On Easter Sunday just after 9 a.m., I decided to head down to Sunset Beach Park to see what things looked like in the aftermath of the 4/20 Vancouver celebration.
My first impression was how spotless everything was.
There was no litter and it looked nothing like the morning after a fireworks show in the area.
It was also clearly visible that there had been a great deal of activity in the park.
The organizers estimated that 150,000 people converged on this relatively small area during 4/20.
There were more than 400 booths on-site.
According to police, the crowd peaked around 60,000 just after 4:20 p.m. on April 20. That’s when Cypress Hill took the stage.
During my morning outing, I didn’t run into any irate residents or outraged NPA politicians, who’ve been slamming this event for the past week.
Unlike last year, the public hasn’t yet received word from the Vancouver park board if the area will be sealed off over the next few weeks.
In 2018, the park board was criticized for over-reacting to the damage. The board subsequently reduced the estimated amount of time that Sunset Beach Park needed to be closed.
Meanwhile, one of the opponents of 4/20 Vancouver, NPA councillor Melissa De Genova, plans to bring forward an ‘urgent’ motion this week calling on the organizers to cover all the city’s costs associated with the event.
Pot activist Jodie Emery, on the other hand, has offered a detailed rundown of all the costs that the organizers already pay.
https://twitter.com/JodieEmery/status/1120012098614861824
