Father's Day is one of those occasions where the standard gifts — another tie, another gadget — tend to miss the mark. For a growing number of families, the dad you're shopping for is an adult who enjoys cannabis the way someone else might enjoy a good craft beer or a nice cigar. If that's the father, stepdad, uncle, or grandfather on your list, a visit to a licensed Vermont shop can make for a genuinely thoughtful gift — as long as you handle it like the adult purchase it is. Here's how to plan it, and how to gift with care.

When is Father's Day 2027, and is Float On open?

In the United States, Father's Day 2027 falls on Sunday, June 20 — it lands on the third Sunday of June every year. Because it's a Sunday in early summer, it's an easy add-on to a downtown Burlington day: brunch, a walk down toward the waterfront, and a stop on Church Street. Float On is open seven days a week at 136½ Church Street, right on the Church Street Marketplace, so a Father's Day visit fits without rearranging the day. If you'd rather not carry it around all afternoon, save the stop for last.

Can you actually give cannabis as a gift in Vermont?

You can buy it as a gift — the one rule that matters is who ends up with it. Vermont adult-use cannabis is strictly 21 and older, so the person you're giving it to has to be 21+, full stop. That single line is what separates a thoughtful gift from a bad idea: never buy cannabis intending it for someone under 21, and don't hand it to anyone who can't legally have it.

A few practical notes keep the gesture on the right side of considerate:

• Buy it as your own purchase. You show your ID and buy it yourself; there's no gift-card-to-a-stranger workaround, and a store can't sell to you on behalf of someone who isn't 21.
• Give it privately. Cannabis can't be consumed in public in Vermont, so a gift is something the recipient opens and enjoys at home, on his own schedule — not something to pass around at the Father's Day cookout.
• Keep it in Vermont. Legally purchased cannabis can't cross state lines, so this works best for a local dad or a gift he'll enjoy while he's here.

What makes a thoughtful cannabis gift for dad?

The best gift is the one that matches how he likes to unwind, not the strongest or flashiest thing on the shelf. Vermont shops carry several formats, and each suits a different person:

• Flower and pre-rolls for the classic, ritual-minded dad — the tactile, roll-your-own or grind-it-yourself experience, and a natural fit for the griller or the back-porch type.
• Cannabis beverages and edibles for someone who'd rather not smoke; a beverage in particular reads a lot like handing him a nice drink.
• Vapes for the low-fuss, tidy option.

If you're weighing which to pick, our guide to flower, vape, or edible walks through how the formats differ. And if it'll be his first trip into a shop, point him to what to expect your first time — half the gift is making the whole thing feel easy. When in doubt, a budtender can help you choose something approachable rather than overwhelming.

How did Father's Day become a gifting holiday?

The modern American holiday traces to Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, who wanted a day to honor her father — a Civil War veteran who raised six children on his own. The first Father's Day was observed there on June 19, 1910. It took decades to stick nationally: President Richard Nixon signed it into law as a permanent federal holiday in 1972, fixing it on the third Sunday of June.

That slow history is a decent north star for a cannabis gift, too: the point isn't the biggest purchase, it's the thought. A single well-chosen item he'll actually enjoy, handed over with a card, beats a pile of products. Consider it the grown-up, considerate version of the holiday.

How should you plan the visit?

A June Sunday brings people out onto Church Street, so a little planning keeps the stop relaxed:

1. Browse the menu first. Look over the live menu at home so you arrive knowing roughly what you want instead of deciding in a crowd.
2. Order ahead if you can. Building your order in advance and picking it up under your name is the fastest path on a busy day — here's how order-ahead pickup works.
3. Bring your ID. You'll show a government-issued photo ID proving you're 21+ at the door, every visit.
4. Go earlier rather than at closing. The Marketplace fills up on a nice June Sunday; an earlier stop means more time to ask questions and a calmer counter.

What should you know before it leaves the store?

Two things worth keeping in mind so the gift lands cleanly. First, the price you see on the menu is the all-in price at Float On — Vermont's cannabis taxes are already built into the number, so there's no surprise math at the counter. Second, it comes sealed and labeled, which is exactly how it should stay for the trip home: keep it sealed, keep it out of reach of anyone under 21, and remember it's for private, at-home enjoyment rather than anything out in public.

Handled that way, a Father's Day stop at Float On in downtown Burlington is a simple, grown-up gesture — a considered gift for an adult who'll appreciate it, from a licensed Vermont shop a few steps off the Marketplace.