April 20 has become a national cannabis holiday with celebrations held all over. While we wish we could be everywhere at once, we were able to make it out to quite a few 420 events. Check out our first-hand accounts as well as the great things we heard about other 420 festivities.
420 at The Reefinery
It’s about 11am at The Reefinery (formerly known as Sherman Oaks Health Center – SOHC). Two men man a grill in a corner of the parking lot charbroiling chicken and beef for patients of the pre-ICO collective located at the corner of Oxnard and Kester. Inside, it’s more than business as usual as an across-the-board 25 percent discount on flower and concentrates, plus the promise of a free goodie bag, drives in the regulars. Staff and patients are on a first-name basis with most of the people who walk through the door, and the mood on this 420 is light and festive. By 1pm, the shop had had its best day since relocating from North Hollywood three years ago. The Reefinery also regularly has vendors provide in-store promotions, and yesterday was no exception. Some set up booths while others provided free handouts in the goodis bags. They included Vet CBD, E2 THC, Edipure, Delta 9, KIVA, Lowell Farms, Pickled Monkey, Papa & Barkley, Emu, Pure Nirvana, and XXX Edibles. –Tom Hymes
420 Turns Golden Gate Park Green
Thousands of Bay Area residents turned out for the 420 gathering held at Golden Gate Park. Food Trucks were ready for the big appetites worked up at the smoky park. With around 15,000 showing up, the food trucks certainly must have stayed busy. Despite the large crowd, it seems everyone behaved. No significant damage was reported.
Lifted and Gifted on 420
Dozens of Angelenos from the art, music, and cannabis world gathered together in a loft in downtown for the Lifted and Gifted 420 dinner hosted by the cannabis lifestyle agency High Standards. The loft had a soft glow of sting lights snaking across the ceiling and a small keyboard in the corner helmed by singer/songwriter, pianist, poet, and freedom fighter, HYIM.
First up from chef Lisa was a red lettuce salad with jicomo shavings, rainbow carrots and blueberry dressing. But, before the salad arrived a Blue Dream vape cartridge was passed around courtesy of Absolute Extracts.
The second course began with a few puffs of Lemon OG courtesy of Lola Lola and some of the most tender and juicy beef kabobs I have ever tasted topped off with roasted corn and potatoes. The combination was perfect and the room began to come alive.
As HYIM crooned in his deep, smoky growl, desert was served, which included a sweet Pineapple Afghani vape from Absolute Extracts, a delicious merengue bombe glacee, grilled pineapple bourbon caramel ice cream and a chocolate treat from Hippo Treats. By now, everyone seemed to, well, know everyone, as people table hopped and compared notes.
Also sponsored by Get Vaporous, Reznext Extracts, Quality Concentrates, and THC Design, the evening was a 420 success by bringing together a cross section of urbanites to mingle, sample great cannabis brands, and enjoy top-notch food and music. – Rob Hill
Chillin’ in the Garden of Weeden
Jacquie Aiche and Bianca Green threw a ‘sweet leaf celebration” yesterday at the noted designer’s Beverly Hills showroom, attracting a few dozen beautiful people for a chill afternoon of doobs, drinks, tacos and treats. Industry peeps and a few cannabis-loving celebs showed up for what turned out to be a glorious afternoon of good conversation, delicious authentic Mexican cuisine, homemade desserts, and the sweet smell of cannabis. Over by 6pm, it was an ideal pre-mixer leading up to the evening’s more crowded 420 celebrations. The event was sponsored by FruitLust, a new flavored vape line by Emerald Family Farms. –Tom Hymes
MedMen Packed on 420
West Hollywood has a lot of dispensaries, but MedMen stands out at its storefront location on Santa Monica Blvd. So, this 4/20 found the line to buy product stayed consistently at ten to 20 people deep all day, with vendors lining the showroom floor. Local NBCLA news crew did a live segment in front of the store, during their 5pm broadcast.
Hundreds of samples were given away by the end of the day. Companies representing at MedMen included: VCC Brands, Legion of Bloom, House of Jane, Altai Brands, Papa & Barkley, House of Marley, Honey Vapes and accessory brand Van der Pop.
MedMen Marketing Director Tian Martinez said the West Hollywood store usually hosts vendors weekly, from Thursday through Sunday; so, 4/20 is just like one of their promo days on steroids. Martinez added live demos and giveaways are important for brands to become established. And except for a little break mid-afternoon, MedMen patients took advantage of hourly deals, raffles, BOGOs and all around 4/20 fun. – Joanne Chachapero
Surf—and Sales—are Up at 99 High Tide Collective on 420
It’s 4:20PM on 420 and the parking lot of Malibu’s premiere collective, 99 High Tide, is choked with food trucks. Across the sun-dappled PCH HWY the valet’s are setting up shop at the tony NOBU sushi restaurant favored by Hollywood elites. But today it’s all about cannabis.
99 is not only celebrating 420 with a party in their lot, but are also toasting their two-year anniversary. There’s a free smoothie truck sponsored by JETTY Extracts and an all-day buy-one-get-one-free vape cartridge deal offered by JETTY and Kurvana. And there’s more: free massages, all-start gift bags, a DJ, an art exhibit, a raffle, and plenty of vegan food.
Inside, the mermaid cove-themed lobby is packed. I casually ask one of the longtime budtenders if she’s ever seen it like this and she says, “No, never, not like this.” Sweet salty sea breeze and cannabis scented candles burn throughout the shop as budtenders scramble to keep up with demand. What’s selling? In short, everything!
“People really are loving the vape cartridge deal we are offering, but also asking a lot about CBD products,” the budtender tells me.
After my free Reiki session, I head to the smoothie truck for a cold mango one. I ask a longtime local if he’s enjoying the day.
He smiles at me and says: “Oh, yes. This is like OUR St. Patricks Day.” –Rob Hill
Viceland Rocks 420 until the plug is pulled
Viceland (“It’s a TV channel”) threw a 420 party in downtown LA last night that was one of the hottest tickets in town. Held at the Well Salon & Store on Olive, the minimalist space is comprised of three large spaces, one of which is outside. Once inside, partygoers moved from room to room, finally making it outside where the food stations were set up and the Viceland double-decker bus was parked for people to climb up on the roof. The patio area was also where people could enjoy freebies handed out by a handful of vendors with booths in the middle room, Samples of flower, edibles, and oil were all available free of charge. All was good until the fire marshals strode in at about 9pm. Capacity had obviously been breached. The party was shut down and everyone was told to leave. Outside, a dozen black-and-whites convened to make sure that the most well-behaved group of people at any party in the city last night made an orderly exit. –Tom Hymes
High Times goes swanky for 420
Another popular 420 party last night was the High Times Magazine + Tidal X 420 Celebration at Boulevard 3, a swanky club on Sunset that lent a decidedly upscale bent to the festivities. The evening was a celebration not only of 420, but also of Damian Marley’s new album, Stony Hill, which is also the name of his Denver cannabis dispensary. A two-story venue featuring lots of intimate seating areas upstairs, the club got increasingly crowded as the evening wore on until there was barely room to move. It was an eclectic gathering os people, however, an interesting mish-mash of people with intimate knowledge of the cannabis industry, and those who want to know more. –Tom Hymes
