New York – 16 hours ago

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Looking for some green NYC events this weekend? 4/20 is usually a momentous occasion for stoners and chill Bohemian New Yorkers, but this year it’s bittersweet. As an insurgent cannabis industry — complete with big-ticket corporations, government kickbacks, and gatekeeping — takes over the city, the common cheefer gets left behind. We’ve compiled a list of free and low-cost events to help you mellow out properly on the holiday and some snack and munchy suggestions for the eventual come-down. Never forget when we used to sneak into staircases and onto rooftops for a taste of the sweet burning bush. Find a way to make this your personal escape.

Special Events and Tributes

New York Marijuana Dispensary Agent Training Seminar

Date – Sat Apr 22
Location – Find the virtual webinar at the link below.
It’s a well-known injustice that cannabis crackdowns jailed thousands of Black and Brown people to make room for an exploding legal industry that is mostly white now. That’s a devastating cycle in this country and it’s so predictable that we might label it intentional. Instead of falling prey to the latest version of that history, sign up to acquire your first certification on the road to becoming a licensed cannabis handler or vendor. It’s a way to break in and become part of a growing cannabis workforce.
Cost: $212.50

Puff in The Park ‘23

Date – Thurs Apr 20
Location – Prospect Park, Brooklyn (Register for location info)
A collective called “Black Girls Smoke” is holding a ganja appreciation session in Prospect Park and that’s all you need to know. Celebrate 420 with Black Girl Magic vibes and maybe even paint your nails as you light up.
Cost: Free

Puff, Pass and Paint

Date – Thurs Apr 20, Fri Apr 21
Location – 525 Nostrand, Bed Stuy (Buzz Bell 2)
Not gonna lie, this seems like an inherently better idea than Sip-n-Paint because the effects of cannabis psychedelia get most of us in a creative mood. You’ll get an 11 by 14 canvas and paint supplies but have to bring your own flowers. That’s a smart deal for a stoned beginner. A choose-your-bud adventure!
Cost: $43.28

Celebrate 4/20 with Okayplayer.

Rainbow Book Fair

Date – Sat Apr 22
Location – LGBT Center, West Village
The brave governors of our proud land are doing everything to bring us back to halcyon days of book-burning and mandated segregation. That means it’s the perfect time to celebrate queer authors before they’re forced further underground. Rainbow Book Fair bills itself the largest queer book fair in the U.S. and that’s a claim to support with your hard-earned dollars stuffing Black, Indigenous, queer, and femme authors’ pockets.
Cost: Free with a suggested donation of $3

Soul Slam: The Original Prince & Michael Jackson Music Tribute w/ DJ SPINNA

Date – Sat Apr 22
Location – House of Yes, Williamsburg
DJ Spinna is a seance master who brings the voices and ancestral spirits of Prince and Michael Jackson into a party blend for fanatics and newbies alike. Pull up to the House of Yes classic jam and hear at least one song you haven’t heard in five years.
Cost: $15 – $25

Earth Day Farmstand / Garden Tour & Snack-Making Session

Date – Sat Apr 22
Location – Phoenix Community Garden, Ocean Hill
Take your Earth Day stop to smell roses at Brooklyn’s Ocean Hill-Brownsville community garden where garden founder and soup kitchen director, Marcia Denson, offers tours of the green haven. You can volunteer, subscribe to fresh food boxes, build community, and finish with a harvesting and snack-prep demo.
Cost: Free

Shows This Week

Jeezy, T.I., Gucci Mane

Date – Sat Apr 22
Location – Barclay’s Center, Downtown Brooklyn
Once rivals, now long-term collaborators, Atlanta rappers have found a way into our rap legend rafters. Any one of this trifecta could headline, so it’s relieving to get the best of all three in one place.
Cost: From $95

Method Man, Redman, and Funk Flex

Date – Fri Apr 21
Location – Terminal 5, Hudson Yards
The hip-hop Cheech and Chong will be sufficiently baked (and pumped/green-juiced) for their New York stop at Terminal 5. The high ceiling of that venue and ample mezzanine space suggest a great environment for smoky recreation. Not to mention all the anthems that’ll keep you lifted as “How High” stars blaze the set.
Cost: $82.30

Date Nights

Chelsea Market, High Line & Hudson Yards Food & History Tour

Date – Thurs Apr 20
Location – The High Line, Chelsea
You and your absolutely smacked date will need to finish a beautiful 420 with copious munchies and great views. Assuming good weather, take this High Line tour which will fill in the blanks by deciding what to eat for you, and save the trouble of freezing for 20 minutes in a random deli wondering how you got in the storage cellar.
Cost: From $70.04

Jue Lan Club

Date – Until May 4th
Location – 49 W 20th, Gramercy
I swear by tri-state area Chinese food. Jue Lan Club is offering a $45-per-person prix-fixe menu that includes appetizer, entree, and dessert. Our socialite and writer Kia Turner says it’s an amazing choice for your buck. So, yes, we love that for you.
Cost: $45/person