In a significant blow to cannabis enthusiasts and San Francisco tradition, this year's "4/20 at Hippie Hill" event has been snuffed out. Organizers have stated the annual gathering, notorious for attracting throngs of visitors to Golden Gate Park, will not occur in 2024. The official event website cited "city wide budget cutbacks, the climate of the cannabis industry & economy" as the reasons behind their inability to secure enough financial sponsorship for a safe event complying with city and state regulations.

According to statements from the event's organizers, the preparations for "420 Hippie Hill" had become a costly endeavor for the city, which involved deploying additional food vendors, bathrooms, security patrols, emergency medical crews, and amplified clean-up efforts to accommodate the increasingly larger crowds each year, the mounting pressure has ultimately forced a pause on the 2024 edition. The event, which prides itself on being a unique, free gathering that brings together people from diverse backgrounds over a shared interest in cannabis, has witnessed its fair share of setbacks in the past, including reports of violence, theft, and an egregious amount of litter - a staggering 22,000 pounds of trash was left behind in 2016 alone - but this year, the challenge of rising costs and lack of financial backing has proven too great a hurdle.

Touting the event's historical significance, the Hippie Hill website noted that 4/20 celebrations at Hippie Hill had been a longstanding San Francisco tradition, with people from all over attending the unsanctioned all-day event on April 20 in Sharon Meadows. The importance of attendee health and safety and the responsibility towards surrounding neighborhoods have always been at the forefront of organizers' priorities, as they worked with city departments to ensure the event remained an organized and safe community tradition.

While this year's 420 Hippie Hill festivities have gone up in smoke, organizers are optimistic about its return in 2025, with plans to rekindle an even safer and more organized event. In the meantime, they are encouraging the cannabis community to pivot their attention to the upcoming Carnaval SF, scheduled for May 25-26, as an alternative venue for communal celebration.