The Annual Four-Twenty Gathering - 20th April 2025

[Lemming]

Sunday 20th April 2025 is Four-Twenty Day!
So the place to be is in 420 Café at 4.20pm

Here we go again then! Last year was fantastic (except for the weather) so you're all invited to join us for this year's shenanigans and we'll try to organise some better weather. It's the Forum's 20th birthday this year too so there's an extra excuse for celebration.

Regular readers will know how this thread works. Firstly I mention that there's already a topic that someone started before I got it together and provide a link to it. Here it is: Here we go the early draft 420 thread. Thanks Ghost.

Next I paste a copy of last year's introduction and add a bit onto the end so here we go:

Why 4-20?

The origins of 4-20 are the stuff of legends and discussed elsewhere on this forum.
Suffice to say it's a time, 4:20, as in twenty past four, now firmly associated with marijuana, especially in America.
In American shorthand, the 20th of April (20/04/24 in Europe) is 04/20/24, so it's 4-20 Day!

(Wikipedia: 420, 4:20 or 4/20 (pronounced four-twenty) refers to consumption of cannabis and, by extension, a way to identify oneself with cannabis subculture.
The notable day is April 20.)

History of the 4-20 Gathering

2005
Soon after the ACD sprouted a forum in March 2005, Old Hippie Dave posted details of meets he'd arranged around 20th April 2005.
It seems that he and others on the Channels forum had been celebrating 420 day in Amsterdam for a few years.
After the event he posted this: Old Hippie Dave's video of 4/20 2005.

2006
In 2006 AzLaker helped to organise a band of ACDers to join the Channelites in de Kuil coffeeshop (420 cafe) on 20 April 2006.
The following day Old Hippie Dave held a "Vapo Party" in Amnesia.
Reports: Old Hippie Dave's video, OHD live report part 1 and part 2, Lafe live, Lemming, AzLaker part 1, part 2 and part 3, Zunkii, Bluelaru, BlueBerry.

2007
2007 was a big gathering with several forums represented. There's loads of pics in circulation of some of those epic sessions.
Travelogues: Lemming part 1, part 2, part 3, Twitch part 1, part 2, cattales1960, Mazdog, back2thedam (Haarlem crawl), Islandgurl part 1, part 2.

2008
Planning for the 2008 gathering was, at least as far as this forum was concerned, interrupted by it being off-air for months.
Fortunately Channels was still there and, especially, VDF stepped in and kept everyone in touch.
Travelogues: Lemming, Twitch, Bhang Buddie, SilentlyScreaming.

2009
By far our biggest gathering yet. We pretty much took over the 420 coffeeshop for half an hour or so.
Live reports were posted in Travelogues by AzLaker, Cattales1960, Couch, Fishinbob, Hestia, Lemming, WolfDangler and Worsall.
Followed by reports from Boner, Chilly1952, Couch, FenixNYC, Gapie, Hestia’s epic account days 1-8, days 9 & 10, day 11, day 12, day 13, day 14 (20th April) and day 15, Kermit, Lampshade, Lemming, LiquidSwords, PirateRaff, SoulRider and Twichaldinho.

2010
Some Icelandic volcano with an utterly unpronounceable name blew up and grounded all air traffic in Europe just before 4-20.
Nevertheless, a hard core of ACD members hit town in style.

Some members from the USA arrived just before the volcano went off and some determined people from the UK managed to get there by road, rail and ferry.
They were joined by Amsterdam resident members and, between them, they even managed to bring about the first ever ACD competition for best coffeeshop.

All of the members of the forum chose a shortlist of coffeeshops for our intrepid reporters to check out and give a rating to.
All of those members who made it then toured the shops and chose a winner.
We named our accolade the "Hestia" (well, if the American academy of movies can call theirs "Oscar" then why not?).
You can read all about it in the accounts below but I can tell you that Green Place won.

