What is 420? The ultimate cannabis festival explained

There’ll be high times today, as stoners celebrate their ‘marijuana holiday’ in the only way they know how.

But what is 420 and what does it even mean?

Well, it’s a day of celebration, when weed fiends across the globe can get together for a celebratory smoke.

The term ‘420’ is so synonymous with stoners it even has its own entry in the Oxford English Dictionary saying as much – in fact, it’s today’s ‘word of the day’.

According to the dictionary, 420 is “often used with reference to the time 4:20 or the date April 20th, considered as occasions for smoking or celebrating the smoking of marijuana.”

So how did April 20 become such a special day for weed lovers?

The most likely story relates to a group of five US schoolkids, who used to meet up after class – at 4.20pm – to get stoned.

The group were students at San Rafael High School, California, in 1971, and would say “420” to each other during the day as code to meet for a sneaky smoke.

One of their member revealed to the San Francisco Chronicle: “It was just a joke, but it came to mean all kinds of things, like, ‘Do you have any?’ or ‘Do I look stoned?’?”

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Their smoking sessions in front of a Louis Pasteur statue and elsewhere on the school grounds have since become the stuff of legend, and their catchphrase has gone global.

This was helped in no small part by their friendship with the Grateful Dead, who handed out a flyer at one of their shows calling for pot fans to join together and celebrate their shared passion on April 20 at 4.20pm.

420 has since gone global, and UK-based stoners will also be celebrating.

According to Party Earth, “Going to Hyde Park is one of the many free things to do on 420 Day London.

“Reefer regulars can let their minds wander as they cruise through scenic neighborhoods like Leicester Square, possibly bumping into baked A-list celebrities if they’re lucky.

“Whether you prefer to call it puffing the magic dragon, blowing a stick, or giggling weed, there’s no better place to 420 this April than London.”