Missouri’s cannabis industry has developed a growing calendar of vendor days, networking events, educational seminars, conferences, and trade shows.

While those events provide valuable opportunities for industry professionals to connect, they frequently attract audiences already working within cannabis.

The inaugural Fit & Faded Wellness Festival aims to reach beyond that familiar audience by bringing cannabis businesses together with fitness providers, wellness professionals, community organizations, and consumers.

Scheduled for Saturday, September 5, at the Beal Center in Chesterfield, the festival will combine a 3-on-3 basketball tournament with wellness demonstrations, educational programming, and interactive exhibitor experiences.

The event’s tagline, “Connect. Compete. Grow.,” summarizes founder Antar Shafer’s vision for creating shared experiences and building relationships across Missouri’s cannabis, fitness, and wellness communities.

Shafer developed the festival around the belief that cannabis can be part of a broader conversation about movement, recovery, nutrition, and personal wellness.

“Fitness and athletics have been a part of my life since I can remember,” Shafer said. “I’ve played every sport and athletic endeavor I could as I was growing up, and I’ve carried it with me one way or another throughout my life.”

Cannabis has also been a consistent part of Shafer’s life. His experience as an active cannabis consumer did not align with many of the stereotypes traditionally associated with the plant or the branding commonly used to market it.

“For years, I felt like the conversation around cannabis was often limited to getting high, while the conversation around fitness sometimes rejected cannabis altogether,” Shafer said. “My experience has been very different. Cannabis has been a tool that complements my recovery, helps me stay present, and supports a healthier, more intentional lifestyle.”

Fit & Faded

Fit & Faded began as a lifestyle and apparel brand reflecting Shafer’s experiences and interests.

He wanted to create clothing and lifestyle products that felt equally appropriate at a gym, on a hike, at a coffee shop, inside a dispensary, or at a cannabis event. That meant moving away from the cannabis leaves, Rastafarian colors, bongs, and other imagery that has historically defined cannabis merchandise.

“That’s never been who I am, and it wasn’t something I wanted to wear,” Shafer said. “I wanted apparel that reflected my lifestyle. Something that felt at home in the gym, on a hike, or grabbing coffee just as much as it did at a dispensary or a sesh event.”

The concept eventually grew beyond apparel and into an event intended to connect communities that often exist alongside one another without regularly sharing the same space.

“To me, wellness isn’t just about lifting weights or eating healthy,” Shafer said. “It’s about taking care of your mind, your body, your soul, your relationships, and creating a life that allows you to show up as the best version of yourself.”

Shafer said traditional cannabis consumer stereotypes do not represent the many people who lift weights, play sports, hike, practice yoga, prioritize nutrition, and responsibly incorporate cannabis into their lives.

“Missouri has an incredible cannabis community and an incredible fitness community, but there haven’t been many opportunities to bring those worlds together,” Shafer said. “Fit & Faded exists to change that. I want to create a space where people can see that cannabis and wellness aren’t opposites. They can absolutely coexist when approached intentionally.”

Fit & Faded will not be a cannabis consumption event. Instead, the festival will focus on education, movement, recovery, healthy lifestyles, and community engagement.

Connect. Compete. Grow.

The centerpiece of the festival will be the inaugural Fit & Faded 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament.

The half-court tournament will use a single-elimination format with certified referees, custom jerseys, tournament brackets, and trophies. Several teams will represent the festival’s founding partners, allowing participating businesses to compete while interacting with attendees throughout the day.

Organizers are also reserving two tournament positions for teams composed entirely of members of the public.

“Basketball is one of the most accessible sports there is,” Shafer said. “You don’t have to be an elite athlete to enjoy it. It’s competitive, social, and naturally brings people together.”

Shafer envisions teams representing dispensaries, cultivation facilities, manufacturers, gyms, bicycle shops, boxing clubs, supplement companies, and other local businesses. Rather than meeting at a trade show or formal networking event, participants will have an opportunity to build relationships through competition and a shared experience.

“The tournament gives people a reason to participate instead of simply attending,” Shafer said. “I love the idea of seeing dispensaries, cultivators, manufacturers, and local businesses such as gyms, bike shops, boxing clubs, supplement companies, and everyday people putting together teams, competing against one another, and building relationships in a completely different environment than a trade show or networking event.”

The tournament will take place alongside an expo featuring workouts, clinics, demonstrations, and other interactive activities.

“At the end of the day, the tournament isn’t really about basketball,” Shafer said. “It’s about community. It’s about creating shared experiences, encouraging movement, and showing that wellness can be fun and inclusive, whether you enjoy the plant or not.”

   

Planned festival activities include fitness demonstrations, martial arts and self-defense clinics, breathwork sessions, cold-plunge experiences, mobility workshops, injury screenings, massage and bodywork, recovery demonstrations, nutrition education, product sampling, and educational programming from cannabis and wellness companies.

Participating organizations are being encouraged to provide demonstrations and hands-on experiences rather than relying solely on signs, product displays, or traditional vendor booths.

A fitness company may lead a workout or movement demonstration. A recovery provider could host an interactive activation. Cannabis businesses will be able to provide education and answer questions from consumers who do not regularly attend cannabis-focused events.

Cannabis brands are expected to share the expo floor with gyms, chiropractors, physical therapists, running organizations, cycling shops, martial arts academies, yoga and Pilates studios, recovery providers, nutrition companies, meal-preparation businesses, wellness practitioners, and community organizations.

For cannabis companies, the event presents an opportunity to engage with consumers already interested in fitness, recovery, and personal wellness. For wellness businesses, it offers exposure to cannabis consumers exploring additional ways to support their health and lifestyles.

Shafer said cannabis businesses looking to enter the wellness conversation should demonstrate a genuine investment in the communities they hope to reach.

“In my opinion, authenticity starts with leading through action instead of just clever marketing with the intention of selling a product,” Shafer said. “For a lot of people, cannabis is their medicine and is used intentionally and incorporated into a healthy lifestyle.”

That action could include supporting local wellness events, sponsoring community fitness initiatives, or partnering with gyms, recovery providers, nutrition businesses, and educational organizations.

Shafer said cannabis is used for a wide range of personal reasons, including recovery, focus, relaxation, sleep, gut health, and recreation. That variety gives the industry an opportunity to expand its messaging beyond consumption.

“I think the industry has an opportunity to shift the conversation away from consumption alone and toward responsible use, recovery, movement, education, and overall well-being,” Shafer said. “My vision for this festival is to have health, wellness, and fitness businesses on the expo floor side by side with cannabis brands and dispensaries.”

The event’s format also reflects a broader shift in how some consumers think about cannabis, alcohol, and the brands they support.

“Consumers are increasingly looking for brands whose values align with their own,” Shafer said. “Companies that genuinely support healthier lifestyles and stronger communities will naturally build deeper trust over time. People are reevaluating their relationship to alcohol and are shifting toward alternatives that make more sense for the lives they want.”

Building an annual event

Shafer wants the festival to offer several entry points for attendees. Some may arrive for the basketball tournament, while others may be interested in cannabis education, fitness programming, recovery services, or the opportunity to discover local businesses.

“More than anything, I want people to leave feeling inspired and fired up,” Shafer said. “Whether you’re someone who came to play in the basketball tournament, discovered a new wellness business, did your first cold plunge, learned something about cannabis, or simply spent the day with friends doing something fun and different, I want attendees to walk away thinking about all the cool things they can do to stay active, but also have fun and feel good.”

For Shafer, the event’s success will not be determined solely by attendance or sponsorship totals. The larger measure will be whether participants find value in the experience and want to return.

“If someone leaves the festival motivated to move more, recover better, prioritize their health, or simply connect with new people, I’d consider that a win,” Shafer said.

While September will mark the inaugural Fit & Faded Wellness Festival, Shafer hopes it will become an annual Missouri event and eventually expand into other markets.

“While, of course, I would absolutely love for my first year to be a banger, the most important part is to create an experience that people will want to come back to,” Shafer said.

“If attendees leave saying, ‘I can’t wait until next year,’ sponsors feel like they were part of something worthwhile, and the event helps strengthen relationships between the cannabis, fitness, and wellness communities; I think that is what success looks like.”

The long-term vision is to develop Fit & Faded into a recurring festival where education, movement, recovery, and community come together while challenging outdated perceptions of cannabis consumers.

“I’d love to see it evolve into a premier cannabis wellness festival,” Shafer said. “An event where education, movement, recovery, and community come together in a way that challenges outdated stereotypes and demonstrates the positive role cannabis can play in a healthy, balanced lifestyle.”

A limited number of title, founding, wellness, community, and exhibitor partnership opportunities remain available. Businesses interested in sponsorships, exhibits, or community partnerships can contact Shafer directly.

Fit & Faded Wellness Festival
Connect. Compete. Grow.
Date: Saturday, September 5, 2026
Location: Beal Center, Chesterfield, Missouri
Featured events: 3-on-3 basketball tournament, wellness expo, and interactive activities
Contact: Antar Shafer at shafer.antar@gmail.com