Updated April 16, 2016 at 4:03 p.m.
It was a major buzzkill.
Organizers of Denver’s annual 420 Rally said they will not refund tickets for the event, which was postponed Saturday morning because of wet, snowy weather.
More information about rescheduling the rally, slotted to start at 10 a.m., will come later, said Miguel Lopez, the rally’s organizer who insisted on Friday that the show would go on rain or shine.
“We’re rescheduling due to bad weather and issues beyond our control,” he said Saturday, unwilling to provide details.
Denver Parks and Recreation and the city’s special events office both said the decision to call off the rally was left up to organizers. Grace López Ramírez from the Office of Special Events said officials discussed the coming storm with 420 rally organizers Friday and requested that they take precautions to ensure attendees’ safety and to avoid damaging Civic Center’s grass, which is more fragile after snow has fallen. She said officials likely would confer with organizers in the coming week to discuss rescheduling options.
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Lopez says the decision to reschedule is a blessing in disguise because visitors, some of whom paid more than $150 to get close to headlining performers Wiz Khalifa and Lil Wayne, can return on a nicer day for a “bigger and better show.”
But some people who traveled from out of state don’t see it that way.
“We had to take off from work, and then it was a four-hour flight to get here,” said Breanna Duffee, from Gainesville, Ga. “I packed my parka and snowboots. I was pumped.”
The featured musicians are still set to perform when the rally is rescheduled, Lopez said.
He was adamant the Saturday delay wouldn’t hurt turnout, noting that if people who made the trip can’t honor their tickets, that’s another factor that’s “beyond our control.”
The Colorado Department of Transportation postponed an associated event designed to educate marijuana users about the dangers of driving high.
The “Slow-Speed Chase” has been rescheduled for April 20, when stoners nationwide will celebrate marijuana.
Danielle Lord drove from Wyoming with her two sons, John Lord and Bryce Amedees, to see Wiz Khalifa. She paid $150 per ticket for front-row access and backstage passes.
“I’m not going to be able to come back when they reschedule,” Lord said. “I feel like it should go on.”
James Terpening, one of roughly 250 vendors at the rally, felt the same way. The Michigan-based marijuana grower said he was concerned that bad weather might threaten the rally, but he made the 18-hour drive anyway.
Staring out over a soggy Civic Center, Terpening was baffled. Although he said he’ll make the trip back to Denver when the rally gets rescheduled, he anticipates a lower turnout. “It doesn’t look unsafe out here to me,” Terpening said. “This will be a huge hit for us.”
Logan Hagen and Lindzy Vermedahl, who drove 12 hours from Iowa, said they’ll be back.
“It’s very depressing,” Hagen said. “I’m a little bummed.”
Katy Canada: 303-954-1043, kcanada@denverpost.com or @KatySusanna
Staff writer Jon Murray contributed to this report.