4/20 set to return to Vancouver with pair of unsanctioned events

Cannabis aficionados are expected to turn out in large numbers on Thursday as annual 4/20 festivities return to Vancouver at two separate locations.

Neither event has been sanctioned by the City of Vancouver.

One gathering is scheduled at Thornton Park at Main Street and Terminal Avenue, where organizers say they’ll set up a cannabis farmer’s market and are promoting the rolling of what they claim will be the “world’s largest joint.”

The other event is slated to take place at Sunset Beach Park, which has been the main location of numerous 4/20 events in recent years and the subject of significant controversy.

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In an email, the Vancouver Park Board told Global News it has not had contact with organizers for this event.

It said it was aware of the Sunset Beach event, and stressed that it had not issued any permits to organizers, who it said had failed to meet special events permitting terms including liability insurance, permit fees, adequate ground protection and safety and traffic management plans.

“That said, we respect residents’ Charter of Rights to protest, while ensuring public safety, protecting park assets and minimizing impacts to the adjacent neighbourhood and park users,” the park board said.

“As such, we are acting out of an abundance of caution and closing nearby facilities to ensure staff and public safety and support the neighbouring community.”

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Closures will include the Vancouver Aquatics Centre and the Sunset Beach washrooms, concession and parking lot.

Last year’s 4/20 event was staged outside the Vancouver Art Gallery, the event’s home for several decades before moving to Sunset Beach.

Participants have maintained that despite cannabis legalization, the event is a protest, not a festival.

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Organizers of the 2022 event told Global News they needed to protest because cannabis had become too expensive for B.C.’s most vulnerable populations.

Opponents maintain the gatherings are unlicensed festivals that unfairly take advantage of taxpayers.

According to a leaked memo from Vancouver city staff, the 2018 event cost taxpayers more than $583,000.

Over the past 29 years, Vancouver’s 4/20 events have grown to attract tens of thousands of attendees, along with high-profile musical acts like Cypress Hill, who performed at Sunset Beach in 2019.