If you’re having trouble understanding the title of the three-night event at the Crown & Anchor in Provincetown this weekend, a little explanation may be in order.
CDXX is the Roman numeral for 420, which is a slang term for marijuana. April 20, or 4/20, has become an annual day of marijuana appreciation across the globe, “Henny” is drag slang for “honey.” So “CDXX Henny” roughly translates as “Marijuana Honey.” Now you know.
“ ‘CDXX Henny’ is a celebration of the things I love most,” says headline performer and organizer Mackenzie Miller in a statement accompanying the show. “My love of performing, drag, and cannabis, as well as the opportunity to share the stage with so many friends and local P’town performers.”
Subtitled “Legend of the Ganja Goddesses,” the show will also feature local performers Qya Cristál, Joáo Santos, Spookey, Delta Miles, Roxy Pops, Austin Tyler, Morgan Sapphire, Anne Hutchinson, Hilarie Tamar, and Abby Cummings. Miller describes it as a love letter to the action-adventure movies of her childhood, like The Goonies and the Indiana Jones series.
“My alter ego, Indica Jones, is a bright, clumsy, and very stoned scholar and explorer,” says Miller. “I set out on the adventure of a lifetime to find the Ganja Goddesses and unlock their power to restore peace, love, and weed to the world.”
Miller, 34, launched the show at the Pilgrim House in 2019 with six performers and uncertainty that anyone would show up for it. As it turned out, that first show started nearly an hour late to accommodate the long line of people who arrived at the door. It reopened last year at the Crown & Anchor after pausing for the Covid shutdown.
This year’s festivities are considerably larger than previous incarnations. Additions include a late-night “munchie menu” and a “weed fair” with vendors selling cannabis-related crafts and products (though not actual cannabis). Representatives from local dispensaries will be on hand to answer questions. Miller is also taking advantage of the large LED screens that frame the Paramount stage by engaging artist Heather MacFarland to create original visuals to enhance the story.
Prior to organizing and starring in this weekend’s show, Miller had established herself as one of Provincetown’s most industrious drag artists. Born and raised in Alaska, she moved to Provincetown in 2013 and has been hosting drag parties in town for the past eight years. Along with comedian Austin Tyler, she hosts Friday night viewing parties for RuPaul’s Drag Race at the Crown & Anchor, which have become de rigueur for local and visiting fans of the show. (For the season finale last week, the Wave Bar was packed to capacity.) She’s also been involved with the Public Drag Show series, which has raised money for the ACLU’s Drag Defense Fund and Gays Against Guns (GAG), a direct action group working to end gun violence.
The origin of April 20 as a day to celebrate marijuana is a topic of debate, albeit one mostly limited to people who use cannabis. There’s a widely circulated rumor that the term “420” is a police code for marijuana, but it’s false: law enforcement agencies in the U.S. use a variety of codes to refer to illegal drug activity, but 420 isn’t one of them. More evidence suggests that the phrase was first used by a group of high school friends in San Rafael, Calif. in the early 1970s who settled on 4:20 p.m. as the time when they would plan to meet up to smoke pot. According to Wikipedia, the term was later popularized by High Times magazine and followers of the Grateful Dead, because of course.
Whatever its provenance, it has entered the popular vernacular. Around the world, April 20 is now a day for enthusiasts to come together and celebrate, advocate, and lobby for cannabis. Among the larger celebrations are Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam; Spannabis in Barcelona; 420 Vancouver, Canada; Hash Bash in Ann Arbor, Mich.; and Hempfest in Seattle, Wash. And as recreational cannabis has become legal in 21 states, the annual celebration has found much more mainstream support, with increasing corporate involvement and sponsorships for festivals, concerts, and marketing campaigns.
While the audience at Miller’s show is encouraged to partake ahead of the festivities, Provincetown bylaws dictate that no one is allowed to indulge in cannabis on the premises. Likewise, the cast members will be (mostly) sober, according to Miller.
“We’re not a sober cast by any means, but all performers will be encouraged to wait until the show is over before they partake,” says Miller, adding that she will also wait until after the show to join the party.
High Times
The event: “CDXX Henny: Legend of the Ganja Goddesses”
The time: Thursday, April 20 through Saturday, April 22, 8 p.m.
The place: The Paramount Club at the Crown & Anchor, 247 Commercial St., Provincetown
The cost: $35-$45; see onlyatthecrown.com for information
