More Than Just a Number: The Leaf El Paseo Hosts Epic Two-Day 420 Celebration

Ever wonder how April 20th became a national holiday for the cannabis community?

According to Time Magazine, the concept of “420” can be traced back to 1971, when a group of students at San Rafael High School in Marin County met at 4:20 p.m. every day to smoke marijuana. Contrary to popular belief, the number “420” doesn’t have much significance. It just happened that the five students — Steve Capper, Dave Reddix, Jeffrey Noel, Larry Schwartz, and Mark Gravich — chose to gather at 4:20 p.m. because by that time, extracurricular activities were usually over. In fact, Reddix later found work as a roadie for none other than Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh.

However, High Times offered a slightly different account of the 420 origin story. According to the counterculture magazine, the San Rafael High teens would meet at 4:20 p.m. at the Louis Pasteur statue to spark up a doobie and search for an alleged secret stash. One of them had been given a hand-drawn map of a marijuana crop planted on federal land near Point Reyes Lighthouse. The planter, had been transferred to a new Coast Guard post and was forced to abandon the illicit plant. Whether the teens ever actually found it remains unclear…

Skip ahead to 1990, and a group of Grateful Dead fans began spreading the word of the ritual by distributing flyers inviting people to smoke “420” on April 20 at 4:20 p.m. High Times even printed a copy of the flyer the next year, and from there, the association between 420 and smoking marijuana spread across the country, becoming an iconic piece of American culture.

Which brings us to this year’s 420 celebration at The Leaf El Paseo — a two-day extravaganza featuring vendors, food trucks, goody bags, raffles, a live DJ and even Coachella ticket giveaways. Here’s what you can expect:

Wednesday, April 19

• Goody bags (first 50 customers)
• Dippity Donuts food truck, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., FREE with any store purchase receipt
• Raffles
• Vendor booths
• DJ Zephyr spinning 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Thursday, April 20

• Goody bags (first 50 customers)
• Dippity Donuts food truck, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., FREE with any store purchase receipt
• Raffles
• DJ Zephyr spinning 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Live radio broadcast (ALT 101.5) featuring Coachella ticket giveaway

We hope to see all those who observe the 420 holiday at this epic two-day celebration. The Leaf El Paseo is located 73740 El Paseo, Palm Desert. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. For more information call (760) 568-5323.