Kicking off with programming on April 20, in honor of marijuana enthusiasts’ unofficial holiday “4/20,” the National Cannabis Festival is celebrating with programming throughout the D.C. area through April 28.
Beginning in 2015, the National Cannabis Festival is more than an annual event, but an organization that celebrates progress on cannabis legalization in Washington, D.C. and across the nation. While the festival, featuring performances, vendors and advocacy programming, is normally held in correlation with the April 20 holiday at the Festival Grounds at RFK Stadium, renovations have led to some slight changes.
“As many of you know, the RFK Grounds are preparing to undergo a major transformation, so we moved NCF from our usual April date to July when we know we’ll have unobstructed use of the festival grounds and nearby parking lots,” the National Cannabis Festival announced on its website in January.
Despite postponing the festival, the annual week-long 4/20 programming continued, beginning with a screening of “Pineapple Express” on April 20 at the Alamo Drafthouse.
At “Roll up for Reform” at Culta Columbia on April 23 at 6 p.m., representatives from Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Maryland NORML, and the Balanced Veterans Network will discuss their initiatives to advance the rights of cannabis patients and enthusiasts throughout the DMV.
On Thursday, April 24 at 6:30 p.m., will be a panel entitled: “Humanities D.C. Culture Series: The War on Drugs,” at Busboys and Poets on 14h Street in Northwest, D.C.
The final days of the week-long celebration will feature an organic soil building workshop ($10) on April 27, which will teach attendees the basics of soil and how to make it organically.
Participants will take home a 27-gallon tote of organic soil and a plant for use at home.
In addition to the festivities, 4/20 Food Week will take place throughout the DMV where customers can enjoy special menus and special offers from participating restaurants including Logan Tavern, El Sol, Little Miner Taco, and DC Brau from April 20-28.
The festival will close out with The National Cannabis Policy Summit on Monday, April 28 which will take place at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Northwest, D.C. This free event will feature policymakers, advocates, and industry leaders to discuss pressing issues like bi-partisan solutions to federal cannabis policy challenges and strategies for achieving equity in the evolving cannabis industry.
This year, the ninth annual National Cannabis Festival will take place at the Festival Grounds at RFK Campus on July 18-19.
“We’re so excited to host another epic National Cannabis Festival celebration at this critical time for cannabis advocacy,” said Phillips.
