4/20 to Dank Dykes is like Christmas to straight people… okay that’s a bit of an exaggeration but we take it very seriously around these parts. We are grateful to be gearing up for another wonderful 4/20 with the Dankies, which has us reminiscing on years past. Since this is our 4th year celebrating with y’all we thought we would take a little trip down memory lane!
Our very first 4/20 event was in 2022! That year we celebrated on the same day as Earth Day (kisses to whomever decided those dates would be so close every year) so we decided the theme should follow suit. We called it 4/20 Earth Angels and held it on a newly renovated houseboat parked at Rockaway Beach. It was an intimate party of 30ish people but it was a success! This put the fire under us to continue creating events for queer stoners to meet and mingle. The following year we wanted to do more for Blazin’ Bazaar. We positioned ourselves at the fun and funky DIY Brooklyn institution that is Rubulad. It was the perfect backdrop for 250 queer stoners to come shop from the queer vendor market and watch local queer bands. One of my favorite memories from all of our events was when I was packing up our car and following a group leaving the event. I overheard one of them say excitedly to the group “I go to a lot of events but I never actually make friends at them!” It really warmed my heart and made all the headache of organizing that event 100% worth it. Last year we decided to go a totally new route: comedy. Thankfully Brooklyn is teeming with amazing queer comics so booking the lineup for LOLGBTQ+ was a breeze. We held it at a beloved Brooklyn queer bar, Purgatory. The Dankies showed out again and were a super giggly crowd for the talent.
Ever since the beginning we wanted to try to make an impact with our largest gathering of the year. We have raised funds for Seeding Sovereignty and Last Prisoner Project, which are both organizations that we feel are doing good in this world. Through the help of our community we have raised $3981 from our 4/20 events alone, and we are just getting started!
So that brings us to this year. With the success of last year’s LOLGBTQ+ Queer Comedy Show, we are excited to bring it back for volume 2 at C’mon Everybody in Bed Stuy! In a world that is looking more and more bleak we want to try to bring our community together for some lighthearted, head in the clouds kind of fun. And this year we have chosen to pledge our ticket proceeds to the powerful organization that is G.L.I.T.S. As we see rights for trans individuals wrongfully scaled back we want to make sure we are supporting our most vulnerable community members. “G.L.I.T.S is a Black trans-led advocacy and direct services organization that is dedicated to fighting systemic discrimination against marginalized communities, in New York City and beyond.” Tickets are still on sale for this members only exclusive event. You can reach out to us via text, email, or DM on Instagram or Telegram to get the ticket info. Come support our fundraiser, get a free joint, and make a new stoner bestie. It is the most wonderful time of the year to be a Dank Dyke and we are really looking forward to celebrating with you all AGAIN! <3
By Taylor Barber, Dank Dykes Co-Founder
