As I’m sure we all know, the famous unofficial Mary Jane holiday is right around the corner. With so many places around the U.S. now offering marijuana either for medicinal and recreational purposes it should come as no surprise that the country is now full of things for you to go out and do to celebrate this holiday.
Whether you’re living in a state where you can legally purchase marijuana or you plan to be visiting one this 4/20, you will want to have an idea of what kinds of events are there waiting for you.
Colorado Events
Merry Jane Wellness Retreat Featuring Snoop Dogg and More
This Wellness Retreat is headed into its third annual event and with a killer concert line up. Considering they will be featuring Snoop as their headliner alongside Future and many others this is likely to be the event to be at if you’re a big music fan. The event will be held on 4/20 and tickets are currently available, though last year they sold out so make plans for this one sooner rather than later!
High Times Cannabis Cup Awards
Of course, we were all looking forward to another great big High Times Cannabis Cup event to take place in Colorado this year – unfortunately between issues with permits, hopes of securing a larger venue and timing just didn’t work in their favor this year. Instead, High Times will be hosting the Cannabis Cup Awards, a first annual event on 4/19 where strains will be judged by a panel of experts, followed by performances by Cypress Hill among others.
Washington
Surprisingly, this is the longest running event on the list, this year being the 25th annual Seattle Hempfest. The “protestival” as it is described on their website has been a part of Seattle culture for quite some time, with more and more popularity since the legalization of marijuana. Stages will be filled with speakers and music throughout the event as well as 400 vendors with food, arts and crafts and much more. This 420 style celebration takes place in August each year, and not actually on 4/20. But I included it in this list in case you want to check it out.
Cannabis Comedy “The Green Show”
With two showings in April on the 16th and the 20th, this is an excellent alternative to the big festival events. Enjoy a improve-style comedy show in Seattle that is aimed at all things 420 friendly will keep you laughing for hours – especially if you toke up before you go to enjoy the show (which is encouraged)!
Oregon
Take the ORHistory 420 Bus tour to get a feel for the history of cannabis in the state of Oregon. The tour will take you to multiple locations throughout the Portland area that are significant to Oregon’s marijuana movement – there will also be a stop at Collective Awakenings dispensary to purchase some smoke which is followed by a group discussion on why marijuana culture is such a big deal. (Personally, bus and trolley tours are always a great way to see a new place in my opinion…) There will be two, two hour tours available on 4/20.
California
This particular event is only open to those who are of age and have a doctor’s recommendation for cannabis in the state of California. However, if you are a California resident looking to make plans this event looks like it might be worth going to for the gift bag alone – which is said to include a t-shirt, MECCA cookie, pet cannabis CBD lotion, Wax Shatter, THC edibles, Kief, Hash and a couple of strains of flower – however be aware that while entry is free a minimum $60 donation is required for the gift bag (but that sounds like a hell of a deal to me).
D.C.
With D.C. being one of the most recent places to pass marijuana legalization it’s no surprise that they would be jumping into the celebration scene too. The first annual National Cannabis Festival will be held The Festival Grounds at RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. on Saturday April 23rd. The event will include food, live music and tons of educational opportunities. A years’ worth of planning as gone into this big event that aims to celebrate the progress we’ve seen in marijuana reform and a way to celebrate the activists who have helped make it happen as well.
Oh wait – there’s more…
These are definitely not the only events that will be taking place over the weekends prior and following the April 20th holiday- but they are definitely the ones that look as though they have the most potential for a great celebration. There’s a little bit of something for everyone, education, contests, tours, concerts and more – no matter what type of cannabis consumer you are there is an event out there to keep you busy during the holiday.
If you get to attend any of these events, or know of other events in the country that people might want to know about, then let us know in the comments! It’s exciting to see cannabis become such a mainstream thing that these festivals and parties are able to happen out in the open – when a couple of decades ago, any stoner celebrating 4/20 would have had to keep everything a secret from the public. It’s events like these that show us just how far we have come with acceptance of cannabis and cannabis culture here in the U.S.
Gel stadium? Especially because of “events” in D.C. it should include a rally on the great lawn. No permit?. Its a gathering of minds on our capitals streets. Make it known on viceland!