Thousands of people descended upon Woodhouse Moor, in Leeds on Wednesday as part of a huge celebration to mark what is known by many as "4/20 Day".
The day which is celebrated on April 20 every year, is an international day for the celebration of cannabis and counterculture, taken from the slang 4/20 (pronounced four-twenty), which refers to smoking cannabis, on April 20 (it's taken from the American date format).
For many people it’s a chance to lobby for the legalisation of the drug, which remains outlawed in many parts of the world, including in the UK.
READ MORE: Live from 4/20 Day in Leeds as crowds descend on Woodhouse Moor
Crowds could be seen for miles at Hyde Park today as revellers arrived in their thousands to celebrate the occasion, with music, food and dancing giving the entire event a real festival atmosphere.
But what prompts people to attend the celebration?
One man, aged 26, was “enjoying some time in the sun”, and came out with his mate who is a dad-of-two. When asked why the Leeds dad brought his kids to the event he said “everyone’s just chilling aren’t they there’s nowt wrong with it”.
His four-year-old son was seen playing on the swings while the pair of friends “relaxed”.
Two students also shared their reasons for attending the event. Beth and friend Elise who are students at Leeds Beckett and live in the area have come for the second time this year.
Beth said: “We loved it last year but this year it’s even better feel like there's more people. We’ve got some more friends meeting us later”
Meanwhile one attendee, 25 year old Damien, summed up the experience in just one sentence. “We’re all chilling innit 420 blazin,” he said.
One of the main demographics attending the event this year were students, and in previous years it was these students that often been criticised for the mess left behind once the event was over. In a bid to counter these claims this year and to make sure no rubbish is left behind, students from both Leeds Beckett University and The University of Leeds have joined forces to help clean up the mess during and after the event.
One student assisting in the cleanup effort said: "Every year, students are criticised for the mess left over after the 4/20 event in Hyde Park. This year, a group of second-year Events Management students from Leeds Beckett University decided that they didn't want a few students to have a negative impact on the community, and give students in Leeds a bad reputation.”
''This year, we are going to change the narrative. We are students who care about the community and we'll deal with the environmental mess left after this event.”
Many local residents had opted to stay away from the area, with one 60 year old woman who lives nearby stopping to share her thoughts as she carried her shopping home through the park.
She said: “I wasn’t sure what was going on but then I saw all the cars and bikes and realised. I live close by you see so I’m coming back from work and went to the shop.
“I’m not into this cannabis festival or whatever it is but it’s nothing knew for this park we get it all the time it comes with the territory of living here.”
Did you attend the event today? Let us know in the comments!