Travelogues: Hestia 420 Trip Hestia, Combined, 420 Trip Hestia First Installment, 420 Trip Hestia 2nd Installment, 420 Trip Hestia 3rd Installment and 420 Trip Hestia; Islandgurl 4/20 Begins... the Eruption.; Gapie Live in NES 420; Valo Day 1 - Monday 19th April 2010 and Day 2 - Tuesday 20th April 2010; Angry Pirate Obscurerd by clouds, a latecomers tale...; Treetop Treetop's 420 boat infested trip so far...; Lem's 4-20 Verdict; Cisco Ciscos Volcano Vacation; Ed the Head Ed the Head's 2010 Hajj.

2011
Of banners and boats, cups and cakes. Volcanoes went off all over Amsterdam but, fortunately, not in Iceland.
The Cup went to Basjoe and a good time was had by all. See these accounts:

08-420 08-420s 420 in Amsterdam; Arsonist What? You left BEFORE 420?!; AzLaker Finally......a trip report; Camman Nine days of smoke . . .
Chillers2 chillers 2's LATE 420 trip...; Cisco Cisco's S Sour Dude !!?! 420 Report; Colina ACD 420 boat trip 2011; FlyByNite And so the adventure begins.; Ftcarer 18-22/4/11
Gapie live @ nes at 18 april 2011; Hestia Hestia; Hulldj Where did the last 12 weeks go?? my 420 trip; Kermit Froggie style; Lafe Quick 420 report; Lemming 4-20 Lem Live; Lemming Lemming's 4-20 Recollections and Pictures; MK101 My 420; Philly-Rich Philly's 420 recap.; Rasa Rasa's "Burning Down the Dam!"; Steven 420 here I come....; Stuart1976 18th -21st april..; Trad Trad's April Visit; Uncle Ron The Annual 4-20 Gathering - 20th April 2011.

2012
A few travelogues from 2012

Lemming 4-20 Gathering 2012 in pictures and 4-20 2012 LIVE!
FlyByNite Amsterdam Adventure 2012 Trip Report
Smirks Passengers on flight 420 to Amsterdam, proceed to gate G13

2013

Lemming: "Pics 17th April", "Pics 18th April", "Pics 19th April", "Pics 20th April", "Pics 21st April", "Pics 22nd April", "4-20 Live!", "4-20 Menus"
Treetop: "4/20 2013 Treetop style"
Willjay: "willjay & Robyn's 420 adventure"
Ftcarer: "ft & Wifeys 420"
Jimi62471: "My trip was awesome!!!"
Stuart1976: "2013..420"
Nimrod: "Live report buried within a long thread"
Jwall162: "My return to the 'Dam 19th-28th April. 2013"
Bigguy: "Lost not the first"
Hasj: "204"

2014

Lemming: "Lemming's Traditional Pictorial Travelogue of 4-20 2014" and "420 Live"
Banshee Beat: "Banshee Beat trip report #2: 18/04 - 22/04"
FtCarer: "ft n 1st born's 420"
DRA: "Going For the Green in 2014: The Progress"
Jack Ganja: "What I Can Remember of April"

2015

Lemming: "ACD Four Twenty 2015"
Papi: "Papi's first 420 in Dam-ACD style, 17-22.04"
ftcarer: "Ft & 1st born's 2015 420"
fraidofspiders: "Fraidofspiders - first trip to Amsterdam"
madmaxxx: "420 haarlem/dam and the ACD crawls"
Occasional Bowl: "420 2015 Live"
Smirks: "Passengers on flight 420 to Amsterdam, proceed to gate G" (link to correct page)
bleak: "bleak's stoner photos thread" (video)

2016

Lemming: ACD Four Twenty 2016
Choppermike: Day Trip 420
Drugsbunny: My little trippy wippy
AndieFRANKBarlow: A bit late but.... 4.20.2016
DeLekkersteNUGS16: De Leukste Nug's 4/20 Week Live Report - The Life & Times of an Amsterdammer
Ftcarer: ft's 422 daytrip or "dad I need help i've lost my fucking passport"
OneHighMofo: Episode 4/20 - The Crispy Menace
The Pot Doctor: TPD's first travel report.... 420
Macky: Live 420 ,so it begins
Papi: Roll on 420 live report

2017

Our biggest Gathering for many years and our biggest boat trip ever.

