Thanksgiving week has a particular rhythm in Burlington: the leaves are down, the first real cold has arrived, and the whole downtown fills up with people cooking, hosting, and traveling in to see family. If cannabis is part of how you unwind over a long weekend, the week has one wrinkle worth planning around — the day before Thanksgiving is, quietly, one of the busiest shopping days of the year at dispensaries. This is a calm guide to getting what you need without the stress: when the rush hits, how to order ahead, what the holiday weekend looks like on Church Street, and how to host thoughtfully once everyone's under one roof.

What is Green Wednesday, and when is it in 2026?

"Green Wednesday" is the cannabis world's nickname for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. It has grown into one of the highest-traffic shopping days on the dispensary calendar — routinely ranked second only to April 20 — as people stock up before hosting, traveling, or settling in for a few days at home. In 2026 it lands on Wednesday, November 25, with Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 26, and the long weekend running through the Sunday.

The practical takeaway isn't about any promotion — it's about crowds. Expect a busier-than-usual shop and a busier-than-usual downtown that whole afternoon and evening. A little planning is the difference between a two-minute stop and a wait.

How do I beat the pre-Thanksgiving rush?

A handful of simple moves keep a busy errand short:

• Order ahead. Build your order on the live menu and pick it up under your name — the fastest way through on a busy day. Our walkthrough of how order-ahead pickup works covers the whole flow.
• Come earlier in the day. The stretch right after work and into the evening is the peak. Late morning or early afternoon is calmer.
• Shop a day or two ahead. Nothing says you have to go on Green Wednesday itself. Earlier in the week is quieter, and your purchase keeps fine at home when stored sealed and cool.
• Bring a valid 21+ photo ID. A driver's license, passport, or state ID all work, and you'll show it at the door every visit — no medical card is needed at an adult-use shop.

If you're driving in for the holiday and don't know the downtown well, our parking guide for the Church Street Marketplace maps out the garages and street spots so you're not circling the block on the busiest afternoon of the fall.

When is Float On open over the Thanksgiving weekend?

Float On is on Church Street in downtown Burlington, right on the Church Street Marketplace, and it's open seven days a week. In its regular weekly rhythm, the shop keeps evening hours through the week and stays open late — until midnight — on Fridays and Saturdays. That means the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving fall on the shop's late-night days, while Green Wednesday and the days around it follow the usual weekday schedule.

One honest caveat: hours on a major holiday can differ from an ordinary week, and Thanksgiving Day itself is the kind of day a shop may adjust. Rather than guess, check the current hours on the live menu or confirm before you head over — a 30-second check beats a wasted trip downtown.

How do I host thoughtfully with cannabis over Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is a full-house holiday — extra guests, kids, pets, and a kitchen counter covered in food. If cannabis is part of your own long weekend, a little intentionality keeps it easy and low-key:

1. Keep edibles clearly apart from the food. A Thanksgiving spread is wall-to-wall snacks and sweets, and a cannabis edible can look like any of them. Keep edibles in their original child-resistant 21+ packaging, in their own spot, never mixed into a shared dish or dessert tray.
2. Store it up and out of reach. With more people and pets around than usual, a high cabinet or locked box is the simple safeguard — and put it back there between servings instead of leaving it out.
3. Mind the mix. Cannabis and alcohol together can hit harder and less predictably than either alone, which is worth keeping straight at a holiday gathering where wine is already flowing.
4. Keep it private, and don't assume. Not every guest partakes, and hosting is a shared space — a quiet check-in beats catching anyone off guard.

What Vermont rules should I keep in mind?

Vermont's framework is short and worth knowing before a busy weekend:

• It's 21+. Adult-use cannabis is for adults 21 and older — an easy line to hold on a holiday built around family.
• No public consumption. Vermont does not permit consuming cannabis in public — not on the sidewalk, the waterfront, in a car, or a gathering that spills outside. It's for private use at a residence.
• It stays in state. Cannabis bought here can't legally cross state lines, even into a neighboring legal state — worth remembering if relatives are heading home after the weekend.
• The menu price is the final price. Vermont's 14% cannabis excise tax and 6% sales tax are already built into the number on the menu, so nothing is added at the counter.

New to all of this, or hosting someone who is? Our guide to what to expect your first time at a Burlington dispensary covers the visit start to finish, and you can browse the rest of our learn guides for calm, beginner-friendly walkthroughs on formats, timing, and storage before you shop the live menu.