UPCOMING EVENTS
420, 4:20, or 4/20 (pronounced four-twenty) is a
code-term that refers to the consumption of
Cannabis based on the number 420 and includes
smoking cannabis around the time 4:20 p.m
(16:20) on any given day, as well as smoking and
celebrating cannabis on the date April 20th.
A group of people in San Rafael, California, calling themselves the Waldos because "their
chosen hang-out spot was a wall outside the school", used the term in connection with a fall
1971 plan to search for an abandoned cannabis crop that they had learned about. The
Waldos designated the Louis Pasteur statue on the grounds of San Rafael High School as
their meeting place, and 4:20 p.m. as their meeting time.[5] The Waldos referred to this plan
with the phrase "4:20 Louis". Multiple failed attempts to find the crop eventually shortened
their phrase to simply "4:20", which ultimately evolved into a codeword that the teens used
to mean marijuana-smoking in general.
April 20 has become a counterculture holiday in North America, where people gather to
celebrate and consume cannabis. Some events have a political nature to them, advocating
for the legalization of cannabis. In fact, 4/20 (April 20) has come to be known in certain
circles as "Marijuana Appreciation Day," or simply "Weed Day." See pg for events
Statue of Louis Pasteur, at San Rafael High
School, which is said to be the site of the
original 4:20 gatherings.
4:20 event in Golden Gate Park,
San Francisco, April 20, 2013
Students and others gather for a "420 Day"
event in Porter Meadow at the University of
California, Santa Cruz, campus on April 20,
2007.