Delaware
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Two weed festivals expect to attract a couple thousand people at each of their puffed-up events in celebration of the 420 holiday in Delaware.
The two events are Spring Fling at Fire Base Lloyd in Townsend and the 420 Pregamin BlowChella at Hudson Fields in Milton. Both events are from April 19-20.
These 420 festivals are both for ages 21 or older, and guests are encouraged to bring their own weed. Both events will feature live music, vendors, food trucks and more.
Here’s a half-baked preview of some of the highlights from both cannabis fests.
What is 420 Spring Fling in Delaware?
The Delfire Group (hosts of the annual Weedstock festival in September), in collaboration with Delaware NORML, is celebrating 420 with Spring Fling, a party that will last 30 hours.
The event will include over a dozen musical acts like The Wag, Big Boy Brass and Gretchen Emery Band. In addition to vendors and food, there will also be workshops, arts and crafts.
Cynthia Ferguson, event manager for Delfire Group, said Weedstock and Spring Fling have been held at Fire Base Lloyd for several years and the vibes have been chill. Guests should expect the same this year.
“You’ll never get hassled here. People are very friendly. They’re very helpful,” Ferguson said.
What is 420 Blowchella in Delaware?
420 Pregamin BlowChella invites the cannabis community to hang out for a weekend of weed, munchies, canines, vendors, art exhibits and dancing, from April 19-20. While it technically starts at 10 a.m., the celebration will really get underway at 4:20 p.m. on April 19.
Guests will also compete in games from the Weed Olympics and Stoner Obstacle Course. But hours before the weed games, there will be a friendly meetup with bulldogs-themed Bullchella.
BlowChella is a collaboration with ChooseJoy (a Dover-based nonprofit that offers financial support to fire victims who lost their homes), cannabis advocate Phil Hardin of Delaware Loves Cannabis, and Taishawn Frisby (a community leader in Sussex County). Proceeds will benefit ChooseJoy.
What’s the Delaware Weed Olympics and Stoner Obstacle Course?
BlowChella is giving guests a chance to prove marijuana smokers aren’t lazy people through its Weed Olympics and Stoner Obstacle Course at 10 p.m. on April 19.
“Who don’t remember being a teenager and being like, ‘I roll a better joint than you. My blunts look better,’” Dawn said. “Well, now we can actually figure out who really does roll a better joint blindfolded.”
According to the BlowChella website, these games include events like:
- The Blunt Roll & Dash: Roll a (fake) blunt while speed-walking a short track. You have to start over if you drop it.
- Slo-Mo Smoker Sprint: The runner who runs with the slowest time wins.
- Deep Diving: Take a massive bong rip and see who can hold it in the longest.
- Munchie Mow Down: Race against the clock to see who can devour the most hot wings in one minute.
What is Bullchella in Delaware?
BlowChella actually begins with a bulldog meet-and-greet event called “Bullchella” from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 19. There will be a designated area where humans can smoke weed during Bullchella, said Theresa Dawn, founder of ChooseJoy.
Fans of bulldogs will have a chance to meet other bullies at Bullchella. Since this event is bulldog themed, guests are only allowed to bring bulldog breeds of any kind, Dawn said. She added that guests must bring dogs that are trained, leashed, and not on their estrus cycle.
Prizes and ribbons will be awarded to bullies in various categories.
What is 420?
April 20, or 4/20, marks the annual holiday to unofficially celebrate all things marijuana.
Marijuana is illegal under federal law in the U.S. But as some states, including Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, legalize or decriminalize it, Americans overwhelmingly favor the legalization of marijuana for medical and recreational use, according to a Pew Research Center survey.
Events like BlowChella and Spring Fling give Delawareans an opportunity to smoke the legal limit of weed in a festival setting.
“We are asking our guests to follow the rules,” Dawn said about BlowChella. “Bring your own bud, don’t bring more than you’re legally allowed to have on you. Follow the rules and let’s have fun.”
How much are tickets for Spring Fling 2025 and 420 BlowChella?
420 Pregamin BlowChella: Hudson Fields (30045 Eagle Crest Road, Milton) starts at 10 a.m. April 19-20. Tickets for General Admission Weekend Pass and Camping are $40 early or $50 at the gate. General Day Pass is $25 early or $30 at the door. For more info, visit 420pregamin.com.
Spring Fling 2025: Fire Base Lloyd (474 Fleming Landing Road, Townsend) at noon April 19. Tickets for general admission are $40. For more info, visit weedstock.org.
