Denver 4/20 Fest No Longer Free

Denver's annual 4/20 festival in Civic Center Park has been free since it originated as a political event in the early '90s, then morphed into a major celebration. But starting this year, attendees will have to pay to get in.

As Southwest Airlines recently showed, nothing stays free forever.

Starting this year, general admission for a ticket to the Mile High 420 Festival is $20 (plus fees) until April 10, when base prices go up to $25.

Denver's annual marijuana-friendly gathering at Civic Center on or near April 20 is one of the biggest 4/20 celebrations in the world. The event added a free concert and vendor space in the late 2000s as medical marijuana and then recreational marijuana became legal.

As marijuana legalization spread and Colorado's relationship with the plant matured, the 420 Rally became less political and more of a showcase, with major headlining musicians, usually hip-hop or reggae, brought in to perform. After a series of management snafus and bad headlines over the years, however, the Denver 420 Rally organizers were stripped of their event permit, and a dispensary chain, Euflora, gained control of the 4/20 event at Civic Center.

That chain was bought out by JARS Cannabis, a Michigan-based dispensary chain, which also took over the 4/20 event permit and renamed the event the Mile High 420 Festival.

Under JARS, the 420 Fest continued the tradition of a cannabis-friendly event with free musical acts and celebrities; recent iterations featured Afroman, Big Boi, Lil Jon, Montel Williams, Rick Ross, Tommy Chong and Waka Flack Fame, among others.

Alcohol-only areas and a 21+ age limit, instituted at the request of local parents and youth protection groups, were added in 2023 under JARS, as well.

But through all the changes, the 420 Fest's cannabis-friendly policy remained. Since returning from a two-year hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been zero citations for marijuana use at the event, according to the Denver Police Department, despite some light finger-wagging from police and city officials. And there's no indication that policy will change this year.

Social media users have been expressing their disappointment upon learning that they'll have to pay to attend the 420 Fest this year. That disappointment is understandable —  nobody wants to pay for something that used to be free — but $20 for a weed-friendly show with nationally touring artists isn't a bad deal, especially compared to most Denver concert prices.

As in previous years, VIP tickets will be available, also.

The festival's musical acts haven't been announced yet, but organizers usually don't share the lineup until a month before 4/20. JARS and 420 Fest organizers could not be reached for comment regarding the new admission fee.