Dana Larsen: 4/20 returns to Sunset Beach
Vancouver’s world-famous 4/20 cannabis protest festival will be returning to Sunset Beach in 2020 for the fifth year. Why protest?

Cannabis Culture / Flickr
Vancouver’s world-famous 4/20 cannabis protest festival will be returning to Sunset Beach in 2020 for the fifth year. Why protest?
Cannabis Culture / Flickr
Vancouver’s world-famous 4/20 cannabis protest festival will be returning to Sunset Beach in 2020 for the fifth year.
If you’re one of those people asking why we’re still having a cannabis protest post-legalization, here’s a dozen reasons to get started:
The theme for this year’s 4/20 is “No More Drug War”. We stand in solidarity with the movement to end drug prohibition and the brutal war on drug users. We support calls from all B.C. public health officials and front-line workers to decriminalize drug users and create a safe drug supply.
Just like in 2018, the nonprofit society that runs 4/20 paid to cover all city, park, and provincial costs for 2019, other than those of the Vancouver Police Department.
The city was paid $29,410 for services such as sanitation, traffic control, fire and rescue, et cetera. The park board got $45,291 for all of its 420-related costs. 4/20 also paid $15,479 to the province to cover use of B.C. Emergency Health Services.
This totals over $90,000, which doesn’t include all the many other significant event-related costs such as toilets, security, first aid, fencing, staging, turf protection, and so on.
It costs over $250,000 to put on this free public farmers market and concert, money which is raised from booth reservations, advertising, and donations from Vancouver’s cannabis community. In 2019 we were also able to donate $4,200 each to the CKNW Kids Fund, the Variety Children’s Charity, and the Overdose Prevention Society.
It’s worth keeping in mind that Vancouver’s 4/20 is the only protest in Canada which is refused a permit and yet voluntarily offers to pay all these civic costs.
As an organizer for 4/20, I can confirm that we have already applied for a 2020 permit from the Park Board. Who knows? Maybe they’ll grant one this time. It can’t hurt to keep asking. Last time the Park Board voted on a permit, it was very close, with just one less vote for a permit than against.
We’ve already been having planning meetings with civic departments including VPD, Vancouver Coastal Health, park rangers, emergency services, traffic control, transit, sanitation, etc. Like every year, we work to ensure 4/20 is well-organized, safe and fun for everyone!
After 25 years, 4/20 has become a Vancouver institution and an internationally recognized event. People come from across Canada & around the world to participate and enjoy BC’s cannabis culture. Our protest festival generates millions in revenue for Vancouver restaurants, hotels, hospitality and tourism.
We had over 150,000 people join us for 4/20 2019, to stand in solidarity with the global cannabis liberation movement, to participate in the world’s greatest cannabis farmer’s market, and to enjoy wonderful music including Snotty Nosed Rez Kids and Cypress Hill.
4/20 will probably be just as big this year, maybe a bit smaller since it’s on a Monday instead of a Saturday.
We’re not ready to announce this year’s musical acts yet, but stay tuned!
If you want to volunteer or learn about other opportunities to participate in 4/20, visit our website at 420Vancouver.com.
We’ll see you at Sunset Beach on April 20!