USA TODAY reporter Anna Kaufman contributed to this report.
If you have an interesting story idea, email lifestyle reporter Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com. Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at delawareonline.com/newsletters.
Delaware
Delaware County’s 250th events aim to boost local economy
DELAWARE COUNTY – Delaware County is gearing up for a year-long celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary, bringing together community partners for a series of events and programs.
Delaware County’s plans for the semiquincentennial
The Delaware County America 250 Commission hosted a “We the People” party to unveil plans for the upcoming celebrations.
The events aim to educate and connect the local community while drawing visitors from outside Philadelphia to explore the area’s rich history.
What they’re saying:
“Delaware County is not just watching from the sidelines, we are proud to be an essential part of a massive regional and national celebration,” said Christine Reuther, Delaware County Council Vice Chair.
Andrea Silva, director of the Delaware County America 250 Commission, highlighted the diverse themes that will be showcased throughout the year.
Celebrating 250 years of history
The backstory:
Friday’s event celebrated Delaware County’s 250-year history, with different tables reflecting various themes.
Attendees included Colonial Farmstead, Penn’s Woods Winery, and Pathways to Freedom.
The programming will feature over 100 events, including the Battle for Independence: Amazing Race to Brandywine and the Irish America 250 Kick Off on Jan. 14.
The celebrations are expected to leave a lasting legacy, with hopes of boosting the local economy.
“We want to see real economic impact for our local businesses as visitors from around the world come to shop on our main streets and stay in our towns and eat in our restaurants,” said Reuther.
What’s next:
This year’s county event specifics can be found here.
The Source: Information from the Delaware County America 250 Commission.
Delaware
Wilmington’s first homicide of 2026 claims life of 19-year-old
How to report a crime to Delaware Crime Stoppers
This video details what Delaware Crime Stoppers is and how to report a crime. 8/25/23
A 19-year-old man was shot dead in Wilmington’s Southbridge neighborhood in the early hours of Jan. 9, police said.
Wilmington officers arriving to the 200 block of S. Claymont St. about 3:30 a.m. found the teen there.
The teen, whom police have not named, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Anyone with information about this shooting should contact Wilmington Police Detective Derek Haines at (302) 576-3656. People can also provide information to Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 or delawarecrimestoppers.com.
Violence by the numbers
This is the first homicide reported this year in Delaware, which last year saw a slight drop in all violent killings.
Delaware police reported 52 people being killed in violent crimes in 2025, a drop of nearly 12% when compared with 59 people killed in 2024, according to a Delaware Online/The News Journal database.
While the number of people killed in homicides statewide is down, the number of people killed by gunfire in Delaware was up in 2025 for the third year in a row.
According to the Delaware Online database, 47 were shot dead in Delaware last year. That was one more victim (46) than in 2024, three more (44) than in 2023 and nine more (38) than in 2022.
Despite the increase in gun-related deaths, there were fewer people shot last year in Delaware for the second year in a row.
Police reported 164 people being shot last year in Delaware. The previous year saw 195 people shot and police reported 210 people being shot in 2023.
This was the fewest people shot in Delaware since 2018, when police reported 146 people being shot statewide.
Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.
Delaware
MERR responds to dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach
Humpback whale beaches and dies at Delaware Seashore State Park
The Marine Education, Research and Rehabilitation Institute will perform a necropsy.
A dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach on Jan. 8, according to the nonprofit Marine Education Research and Rehabilitation Institute.
The juvenile male was first seen Jan. 6, floating at sea about 2 miles off the Indian River Inlet, a MERR Facebook post said. The bloated 30-foot whale ultimately beached near a private community in the early afternoon of Jan. 8, the post said.
MERR is attempting to coordinate with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to get equipment to move the whale out of the water and onto the beach to perform a necropsy, the post said. Right now, there isn’t enough information to determine a cause of death.
Delaware saw at least three dead whales last year, in the Indian River Bay, at Delaware Seashore State Park and at Pigeon Point. The first two were humpbacks, while the Pigeon Point whale was a fin whale.
A necropsy on the Delaware Seashore whale found blunt force trauma across its back, indicating it may have been struck by a ship, MERR Director Suzanne Thurman said.
Recently, on Jan. 4, a dead fin whale was found on the bow of a ship at the Gloucester Marine Terminal in New Jersey, which is located in the Port of Philadelphia on the Delaware River.
Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Facebook.
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