When I entered the Essex Vegan Festival, I was greeted with a friendly face and a Vegan Protein Energy Ball from Bounce to enjoy, it tasted of almond and cookie dough.
With over 80 stands to browse, there was no shortage of choice, with sweets, wine, burgers, cakes and cookies for you to try before you buy.
And other than food, there was clothes, water bottles, jewellery, face products and a wide range of charity’s to see.
About half the food stands offered samples for you to try with the other half just focused on selling food like sausages, burgers, cakes and pastries.
If you thought vegan festivals were just for vegan and veggie families – think again. Everyone is enjoying vegan these days from Will.I.AM and Jennifer Lopez to Benedict Cumberbatch and Brad Pitt. Vegan week from Great British Bake Off showed us just how much fun everyone can have with vegan food and now the supermarkets appear to be competing with each other as to who can bring out the best new vegan goodies. Vegans now have their own cool menus in most mainstream restaurants, pubs and cafes. So if you’re currently tucking into your quarter pounder but starting to realise that there’s now something way more exciting out there and it’s vegan-shaped, hop along to a Vegan Events UK festival this year…
2019 line-up of events across the UK
Saturday 2nd March – Essex Vegan Festival
Saturday 9th March – Glasgow Vegan Festival
Saturday 23rd March – Leicester Vegan Festival
Saturday 6th April – Northern Vegan Festival – Manchester
Saturday 20th April – Portsmouth Vegan Festival
Saturday 27th April – Nottingham Vegan Festival
Sunday 12th May – Great Yorkshire Vegan Festival – Leeds
Saturday 8th June & Sunday 9th June – Brighton Vegan Summer Fest
Saturday 29th June – Liverpool Vegan Festival
Saturday 6th July – Plymouth Vegan Festival
Saturday 20th July – Bath Vegan Festival
Saturday 31st August – Dorset Vegan Festival
Saturday 14th September – North Wales Vegan Festival – Wrexham
Saturday 12th October – Watford Vegan Festival
Saturday 2nd November – Manchester Vegan WinterFest
Saturday 9th November – Bath Vegan Festival
Saturday 23rd &Sunday 24th November – Glasgow Vegan Festival
Sunday 1st December – Portsmouth Vegan Festival
Sunday 8th December – Great Yorkshire Vegan WinterFest – Leeds
Saturday 14th December – Essex Vegan Festival
Vegan Events UK festivals also help local homeless people, whilst also helping to reduce food waste. Stall holders are asked to donate any surplus food at the end of the festival, and a group of volunteers distributes it to homeless people after the event, providing a hot meal as well as cold dishes.
I went to the Essex Vegan Festival and enjoyed myself, with lots to see, taste and do, if your vegan or contemplating it, it’s differently worth going alone to one of these events to see just how big this expanding market is.