Big Boi, Lil Jon and Talib Kweli Headline 4/20 Festival's Return

Enjoy crumblin' herb or miss getting crunk? Then you'll love the headliners for this year's 4/20 festival at Civic Center Park.

Big Boi, Lil Jon and Talib Kweli are set to perform at the Mile High 420 Festival on Wednesday, April 20, for the unofficial cannabis holiday, according to event organizers at Euflora dispensary and FlyHi delivery service. The free event is returning after a two-year hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Continuing a standing tradition at Civic Center Park, this 4/20 celebration will have a similar feel to those right before the pandemic, according to FlyHi chief operating officer Ashley Chubin. There will be some changes, though: The festival won't allow visitors through the gates until noon because of a local noise ordinance, she notes, but it will also run until 9 p.m this year.

Open to all ages, the Mile High fest will have two stages and several 21+ tents for alcohol sales, with food trucks and product vendors dotted around the park, as well. The headliners will perform on a main stage at the northwest end of the park, and a smaller stage in the Greek Amphitheater will showcase to-be-announced local acts throughout the day, according to Chubin.

"We're really excited about bringing this back to Denver," she says. "Now we're just really hoping for sunshine and that this weather holds out."

Lil Jon was scheduled to headline the 4/20 festival in 2020 before the event was canceled in the face of the pandemic. Talk-show television host and cannabis industry speaker Montel Williams, another celebrity with ties to past FlyHi events, will also make an appearance.

"We've had him for a few years and think he's got a great grasp on the cannabis industry and as an advocate," Chubin says of Williams.

Marijuana use isn't officially sanctioned or allowed at Civic Center, but that's never stopped thousands of visitors from lighting up at the park during previous 4/20 celebrations. Those who are respectful and mindful of the police presence around the park will be treated as they have been in previous years, Chubin says.

Denver's unofficial gathering spot for 4/20, Civic Center was hosting marijuana smokeouts and free concerts long before recreational pot was legalized in Colorado in late 2012, but 2007's 4/20 Rally was the first event resembling a festival with free music. Euflora took over the event permit in 2018, after the 4/20 Rally organizers lost their permit over operating and cleanup issues in 2017.

Entry to the festival remains free for general admission, but $200 VIP tickets are also available. The VIP passes include spots in the front row during the concert, a private lounge inside the McNichols Building and an after-party with "very special guests," according to the event description.

"I think they all represent the old-school, fun vibe that comes with cannabis," Chubin says of the scheduled headliners. "Those artists are also pro-cannabis industry, which I think is really important. Just having a celebratory and good time is important."

After the public response to seeing Dr. Dre, Eminem, 50 Cent and Mary J. Blige's performance at the Super Bowl halftime show in February, Chubin is excited for the reaction to the Mile High fest headliners. All three artists rose to fame in the ’90s and early 2000s, and have written songs and lyrics that fit right in at 4/20 festivals, including Kweli's feature in Kanye West's "Get Em High" and "The Weedman," from Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz.

But the anthem we can't wait to hear is an easy choice: "Crumblin' Herb," a classic smoke-session anthem from Big Boi's days in Outkast.