SF’s Official 420 Hippie Hill Celebration Is Canceled. Where Else Can You Celebrate (Legally)?

For decades, stoners from the Bay Area and beyond have made a pilgrimage to Hippie Hill in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park on April 20 — to collectively combust their favorite plant in observance of 420.

However, like last year, 2025’s “official” 420 celebration at Hippie Hill has been canceled, as both event organizers and the city said they lacked the resources to hold the celebration this year.

• Jump straight to: What does the law say about smoking cannabis in public in San Francisco?

Despite the cancellation, many people are still likely to descend on the park to celebrate, in a nod to the grassroots beginning of the holiday. For almost a decade, it’s been legal in California for people age 21 years or older to buy and use marijuana — with some important caveats.

So, for those who plan to celebrate cannabis’ marquee day by sparking up some “jazz cabbage” of their own, keep reading to find out how and where to mark 420 safely and legally in 2025.

What is the San Francisco 420 celebration?

In the years before cannabis was legalized in California in 2016, 420 in San Francisco was an informal — but still well-attended — gathering of devoted potheads.

Every year on April 20, cannabis enthusiasts would gather on Hippie Hill overlooking Robin Williams Meadow (formerly Sharon Meadow) in Golden Gate Park and enjoy the drug by sparking up collectively at 4:20 p.m., producing a cloud of weed smoke worthy of a false alarm to the fire department. (As for why “420” came to mean “marijuana,” you can read or listen to KQED Bay Curious’ episode on how five San Rafael high school students coined the phrase back in the 1970s.)

Over the years, the increasing popularity of the informal San Francisco 420 event brought growing pains, culminating in 2016 with reports of violence, theft and 11 tons of trash being left behind by attendees, putting it at “risk of being shut down,” according to the event’s website. But that 2016 voter-approved measure that legalized cannabis statewide also provided the opportunity for organizers to apply for permits, and in 2017, they formally sought the city’s blessing to turn the Hippie Hill 420 party into an officially-sanctioned bud-bonanza.

Since then, the celebration has morphed from an informal gathering of hacky sacks and drum circles into a highly produced event, complete with increased amenities like portable restrooms and medical services, within a fenced-off perimeter with security. That is, until …

The SF 420 event is canceled for a second year in a row. Why?

In short, it’s the same reasons as last year. Citing a struggling cannabis industry and city budget cuts, organizers canceled the celebration in 2024 — and those same economic conditions have forced the same outcome this year.

“ There were conversations with organizers early on to see the feasibility of having the 420 festival, but because of economic challenges within the cannabis industry, organizers couldn’t secure sponsorships” for the 2025 event, said Daniel Montes, San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department communications manager.

Montes also said that “city budget cuts” had affected the department’s “ability to cover staffing for the event.”

Will people still gather at Hippie Hill on 420 even if the official event is canceled?

If last year is any indication, then yes. Despite the cancellation of the official 420 festivities in 2024, hundreds of people still showed up to Robin Williams Meadow to keep the tradition alive.

For a second year running, the city is seeking to activate the area with alternate — and decidedly non-weed-themed — events in lieu of any official 420 celebration, partnering with coed sports league Volo Sports to hold an event called “Peace, Love and Volo Field Day.”

The event will feature volleyball and kickball tournaments in Robin Williams Meadow, adjacent to Hippie Hill, and according to the city, “mark[s] a shift from the traditional cannabis culture celebration that previously took place in the park on that day.”

This means less hype, but also fewer services, like security or porta potties, and the prospect of consuming cannabis in public without the city’s blessing.

What does the law say about consuming or possessing cannabis in San Francisco?

It is legal for anyone age 21 and older to buy and use cannabis in California. “But, like tobacco and alcohol, there are laws that you need to follow,” warns the City of San Francisco’s know-your-rights page on consuming cannabis.

No matter your age, it is illegal to consume cannabis in public in California — including places like parks, sidewalks and beaches. The only place that legal cannabis consumption is permitted is in a private residence, like your home or someone else’s — or another place that has applied for the appropriate permits.

Events like San Francisco’s 420 festival apply for such permits to allow the legalized consumption of cannabis. It’s similar to how an event like Oktoberfest might apply for a permit to operate a beer garden, said Ken Seligson, the principal attorney at Seligson Law, a cannabis law firm.

“ These designated events are given that leeway because there are security and safety protocols that are required to have an event like that,” Seligson said.

With no official 420 celebration happening this year, it will be technically illegal to consume cannabis in public in Golden Gate Park this year. However, as many San Franciscans know, the day-to-day realities in San Francisco can be quite different.

“ I think the risk would be low — but not zero — to show up on 420 and consume cannabis in Golden Gate Park,” said Seligson.

Seligson said that generally, people are less likely to get busted for consuming cannabis in public in San Francisco because “ police have discretion in enforcing these rules and they have priorities. Cannabis is one of the lowest priorities for enforcement in San Francisco.”

The penalty for consuming cannabis in a public place is an infraction of up to $100 for adults. But that penalty goes up if you’re caught smoking cannabis in a place where tobacco is prohibited — or within 1,000 feet of a school, day care center or youth center while children are present.

‘ That’s where you might see the discretion of a police officer,” Seligson said.

What about smoking or carrying cannabis on federal land like the Presidio?

The Bay Area is blessed with a multitude of scenic properties that are owned by the federal government, which could strike someone as the perfect place to (ahem) take a walk with some friends.

But Seligson said cannabis consumers should be aware that the chances of police enforcing cannabis law is much higher on federal property — and the penalty is much more harsh. Possession of any amount of cannabis on federal land is a misdemeanor offense and can carry a maximum sentence of 1 year in prison or a maximum fine of $1,000.

“ Do not bring your cannabis, and do not smoke your cannabis in the Presidio,” Seligson said.

Other notable federally-owned properties in the San Francisco area include Alcatraz Island, the Marin Headlands and Ocean Beach.

“Cannabis remains federally classified as a schedule one controlled substance, meaning any cannabis use, possession or distribution on federal property is illegal,” Seligson said. “There is no leeway there, and there is enforcement as well.”

Are there any other 420 events happening in San Francisco on 420?

Yes. For a second year in a row, SF Space Walk — formerly known as SF Weed Week — brings a weeklong celebration of cannabis culture to the city from April 13 through April 20.

For those who want to stay in Golden Gate Park, Crucial Reggae Sundays, a weekly free Reggae concert located at the Bandshell between the Cal Academy and the De Young Museum, will feature Prezident Brown playing with a live band.

In Oakland, the Church of Ambrosia — a “nondenominational, interfaith religious organization that supports the use and safe access of all entheogenic plants, with a focus on cannabis and magic mushrooms” — is holding an “adults-only easter egg hunt,” offering “over $10,000 worth of vouchers issued by the church” as prizes.

This story was originally published on April 10.