The 4/20 Vancouver Smoke Out is a controversial weed-themed festival that celebrates marijuana and pot culture. It takes place on April 20th most years.
The event started out years ago as a protest, but, especially now that cannabis is legal in Canada, it’s arguably really just a giant free festival.
Other events that happen during that week include the Surrey Vaisakhi Festival, Burnaby Block Party, Abbotsford Tulip Festival and Sweet Spring at Greendale Acres. There is also a Take It To The Limit Eagles Tribute Concert in Surrey, and the first day of the Vancouver International Wine Festival was on Sunday, April 22nd.
For details about what else is taking place in the Lower Mainland, see our Vancouver April Calendar or article about What’s Happening in Vancouver This Weekend. To learn more about Vancouver’s giant cannabis festival at Sunset Beach, continue reading.
4/20 Vancouver at Sunset Beach
The 420 Vancouver festival would have celebrated its 26th year on April 20th in 2020. However, due to the ban on large gatherings caused by COVID-19 the festival was cancelled that year. The usual event didn’t happen in 2021 or 2022 either.
In 2022 a new team of organizers hosted a 420 celebration outside the Vancouver Art Gallery with live music, guest speakers and more. The event was put together by the World Cannabis Organization. It hosted another 420 celebration in 2023, but at a different location.
420 Vancouver in 2023
In 2023 the 420 Vancouver event took place at Sunset Beach on Thursday, April 20th. The event ran from noon until 10:00 pm.
Sunset Beach is located at 1204 Beach Drive which is at the entrance to False Creek between the Burrard Street Bridge and English Bay Beach.
420 Vancouver is always a large event and attracts thousands of people in normal years. Folks travel from all over to see it.
What to Expect
At the 420 Vancouver event you can expect to see thousands of people, hundreds of market stalls and all kinds of marijuana-related products, paraphernalia and souvenirs. There are usually T-shirts and tie-died clothing to buy, pot-infused edibles to check out, weed to purchase and clouds of smoke and smells in the air.
The 2023 event also featured guest speakers covering a variety of cannabis-related topics. Bands play live music at the event as well, there are people openly smoking dope, and there is often a police presence (although officers are there primarily just to make sure nothing gets too far out of hand, not to arrest people).
The History of 4/20 and the Vancouver Event
The 4/20 movement began in California in the 1970s as a pot-smoking social event among a small group of friends. It developed into a movement, though as a protest against laws criminalizing the use of marijuana. The event gets its name from the date the event has always taken place on – April 20th, or 4/20.
420 Vancouver is one of a number of 4/20 events that sprang up around North America. The first Vancouver 4/20 protest took place in 1995 at Victory Square in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side. A couple of years later the event moved to the plaza outside the Vancouver Art Gallery where it remained until 2015.
At its new downtown venue the crowds grew from just over 1,000 people in the first year or so up to over 30,000 by the end. In 2016 the event moved to its most recent location at Sunset Beach.
After not happening in 2020 and 2021, a new team of organizers hosted a different event outside the Vancouver Art Gallery in 2022. World Cannabis hosted another event in 2023, but back at Sunset Beach once again.
In 2023, two 420 events took place in Vancouver. The organizers of the event that happened at Sunset Beach is a different group from the one that has hosted the event at Sunset Beach in the past. The organizers of the event that used to take place at Sunset Beach hosted a smaller event at Thornton Park this past year. This other park is located in front of Pacific Central Station which is right by the Main Street-Science World SkyTrain Station.
Why is it so Controversial?
420 Vancouver is a controversial event for a number of reasons. An obvious one is its theme. Pot and cannabis culture are controversial topics, and especially so until they were legalized in Canada in 2018.
In more recent years 420 Vancouver has been controversial because of the extensive damage it causes each year, its costs to the city and its continued ignoring of municipal bylaws (like that of no smoking in public parks).
Each year, since moving to Sunset Beach, there have been thousands of dollars of damage to the park’s lawns because of the crowds of people involved. Especially in years with rainy weather, the lawns get trashed. 420 Vancouver is a “protest,” however, and not a “festival,” or so it still claims. As a result it has to-date managed to avoid these huge expenses (much to the frustration of some local taxpayers).
Now that cannabis is legal in Canada, the 2023 event was held as a protest for Canadians to have fair and more affordable access to cannabis. It’s also a celebration of the cannabis community while trying to fight against government control.
Who Goes to Vancouver’s 4/20 event?
A lot of the attendees of the event go for the weed and “pot culture.” They also show up because they support the festival’s protest history and the camaraderie of the movement and the festival. Many also attend to stock up on marijuana. At the same time, however, many attendees also just go because they are curious, or want to enjoy the free concerts and festive atmosphere.
Not everyone at 420 Vancouver is a pothead, and many in fact have never actually smoked a joint (although they are definitely in the minority).
Despite being a controversial event involving various substances, and despite the fact that smoking in public isn’t permitted and that second-hand smoke can be harmful to one’s health – if you ignore all that – 420 Vancouver is a surprisingly family-friendly event. You’ll see people there of all ages, but especially young adults as well as older folk who enjoy pot culture.
Tips & Advice
Below is some extra information to help you make the most of your 420 experience.
TIP #1: If you plan to consume cannabis don’t drive afterwards. Plan how to get home in advance. And even if you don’t plan to “consume” any products, consider taking public transit anyways. Parking will be difficult and, if you stay for any period of time, unless you plan to wear a gas mask, you’ll likely breath enough smells to make you legally impaired anyways.
TIP #2: Just because the event takes place in public and there are police in the area, and nobody is getting arrested, doesn’t mean that products for sale are legal. Many of them aren’t. Marijuana can only be sold legally at and by officially-licensed stores and distributors (which vendors at the event are not). It is also illegal to sell pot to minors.
TIP #3: If buying and using drugs, including recently legalized ones, do so carefully if at all. Even otherwise “safe” drugs aren’t always safe (as evidenced by Vancouver and North America’s current fentanyl crisis). Drugs are addictive and drugs can kill. Also, smoking anything has health consequences. To be safe, buy your pot from an “authorized” dealer.
TIP #4: Even if you don’t plan to buy or consume any weed yourself, don’t attend 420 Vancouver if, soon after, you plan to (1) attend a job interview, (2) visit grandma or your boyfriend or girlfriend’s parents, or (3) take an international flight or cross the US border. Odds are, at least until you bath and wash your clothes, you’ll smell of pot.
TIP #5: If you have asthma or other respiratory ailments, or just don’t like the smell of pot, avoid the area if you can. The smell can be unpleasant and even overwhelming for some! For others though, they like it.
Other Information
For more information about this year’s event visit vancouver4202023.com. To learn more about the event in previous years click 420 Vancouver.
Note: In 2023 there was another 420 event in Vancouver. It took place at Thornton Park which is the green space at 1166 Main Street in front of Pacific Central Station. The park is near the Main Street-Science World SkyTrain Station.
For a list of other events see our April Calendar or click Festivals & Events.
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
- Free Events in April
- Vancouver on a Budget
- Vancouver’s Top Beaches
- English Bay Beach
- Vancouver’s West End
- Lower Mainland Farmers Markets