Macky and all of us: Time to go live for 420
Lemming: ACD's 4/20 Gathering 2017
OneHighMofo: Episode VIII - more 420 madness
CopenhagenCouple: Mokum, magic, madness – CC does 420
DeLekkersteNUGS16: Nug's Live & Local: 4/20 The Gathering vol. 2, 2017 ("Roll on 420")
LLMReb: LLMReb's XI Trip - April 2017 King's Day (now w/ photos!) and Bat Cave

2018

More fantastic weather and a great crop of travelogues:

CopenhagenCouple and all of us: ACD 420 2018 Live Thread
Lemming: ACD's 4/20 Gathering 2018
Kenshiro: Kenshiro-san's 420 Sho dan (deleted?)
Kermit: 420 Respect Tour 2018
OneHighMofo: Episode XV - 420 mayhem volume III
CopenhagenCouple: CC’s 420 2018 – in varying degrees of accuracy and detail
Pierre von Mondragon: Life Report-420 week special
Madmaxxx: Madmaxxx 420 2018
RoMoney: My ACD 420 Induction
Macky: My420highlights
Devore: Out of my mind @ 420
ed the head: 420 Musings: Why we have 5 fingers - Lami
Smirks: Passengers on flight 420 to Amsterdam, proceed to gate G13

2019

Incredible weather again over an amazing week. Strangely not so many travelogues. Maybe nobody can remember anything! Here's what we got:

Macky and all of us: Live 420 2019
Lemming: ACD's 4/20 Gathering 2019
Hestia: What a Trip !!! 420
Cool_Chillum: First Amsterdam adventures

2020

Plague stops play. We were building up to a good one. Then, just like the Icelandic Volcano in 2010, everything stopped. The best we could manage was this Zoom meeting.

2021

Scuppered by the Lurgy again! Another Zoom call.

2022

Finally we got back! Some of the best travelogues ever posted were written about this:

AzLaker: Day 1-3 of 420/2022, Day 4
CopenhagenCouple: Mr. CC's solo 420 2022
ed the head: 2022 Hajj to Mijn Mekka - Week of 420
Gapie and everyone: 420 Live! 2022
Ghost: Ghost + Buddy 420 2022 Day 1 added pics, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5
Lemming: ACD Forum's 4/20 Gathering 2022

2023

Not many travelogues from 2023. We must all have been too stoned to remember anything

There was the traditional live thread running while we were there. Then we wrote these on our return:

DocGonzo42s 4/20/2023 ...The whole 8 days
Ghost 420 2023 and Ghost 420 day 2 17/04/2023
and my account of the ACD Forum's 4/20 Gathering 2023

2024

A rich crop of nice travelogues this year

The usual live thread: 420 2024 LiVE!.
AzLaker: Day 1 in Amsterdam/ 4-18-2024, Day 2 in Amsterdam/ 4-19-2024, Day 3 in Amsterdam 4/20/2024, Day 4 in Amsterdam 4-21-2024, Day 5 in Amsterdam 4-22-2024, Day 6 in Amsterdam 4-23-2024, Day 7 & 8 in Amsterdam 4-24 and 4-25-2024.
bedge: another 420 2024.
docgonzo42: DocGonzo42s 4/20/2024: The whole 9 days.
Ghost: Ghost's 420 - 2024 - with pics, Ghost's 420 2024 Day 2 Pics added., Ghost's 420 - 2024 - Day 3 with pics, Ghost's 420 - 2024 - Day 4 with pics, Ghost's 420 - 2024 - Day 5 with pics.
Lemming: ACD Forum's 4/20 Gathering 2024.
Sammysarahh: Amsterdam 2024.
talkrum - Meeting the ACD 420 stars via Eurostar.

2025

We'll be there. Will you?
If so, please reply to this topic and post your dates here.

If you haven't joined us before then you can be added to this huge list of 420 Veterans.

420 coincides with Easter this year so it's a 4-day holiday for many. That's useful but might make flights and hotels busier so worth booking early.

See you there!

