The 50th anniversary of the Hash Bash marijuana festival in Ann Arbor is coming up next month and city officials already are prepping for it.
The cannabis celebration that started in 1972 and attracts thousands of visitors while creating clouds of smoke is scheduled for high noon April 2 on the University of Michigan Diag, coinciding with a return of the Monroe Street Fair.
Because Hash Bash takes place on university property and does not involve street closings, the city has no jurisdiction over approval of the event. However, in order to reduce congestion in the area around the Diag, the city has suspended and revoked sidewalk occupancy permits and peddler’s licenses at the request of UM and Ann Arbor police, Debra Williams, the city’s special events coordinator, said in a memo to City Council.
The restricted area for April 2 is bound by Monroe Street to the south, Huron Street to the north, Division Street to the west and Washtenaw Avenue to the east. That includes State Street.
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