4/20 is essentially a high holy day within the cannabis community; so why not celebrate it as you would most religious or historical holidays? What’s a better way than being in community with your friends and family and enjoying the precious plant in its various forms? Not sure how to do it so it’s different from your regular, typical smoke sessions? Might we suggest throwing a garden party? You’re probably asking what a garden party is. I personally consider it to be a more curated and elevated smoke session and if you’re anything like me, you add a theme to really jazz it up. If this sounds like something you would be down to do, here’s a little guide on planning and lighting up the perfect garden party!
Who’s In Your Smoke Circle
Now, when it comes to deciding who all you want at your garden party, you have to consider the types of cannabis users that you are close to. This consideration has to be made because not everyone enjoys or wants to be in such a populated and busy setting while enjoying a high. So, consider your friends and who would jive well in this type of setting, and also consider the mix of personalities of the guest list. If you have some canna-friends that enjoy a more mellow or quiet setting for smoke sessions, keep that in mind for balance with your more talkative, laughs and jokes canna-friends that are a little noisier and rambunctious.
Who Doesn’t Love a Good Theme
Now that you have decided on the guest list, it’s time to think about a theme (if that’s something you want — it’s not a requirement). When it comes to a theme, there are really no rules. Lean into a shared interest with your community, use holidays for inspiration, or keep it simple and make it cannabis-themed and have everyone come in their best ganja attire. Personally, this year’s garden party that I’m throwing is Easter themed (I know, I know, but they’re the same day); I will have Easter-themed activities and pastel colors galore. With your guest list finalized all that you have to do is send the invites. If you are a low-key person, a fun text message absolutely works; if you are more like me, a well-designed Canva invitation does a lot for setting the mood and vibes in advance.
What Y’all Gonna Do
Now, I love having pre-planned activities, and yes, enjoying cannabis together is definitely an activity, but I like to have some extra stuff because remember this is more than just your regular group smoke sesh — it’s elevated. Since I am doing an Easter-themed garden party this year, I will be having an Easter egg hunt. But this isn’t a kid’s Easter egg hunt; inside each egg will be a nug of cannabis. I like to have a mix of strains for variety. You can do activities that align with your theme or are just more fun, casual activities to enjoy while elevated. Board games are a fun option, but I would avoid Monopoly. You could also be even more fancy and elevated with a canna-cuterie spread; it’s like charcuterie but with different strains and mediums of cannabis. You can add some fun by having rating cards, like if you were at a wine tasting, so that folks can rank the different strains and modes of consumption. You could also do a PowerPoint party, where everyone comes with a prepared presentation on a topic they are passionate about discussing after smoking — I personally think this is great if you don’t regularly get philosophical with your friends or haven’t already heard their passion topics during a session. Whatever activities you choose, make sure you are prepared ahead of time.
What’s A Party Without Snacks
As this is a garden party, snacks are a MUST. Nothing is worse than smoking and the munchies hitting hard, and it’s as if your body knows when you don’t have snacks, so it craves them even more. Don’t fall into that vicious cycle, prep the snacks so far in advance that you don’t even have to worry. If you have a theme, snacks that match or are aligned with the theme make it easy. You could also go for garden party snacks, like finger sandwiches, iced tea, and other items you would find at high tea. I personally love a good snack buffet for garden parties, and just in general when elevated. A grocery fun for the essentials like something with a crunch, like potato chips or Cheetos; something sweet, like popsicles, ice cream or cookies; and for your fit canna-friends, something healthy, like dried fruit (I highly recommend mangos), watermelon or strawberries. Be sure not to forget the beverages. If you enjoy nostalgia, consider Capri Suns or keep it simple with sodas and water. If you are interested in a crossfade, having some wine or beer on hand can help with that, but if you have never mixed alcohol and cannabis, your garden party is not going to be the time to try it. Save it for a 1:1 session with a trusted friend, and maybe even someone with experience being crossfaded.
It’s Party Time
When the day comes for your garden party, it should feel good, easy, relaxed; if it’s not, consider pre-gaming (with a pre-roll??). After setting out the snacks or prepping the activities, all you really have to do is set the vibes. Depending on the time of your garden party, setting the vibes can include lighting, music and coziness. Lightning is very important. Are you letting in sunlight? Are you turning on fun, colored LEDs? Music is pretty easy, because you can search music sites for pre-made playlist or curate your own (or check out ours on page 7). For the coziness you are going to want to have cozy items close to where the fun happens. This can include things like having extra blankets and pillows, prepping some sweatshirts for folks who get cold, or getting the temperature just right.