When I was in ninth grade, the biggest stoner in my Intro Spanish class told me April 20th was an International Pot Smoking Day. That seemed like a silly thing to celebrate then, but, hey, we all grow up and discover Phish and online delivery food sometime, eh? The holiday makes its grand return this Saturday, and Brooklyn’s not shy about feting all things THC-errific; check out some Brokester-friendly events below.
Just in time for the MTV VMAs to hit Kings County, Brooklyn Wildlife, 95labs and Ohene Cornelius are launching the “first official” 4/20 Brooklyn Music Video Festival at Ivy House Studio in Williamsburg. This sounds like a smoker’s paradise: an afternoon/evening of music video screenings, filmmaker panelists, dancing, DJs, tattoos and catering by a Brooklyn-based company called Cake ‘n Wings. Need we say more? The event kicks off at 3:30 and costs $6 to attend, but it’s free until (naturally) 4:20 p.m.
Bushwick bar we love Brooklyn Fireproof is jumping into the 4/20 fray with a 4/20 Mind-Altering Extravaganza, which we hope is exactly what it sounds like. For $7, the bar’s offering performances by four punk/funk/psych-rock bands like The Moho Collective, The Mad Doctors and The End Men, plus they’re promising “nutso circus acts,” robots, sumo-wrestlers, “weird masks” and $3 draft specials courtesy of chronic-friendly brewery Three Heads. The party kicks off at 9 p.m.; maybe leave your straight-edge friends at home, lest they drift off once the synth kicks in.
Union Hall in Park Slope is offering a double-whammy Weed Day celebration, starting with a 420-friendly edition of Jon Friedman’s hilarious comedy series The Rejection Show. Featured performers will be breaking out materials that were written under the influence of pot, funnier when high or somehow similarly related, so expect a lot of heady humor, and maybe some references to snacks. The show starts at 8pm and costs $10 to attend. And if you’re looking to continue the pot-related fun post-comedy, dance party CRAZY $INCE DA 90$ is throwing their 4/20 soiree starting at 10 pm; tickets are $5, $10 after midnight.
While it’s not strictly a 4/20 event, the Bell House is hosting the 5th Annual Brooklyn Folk Festival this weekend, and if three days of banjoes, Zooey Deschanel bangs and community square dances don’t drive you to the ganja, well, what kind of self-respecting Brooklynite are you? You can snag an all-day pass for $30, or choose between the $15 afternoon or $20 evening show if you’re worried too much ukelele twang’ll harsh your buzz: check out the schedule to see which performers you’ll be zoning out to.
There’s really no way they didn’t know what day it was when they planned this event, but this Saturday also marks the start of the 1st Annual New York City Hot Sauce Expo held in East River State Park. In addition to loads of hot sauce, this $10 event purports to include firebreathers, live music and eating contests, along with “adult beverages”. Mhmm. At least now you can blame your red eyes on all that damn sriracha. Plus, you’re just steps away from Smorgasburg — a dangerous place for you and your wallet when you’ve got the munchies.