SF signs up sponsors for 4/20 weed fest in Golden Gate Park

The Recreation and Park Department is issuing its first-ever permit for next month’s 4/20 marijuana-smoking blowout on Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park.

For years, the event has drawn tens of thousands of weed aficionados to the park and the city has been stuck with the costs, including paying for hauling away tons of trash that the crowds leave behind.

The permit fee will also help cover policing and trash-removal costs.

“The way it used to be was a free-for-all,” said Alex Aquino, a sponsor who owns Black Scale, a clothing shop on Haight Street.

A typical permit for an event of 4/20’s size costs around $100,000, according to Rec and Park figures.

The garbage pickup alone cost the city $50,000, and with police, transit and other expenses, the total bill came to more than $80,000.

The marijuana party was also a buzz kill for nearby merchants and residents whose streets were crammed with cars with out-of-state plates and whose doorways were used as bathrooms.

“Love it or hate it, the 4/20 festival is not going away, and it has a significant impact on our city, on our district and on the park system,” said Board of Supervisors President London Breed, whose district borders Golden Gate Park.

Breed acknowledged that the mass smoke-in was still illegal and said City Hall “didn’t want to sanction the event.”

Last year, eight people were arrested, and two teenage boys were robbed by a man wearing brass knuckles.