Cannabis Showcase Events — your questions, answered.
Eighteen Q&As from the OCM Information Session on May 27, 2026. Plain English. Direct quotes preserved where possible. Confidence tagged per item so you know what's verbatim and what's our read.
📰 Read the full operator briefing →Event Format & Eligibility
Can a CSE take place at a concert or festival like Rolling Loud or Governor's Ball?
Only three event formats qualify as CSE-eligible: (1) standalone events organized by the licensed entities (retailer + cultivator + processor), (2) Farmers' Markets (per §269 Ag & Markets Law), and (3) Public Markets (per §269 Ag & Markets Law). CSEs cannot be added to events organized by someone else, such as concerts or festivals like Rolling Loud, Governor's Ball, WrestleMania, etc.
What counts as a "public market"?
"The way these rules were defined, they weren't necessarily intended to be overly prescriptive about the staging or the nature of the event. If the event meets the requirement of being a farmer's market or a public market — whether it's one that's blocks long, or limited to Union Square Park, or some other kind of street market or confined venue — then as long as the municipality approves it, it would be approved by the office assuming it meets all of the other requirements."
Can we sell cannabis plants at farmer's markets?
Not yet. OCM is working on a separate nursery license that will enable plant sales. An update on availability is expected later in Summer 2026.
How does CSE venue approval work?
Both the municipality AND the farmers/public market approve the event — the venue where sales take place is also approved as part of that. Venue approval is bundled into municipality + market-operator approval. OCM is taking an "expansive view" of what qualifies as an outside venue: art galleries, warehouses, rooftops, farms, even record shops. School grounds, school parking lots, and on-site consumption are excluded.
Are NYC parks approved venues for CSEs?
"I'm actually not sure about this one. I think we may need to add this to our guidance language. I don't know whether the city is going to be permitting events to take place within parks, but we can confirm that."
Can community gardens host a CSE?
OCM did not definitively answer this in the session. The community garden question was left open pending further guidance.
NYC-Specific Approvals
Who do we send NYC CSE approvals to — Cannabis NYC or the Community Board?
For Cannabis Showcase Events in all 5 NYC boroughs, operators send the municipal approval request to Cannabis NYC. Cannabis NYC interfaces with the relevant Community Board on the back end. Cannabis NYC is the actual municipal approver. For the rest of the state, operators send it directly to the local municipality.
Why is the City (not Community Boards) controlling event approval when CBs handle cannabis retail considerations?
"On this one, we are being deferential to the municipality. The city is the one that told us that Cannabis NYC will be the one approving these events. We will defer to them on that determination. We have an email address on the cannabis showcase event page on our site for Cannabis NYC… And I think that's s-b-s dot n-y-c dot gov."
Permits, Caps & Timelines
I have an event scheduled for June 19. Can I get a permit in time?
"First, congratulations on getting municipal approval so quickly to host your event. Unfortunately, given the timeline — we're already at May 27 — this is going to be well within the 45-day application window requirement. I don't know that we'll be able to get this approved on time… Having managed and supported the initial cannabis grower showcase events, we tried to be a little bit flexible on submission timelines. It's clear that we needed a much more rigorous and well-defined deadline. When we ran the grower showcases, there were instances where folks would submit events a day or two before — large, complicated events with complicated materials. In some cases, folks were even submitting things the night before an event. That's obviously not sustainable. We are a resource-constrained agency…"
If I want to run three events back-to-back in the same location, is there a wait period?
Each event is a separate permit (3 events = 3 applications, 3 permits, 3 fees). There is no required wait period — but if you stack three back-to-back 14-day events, you've used up most of the 45-day annual maximum per location.
Partnership Requirements
Can one operator with both a cultivation and processing license fulfill the CSE partnership requirements?
Yes — dual-license entities count. If an entity holds separate cultivator AND processor licenses, they fulfill both partner roles. Minimum requirement is at least one cultivator license + one processor license. However, OCM is encouraging operators to partner with multiple people to support the broader ecosystem.
Sales, Metrc & Tax
Can cultivators and processors sell their own branded merchandise (non-cannabis) at a CSE?
Yes. Cultivators and processors can sell their own merchandise directly at the CSE — the retailer is not the only seller for non-cannabis items. The "retailer-only sales" rule applies ONLY to cannabis products.
How do we handle Metrc tracking for showcase events?
Retailers are required to create a specific showcase event module in Metrc to track CSE sales. Inventory designated for the CSE must be transferred from the retailer's general inventory to the showcase event inventory. Sales must be segregated from in-store sales.
If I do a CSE in a different town, does the local tax go to my town or the event's town?
Tax goes to the location of the retail dispensary, not the town where the event takes place. Similar mechanism to delivery sales — the dispensary's home municipality receives the tax revenue regardless of where the event is held.
Can alcohol sales coexist with a CSE?
No alcohol sales WITHIN the CSE area. Alcohol sales ARE permitted at other booths in the same farmer's market or venue — as long as they're OUTSIDE the demarcated CSE area.
Microbusiness Legislation
Can a microbusiness host a standalone CSE on its own?
Not under current law. A CSE requires a SEPARATE cultivator or processor from the retailer. Since microbusinesses can only sell their own product, they would be acting as BOTH supplier AND retailer at a standalone event — which the statute doesn't allow. OCM strongly supports a pending legislative amendment to fix this.
When is the microbusiness amendment expected to pass?
"We're hopeful that within the three weeks remaining in the legislative session that we will be able to get this finalized. We have been in support of this legislative change. But until that change gets made, our hands are bound by the law as currently written."
Compliance & Complaints
How do I file a complaint about a CSE?
Complaints can be filed using the same OCM Incident Report Form that handles all other OCM complaints (licensed dispensary issues, illicit sales, trade practice violations, and showcase event complaints). It can be accessed online or via email at OCM.incident.report@ny.gov, which directs to a survey form that categorizes the complaint by issue type.