[Ghost]

Hooray!! 420 is just around the corner and the official 420 thread is up and running

I will be in town for 420 again to meet up with the ACD crew and maybe a few new faces again this year There will be another pinball competition at the Spirit with mystery prize for the winner during the week sometime

My dates have changed slightly and they now are -

17th - 23rd

Looking forward to seeing my ACD friends from far and wide and getting them sessions on

[Trad]

Sam and Trad will be there, 17th-23rd.
Looking forward to seeing the gang with some new faces.
Let's make our 20th birthday something special.

Roll on 420.

[AzLaker]

I also arrive on the 17th and leave on the 23rd. It was a fantastic time last year, and with the 20th anniversary coming up, this will definitely be epic.

AzLaker

[Lemming]

Igraine and I are in town 17th to 23rd April 2025. Arriving late afternoon/early evening on Thursday 17th, leaving evening of Wednesday 23rd.

[Lemming]

Pioneer List:
__________________________

People
__________________________

Members who've said they will be around during 4-20 week so far (in alphabetical order):

AzLaker "Arrive April 17 midday, staying until April 23" posted 7th Jan 2025
Bedge "17th-22nd" posted 28th Jan 2025
Ghost "17th - 23rd" posted 24th Jan 2025
Igraine "17th to 23rd" posted 28th Jan 2025
Lemming "17th to 23rd" posted 28th Jan 2025
Sammysarahh "17th-23rd" posted 24th Jan 2025
Trad "17th-23rd" posted 24th Jan 2025

Everyone welcome. Please post here if you'd like to join us.

[Ghost]

Hopefully we will get a few more names added to the list yet, its still early. 'Get your Name on the List'

Where abouts are all the 420 crew this year staying my 1st night in town I am on the Prins Hendrikkade then I move to the hotel I have been using for the last few years just off of the Dam

There will be another Pinball Competition again this year at Coffeeshop The Spirit with a mystery prize for the Highest Scorer on the day. We will do it slightly differently this year and I will be that annoying person stood by the machine talking to you as you play and I will keep a note of each players score as they finish their game - Highest score overall will win the prize Everyone is welcome to play and as it is the 20th Anniversary the prize is

A Zandvoort/Haarlem trip out has been mentioned by @Azlaker and I am defo up for that - our last venture there 2022 was a cracking trip with excellent weather for the promenade stroll. A trip in to Haarlem with a visit to coffeeshop Birdy's whilst in town is always plus plenty of other shops in town and lots to see in town also

I will also be getting the train to Utrecht one day, I was thinking of going to Arnhem 1st to have a look around but that's a maybe will/won't. I am planning on strolling up to the Culture Boat Coffeeshop for a smoke from Utrecht station which is roughly a 25min/30min walk away if anyone fancies joining me the shop is worth the trek or public transport will cut it down a little bit

Looking forward to getting back in to town again

[AzLaker]

Hopefully we will get a few more names added to the list yet, its still early. 'Get your Name on the List'

Where abouts are all the 420 crew this year staying my 1st night in town I am on the Prins Hendrikkade then I move to the hotel I have been using for the last few years just off of the Dam

There will be another Pinball Competition again this year at Coffeeshop The Spirit with a mystery prize for the Highest Scorer on the day. We will do it slightly differently this year and I will be that annoying person stood by the machine talking to you as you play and I will keep a note of each players score as they finish their game - Highest score overall will win the prize Everyone is welcome to play and as it is the 20th Anniversary the prize is

A Zandvoort/Haarlem trip out has been mentioned by @Azlaker and I am defo up for that - our last venture there 2022 was a cracking trip with excellent weather for the promenade stroll. A trip in to Haarlem with a visit to coffeeshop Birdy's whilst in town is always plus plenty of other shops in town and lots to see in town also

I will also be getting the train to Utrecht one day, I was thinking of going to Arnhem 1st to have a look around but that's a maybe will/won't. I am planning on strolling up to the Culture Boat Coffeeshop for a smoke from Utrecht station which is roughly a 25min/30min walk away if anyone fancies joining me the shop is worth the trek or public transport will cut it down a little bit

Looking forward to getting back in to town again

It is a little quiet right now isn't @Ghost? Maybe it was that wonderful weather we had last year!! It can't get much worse, unless it snows THIS year. Seriously, the weather WILL be nicer, and I imagine we'll get a few more folks onboard before April arrives.


