In 2016, April 20th takes place on a Wednesday. Despite the fact that you’ll be celebrating 420 in the middle of the week this year, there will be loads of celebrations all over the world!
If you’re not familiar with 420, it’s basically the largest celebration of cannabis all year long. Legend has it that a group of high school students in California would get together at 4:20 PM every day to smoke weed and listen to the Grateful Dead. Since then, it’s grown into a big celebration with smokeouts and bud competitions, all over the world.
Here are the best places to celebrate 420!
1. Vancouver, B.C.
Celebrate 420 on a beach near the amazing city of Vancouver! Smokeout Vancouver is the city’s biggest party in celebration of weed. This fun event has been going for over 20 years and attracts around 30,000 people. If you want to give back to the community, you can volunteer at the event - or just come and listen to the awesome live music.
2. Denver, CO
The Denver 420 Festival is an absolutely epic way to celebrate cannabis and the 420 holiday. Most people know Denver as the best place to celebrate 420, and many are starting to call the city the “new Amsterdam.” Join the world’s largest cannabis rally in Civic Center downtown, and participate in the three-day High Times Cannabis Cup with a concert series and awards!
3. San Francisco, CA
Gather on Hippie Hill (near Haight-Ashbury) on April 20th to celebrate 420 in the city that brought you the hippie subculture! Don’t miss Hempcon in the Bay Area during the days leading up to 420, either - with loads of live music and parties, you’ll get even more excited for Wednesday the 20th!
4. Amsterdam
The best days for cannabis in Amsterdam are behind us, as the city has sought to tighten some restrictions on accessing pot there. However, the pot mecca of old is still an amazing place to go to celebrate 420. Go to a cafe or a bar, buy some cannabis, and smoke up while you enjoy your beverage. Check out the Amsterdam 420 Festival outside of downtown City Hall and enjoy a full day of weed-related activities.
5. London
Hyde Park is the center of annual 420 activities in London. Gather together with thousands of cannabis lovers this year and watch awesome performances and listen to great music. Rumor has it that some A-list celebrities like to go to London for 420, so keep your eyes open! Cannabis is still a controlled substance in the United Kingdom and people have gotten arrested in previous years, so make sure to be responsible when you go!
6. Copenhagen
The city of Copenhagen is special because, unlike other cities, it has a green light district! Called Christiania, this area is also known as Copenhagen’s hippie district. Cars aren’t allowed here, so if you go visit on 420, walk or bike! Interestingly, Christiania has a special law that allows cannabis to be bought and sold legally, so plan to spend the day here and enjoy!
7. Prague
You probably don’t think of Eastern Europe when you think of pot, but believe it or not, Prague is very open-minded to ganja and even has a food truck...for pot only. The Czech Republic adopted the concept of medicinal cannabis pretty early on, and you can go to bars where finding pot is as easy as getting a drink.
8. Seattle, WA
Washington state was the second state in the United States to legalize cannabis. 2015 was the first year that local pot shops stayed open for the holiday and sold some of the area’s most popular strains ahead of the big day. It was a great success, so they’re doing it again this year! Check out HEMPFEST, a huge festival of 420 lovers (both Seattle and Denver claim to have the largest 420 events) and some of these local Seattle cannabis reviews before your trip.
This article was written by Cathy Trainor.