From blocks away you could smell the marijuana permeating from the 2022 Mile High 420 Festival. As you got closer you began to see hordes of people laughing, shopping, dancing, and hanging out in the center of Downtown Denver.
Colorado, along with Washington became the first state to legalize recreational cannabis with the passing of amendment 64 in 2012. Since then, 16 other states have followed suit leading the way for Cannabis legislation in the US.
“At home weed culture is so different. There are a lot of people that look down on those who smoke, and because it’s not legal you can get in a lot of trouble if you’re caught” said North Carolina native Scott Chekan.
The Mile High 420 Festival is an event like no other, and as the largest weed festival in the world, it is a perfect testament to the attitudes and culture around weed here in Denver.
From the moment you walk into Civic Center Park in downtown Denver, it is hard not to find someone with a joint in hand. If they don’t, it is just because they’ve already passed it to their friends.
“Ive never seen anything like this before” said Jessica Mattox, “Everyone is just hanging out and friendly and high. There is an amazing energy here that I love”.
The main stage of the festival sat right in front of the State capital, with the golden top of the building peeking out behind a sign reading “Mile High 420 Festival”. The park hosted thousands of people and artists such as Lil Jon, Big Boi, and Talib Kweli took the stage throughout the day.
As Kweli’s “Get By” played, some people got excited, pushing towards the front of the crowd to dance and jam to the beat. However, a majority of the crowd, instead, is sitting or laying, basking in the sun and enjoying the beautiful day and great music.
“Its a stoner festival, they can’t expect us to dance! We all just wanna hang out and sit and smoke” said festival attendee Melanie Davis who seemed slightly annoyed at the more upbeat music.
Her point is clear, as throughout the venue are small groups of friends sitting on blankets sharing their weed and laughing together, letting the music fall into the background.
As the music plays throughout the venue, attendees explore the many booths lining the edge of the park as well.
Here, there is everything from Grateful Dead sweatshirts, to crystals, to pipes for smoking.
Blazy Susan, a smoking accessory brand popular for its cute and more girly aesthetic was handing out their signature pink rolling papers to people passing by.
“I have the best job in the world” said Tyler Madden, one of the employees at the Blazy Susan booth, “the weed industry is growing so much, especially here in Denver, and I get to witness it first hand”.
Across from the dozens of booths a plethora of food trucks were lined up serving tacos, greek food, breakfast food, and more. The lines stretched across the street and far into the park on the other side as hungry festival-goers tried and satisfy their munchies.
As people got their food a man was coming around as well, documenting the festival’s food scene and asking people what their favorite munchie food is when they’re high in true 420 Festival style.
“I don’t know if weed will ever be legal in North Carolina, at least not for some time, but I can’t wait until it is. Today is a perfect example of how weed brings people together in such a positive way and can be a great thing” said Chekan.
MFJS Reporter Spring 2022 
I’m glad that you covered such an exciting and fun event. As someone who used to live in San Francisco, every 4/20 the entirety of Golden Gate Park was just flooded with people. There was also live music there and tons of other events in the park where many people gathered to listen to music and have a good time.
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I agree with Taj. With the legalization in marijuana in many states, the celebration aspect of a day or an event is community building. I also remember the 4/20 events in San Francisco and how lively and upbeat it was. I like the final quote about how it brings people together.
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I think this was a very fun and interesting event to cover as you got to review the food, music, atmosphere and the people. I think the quotes you chose were perfect for this article and really showed what the crowd thought of the event and on the progression of the acceptance of marijuana. The last quote really ties in the entire event. Also, the information on when weed was legalized in Colorado and the progression of its acceptance was important background information and was very well integrated.
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I love that you covered this event because it shows how marijuana is becoming less taboo as time goes by. I also liked that you provided background information about the legalization of the drug in Colorado. What I really liked about this article is that you touched on the different aspects that were at the festival, from the food to the crowd to the music.
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