Accommodation wise, I've rented a place close to the Skinny Bridge. Just a short walk to Tram #4, plus I'm real close to Het Ballonnejt. Could be my daily morning, Wake & Bake.


Always up for a little pinball wizard at The Spirit. I sucked royally last year, but who cares, had a wonderful time with the group of people that were there.


Zandvoort/Haarlem is really a nice semi-day trip. Jump out to Haarlem for a nice visit, then make a stop at Zandvoort on the way back, if that's possible. If so, beers and smokes, before heading back to Amsterdam.

Never been to Utrecht before, so count me in on that trip. Just seeing what the pictures of the Culture Boat Coffeeshop looks like it's worth the visit.

Would like to visit The Stud and De Kade again...good times!! Other than that, just playing it by ear and following the crowd.

Really looking forward to seeing old & meeting new.

AzLaker

[Lemming]

Defo up for day trips to Haarlem/Zandvoort and Utrecht.
First went to Utrecht in 2005. Last went in 2015 with Papi. On that occasion we went first to Andersom and then a little tour of the old city taking in Freak, Pleasure, Wietstok, Culture Boat and 't Grasje. See here.

[Ghost]

Defo up for day trips to Haarlem/Zandvoort and Utrecht.
First went to Utrecht in 2005. Last went in 2015 with Papi. On that occasion we went first to Andersom and then a little tour of the old city taking in Freak, Pleasure, Wietstok, Culture Boat and 't Grasje. See here.

Enjoyed re-reading that part of the write up, looked a cracking day was had by you all. That seems like a good route you guys took getting in a few shops as you moved around town and may be an idea for us when we get there, having a good session on the Culture Boat when in town is a must for the ACD crew personally

[Lemming]

Sounds like a plan. Last time we were on a mission to get to 't Grasje so we didn't stop at Culture Boat. It makes sense to hit Andersom first because it's closest to the station, on the distinctive Oudegracht and next to the Dom Tower. We're pretty much bound to pass Wietstok on the way to Culture Boat. The others could be considered optional if we have time.

[jollylittlehun]

Booked up for my 2nd 420 with the acd crew!

Should be bouncing out of Centraal around 930am on the 19th and heading home around 7pm on the 21st.

Cannot wait to see everyone again..

[AzLaker]

Booked up for my 2nd 420 with the acd crew!

Should be bouncing out of Centraal around 930am on the 19th and heading home around 7pm on the 21st.

Cannot wait to see everyone again..

Good deal!!

AzLaker

[Lemming]

One more name added to the pioneers. Hope lots more of you will add yourselves over the next few months.
__________________________

People
__________________________

Members who've said they will be around during 4-20 week so far (in alphabetical order):

AzLaker "Arrive April 17 midday, staying until April 23" posted 7th Jan 2025
Bedge "17th-22nd" posted 28th Jan 2025
Ghost "17th - 23rd" posted 24th Jan 2025
Igraine "17th to 23rd" posted 28th Jan 2025
Jollylittlehun"930am on the 19th [to] 7pm on the 21st" posted 9th Feb 2025
Lemming "17th to 23rd" posted 28th Jan 2025
Sammysarahh "17th-23rd" posted 24th Jan 2025
Trad "17th-23rd" posted 24th Jan 2025

Everyone welcome. Please post below if you'd like to join us.
__________________________

Events
__________________________

A bit early to start scheduling things yet but we already have a few proposals to be slotted in somewhere. They include:

Ghost's pinball competition @ The Spirit, daytrips to Haarlem/Zandvoort and Utrecht, sessions at Het Ballonnetje, The Stud and De Kade, amongst many more I'm sure.

[Trad]

"Ghost's pinball competition @ The Spirit, daytrips to Haarlem/Zandvoort and Utrecht, sessions at Het Ballonnetje, The Stud and De Kade, amongst many more I'm sure."

I'm in for these.