, and around 65,000 visitors came. In 2026 Mary Jane celebrated its tenth anniversary on 11–14 June, and we were there again. The next edition takes place on 3–6 June 2027 at Messe Berlin. You can find more cannabis events in
Cannabis trade shows and expos in Europe 2026.
When was Mary Jane Berlin 2024?
Mary Jane Berlin 2024 took place on 14–16 June 2024 at Messe Berlin, at the north entrance of the exhibition grounds and in the Palais am Funkturm.
How many people visited Mary Jane Berlin 2024?
Around 40,000 people visited the expo, with between 13,000 and 14,000 visitors per day. More than 400 exhibitors took part.
Is Mary Jane bigger than Spannabis?
Ahead of 2024 the organisers said Mary Jane was for the first time bigger than Spannabis in Barcelona. The expo has grown further since.
When is the next Mary Jane Berlin?
The next edition takes place on 3–6 June 2027 at Messe Berlin.
Sources
- Messe Berlin (2023). Cannabis expo Mary Jane Berlin to expand on the Messe Berlin Exhibition Grounds from 2024.
- Mary Jane Berlin GmbH via Presseportal (2024). Deutschland als internationaler Hanf-Hotspot: Mary Jane im Rausch der Cannabis-Legalisierung.
- Die Brandenburger (2024). Messe «Mary Jane» boomt dank Cannabis-Legalisierung.
- BERLINboxx (2024). Hanfmesse Mary Jane in Berlin mit Besucherrekord.
- World of Smoke (2024). Recap der Mary Jane 2024.
- Krautinvest (2025). Chapeau Mary Jane Berlin!
- Bundesministerium für Gesundheit. Fragen und Antworten zum Cannabisgesetz.
- Mary Jane Berlin. Official website.
