Nanaimo vegan restaurant Eve Olive will be one of the vendors on-site at Nanaimo's VegFest. Pictured is one of their signature dishes, the Greek Goddess. (file photo)

By Jordan Davidson

vegan from head tomatoes

Nanaimo VegFest brings plant-based diets front and centre

Jul 29, 2023 | 5:48 AM

NANAIMO — Vegans, vegetarians, and animal lovers from all across the Island will be converging at Nanaimo’s Maffeo Sutton Park on Saturday, July 29, for the first-ever VegFest.

VegFest is an open event with a focus on the plant-based food lifestyle and its impacts on animals and the environment.

Co-organizer of the event Stacy Neilson said the inaugural event will be a fun community festival that’s vegan in nature.

“VegFests are an opportunity to share the benefits of a plant-based diet for human health, planetary health, and animal rights for people to learn about plant-based diets and veganism. Nanaimo VegFest was specifically designed to be inclusive with the location, free admission, and including non-vegan vendors selling vegan-only items.”

The event runs from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. with 50+ vendors showcasing vegan food and merchandise.

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Neilson said to bring a cooler as they’ll be plenty of food available to eat on-site as well as to take home.

“All the food served will be plant-based – no animal products will be available for sale at the festival. There will be vegan retail food items available; both that are made without animal products such as baked goods and chocolates, or made to replace animal products such as feta and salmon made from plants.”

She said a lot of the vendors who will be on-site are already vegan or cater to the vegan market, but some local non-vegan vendors are excited to “veganize” their menu for the event.

Local vendors will include Eve Olive, the Nanaimo Foodshare, and The Dragon Bowl out of Parksville.

Food vendors won’t be the only thing at the event. A number of speakers, authors, and experts in the world of veganism will be on hand to provide information on all things vegan.

“It’s not all food though, there will be several merchants who are selling vegan merchandise – such as artisanal pottery, clothing, blankets, and vegan recipe books, and merchants selling well-aligned products such as aeroponic vertical gardens.”

(VegFest)

Neilson said they are excited about the speakers they have lined up to speak on veganism, animal rights, planetary health and plant-based diets.

The speakers will also have their merchandise available on-site.

Along with a variety of vegan food like ice cream, poutine, and plant-based meats, there will also be activities for kids including face painting and a bouncy castle.

More information can be found here on their website positivelyvegan.ca.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow