There’s a new game in town.
Sweat trickles down your forehead, dripping onto the light white sphere you clutch just a little too tightly. Not far away, a delta-shaped configuration of solo cups mocks you, spinning at a speed proportional to the number of beers you have consumed. Are there twelve cups? Why do you see 24? Whatever, you only live once, and you arc the tiny sphere in a gentle curve, determined more by gravity than by willpower. A pleasant wet splorp is quickly followed by drunken cheers and you raise your arms in a moment of brief, pure victory.
Beer Pong is one of the venerated institutions everyone knows, yet so many former practitioners pretend not to remember. It is a rite of passage for college students across many lands, and one that has stood the test of time, even if it can sometimes get messy.
But Bri Duffy and the Cannacrew at High Society, the RI-based Cannabis Event company, are finding a new riff on the old classic. Bong Pong.
“I saw it online, and immediately started looking into it,” says Bri Duffy, co-founder of High Society. It turns out, the reinvention is only a few months old and is the brainchild of a Massachusetts-based company.
Bong Pong is what it sounds like – the classic game, with silicone bongs filling in for ye olde solo cups. The bongs have built-in one-hitters, and when your opponent lands that tossed ping-pong ball in one of your bongs, you take a rip.
The first round of events will set 16 teams of two in an elimination bracket, with a $500 prize – and goodies – for the winning team. The first one will take place Saturday, June 21 and Saturday, August 2, from 1 to 6pm at Bodega on Smith, where there will be plates of BBQ served old-school, mom-and-pop-style. There will be drinks and a dab bar as well. It’s $50 to participate, but you can also come to watch, just for the food or the dab, or simply to be a part of history in the making.
“The hits will be different strains, so there may be some strategy involved,” Duffy says. Will people get better or sloppier as the game goes on? “I think that depends on the person,” says Duffy, who made sure to test the game before arranging the tournament. “And the strain. Some people might get better, more focused.” Or the giggles could throw your aim off.
“We’re doing three of these this year, including one in Massachusetts,” explains Duffy, “And the winners will be invited to a final championship.” Kits for your at home version will be available as well. At about $120, Duffy says, “It’s a pretty good price considering how many bongs you get!” Since components are imported and will be affected by the tariff wars, this may turn out to be a limited-time offer.
The series is sponsored by Aura of Rhode Island, OG local grower Bonszai Buds, and Ocean State Curated Cannabis (OSCC). “We’re also expecting a really big name in sports, but we can’t talk about that yet until paperwork has been signed,” teases Duffy.
High Society has other interesting events planned for the summer featuring cultivators, cannabis team players and change-makers. This month, High Society is sponsoring long-standing cannapreneurs Bobby and Bailey Nuggz for a women-in-cannabis-focused Coffee & Cannabis night on June 22 (including an Aura-sponsored hat customization station!). High End Events Company is holding from 5 – 8pm at Terrazza in Smithfield. Find out more about all their outings at highsocietyri.com
Bodega on Smith
373 Smith St, PVD
bodegaonsmith.com
Photo c/o Bong Pong.
