San Francisco’s recognized marijuana holiday on Tuesday was canceled due to the restrictions brought by the coronavirus pandemic, leaving many residents looking for a spot of grass in the city’s Golden Gate Park disappointed.
Authorities put up barriers ahead of the April 20 celebrations, where many people usually gathered at this time of the year.
A Serious Buzzkill
“Although we’re in a better place in our fight against COVID-19 than we were last year, we are still not at the point where can allow large, crowded events. Please do your part to keep our community safe and celebrate from home. Anyone traveling to Golden Gate Park or Hippie Hil looking for a party will be disappointed,” San Francisco City Mayor London Breed said.
The city is currently in the orange tier of the state’s color-coded system. This allows some businesses to operate with modifications. However, officials chose to cancel the marijuana event outright instead of imposing capacity limits. Police and park rangers were deployed to keep people away from the area who will be issuing citations as needed.
“Let me be blunt. Hippie Hill will be completely inaccessible. Law enforcement will be patrolling the area. It will be a serious buzzkill,” San Francisco Recreation and Park General Manager Phil Ginsburg said, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Organizers of the event are offering a dis-jointed set of events online after the cancelation of the event. They have included a live-streamed comedy show for people to watch. They also urged residents to buy marijuana or other related products from local stores and delivery services.
