The annual vegan festival season is in full swing, with World Vegan Day Melbourne and VeganFest Tasmania still to come and monthly markets in many cities continuing.
The Vegan Festival Adelaide was held last weekend and in this guest article, Klara Walterova gives it the thumbs up!
Vegan festivals are a great way to spend a day or even a full weekend outside with friends and family. They are also great for discovering new varieties of food and vegan and eco-friendly products. What's more, vegan festivals are an amazing place for meeting like-minded people, inspiring speakers and animal activists!
One of the best vegan festivals I have ever visited was Vegan Festival in Adelaide which took place during the weekend of 26 and 27 October 2019 in the Rundle Park / Kadlitpina on the East Terrace in Adelaide centre. This was the third and, so far, the best year of this fabulous festival. The organisers' goal 'to celebrate, promote, and provide education for a compassionate, healthy and sustainable vegan lifestyle' was met far beyond everyone's expectations.
As the popularity of veganism has been surging across Australia and as many new vegan stores and eateries have been established in the last couple of years, it makes sense that the Vegan Festival in the South Australian capital was extremely popular. This year was also the first time visitors could buy a 2-day pass for $15 and save some money. Otherwise they could visit only one day for $10.
The Vegan Festival Adelaide also had many associated events which happened prior, such as cooking demonstrations in Adelaide's popular Central Market and Veguastation, an exceptional vegan fine dining experience. The outstanding VIP Breakfast with Vegan Inspirational People took place in the morning on Sunday 27 October, just before the entrance opened for all other visitors. It was an event where a few selected important and inspirational vegan speakers had the stage and all guests tasted some delicious vegan treats. All proceeds from the VIP Breakfast went towards the Vegan Festival Adelaide and the proceeds collected from the Vegan Festival Adelaide were donated to several Adelaide-based charities.
The Vegan Festival Adelaide was kid and dog-friendly and there was something for everyone. There was an outstanding diversity and extraordinary quality of vegan products and the programme of the 2-day event was more than promising.
Visitors could try a wide range of vegan food, from traditional Italian and Vietnamese cuisine, hotdogs, warm and cold sandwiches, pizzas and prawns on skewers, to ice creams, cupcakes, raw slices, protein balls and fruit smoothies. My favourite stall was Staazi & Co - The Greek Vegan Project, which offered an authentic Greek yiros with plant-based lamb and loaded fries with tzatziki and Greek style slaw. The plant-based lamb tasted amazing and it was worth waiting in the long line - that popular the place was!
Another favourite stall of mine was Sassi Ice Cream which is an Australia-wide ice cream company. It combines traditional Middle East recipes with vegan recipes and creates the unforgettable taste of roasted nuts and exotic spices. The vegan ice cream was absolutely to die for!
Apart from food stalls, visitors could find useful information about the animal sanctuaries around Adelaide and South Australia. They could buy some sanctuary merchanise or donate money to injured or abandoned animals. Visitors learnt how to protect animals and stand for animal rights. Stalls spreading the word included the Animal Justice Party, Anonymous for the Voiceless and Animal Liberation.
There were also many stalls offering zero-waste, reusable and eco-friendly products, such as stainless steel drinking straws, reusable glass bottles, wax food wraps, fabric shopping bags, coconut bowls and wooden cutlery. All these products gave an insight to consumers on how they can reduce their waste, reuse and recycle what they already have at home and be more conscious about our environment and ecosystem.
Cruelty-free cosmetics, beauty and personal hygiene products are something I am extra interested in. The EcoLateral Company, which produces sustainable living products, brought a brand new line of beauty products such as lipsticks, concealers and eyeshadows. You can even combine your own palette of four products to your liking!
The programme of the Vegan Festival Adelaide was fantastic, with many famous speakers and activist groups appearing on stage and inspiring the audience with their strong message. The guests who drew the most attention were Lynda Stoner, Hey Harriet, James Aspey, Zac Bird and many others. They all encouraged people to move to a vegan lifestyle, and educated people how to act against animal violence and speak for those who can't.
A lot happened in the workshop zone and the plant power tent as well. For instance, people learnt how to decorate a vegan party drip cake and how to thrive on a vegan diet to get all the nutrients their body needs. Very interesting was the performance by the Belly Dancing Arabesque group and how to go vegan step by step.
Needless to say, the organisation of the festival and promotion on social media and word of mouth was perfect. Vegan Festival Adelaide has been keeping in touch with their fans throughout the year and has been posting an abundance of related information on their Facebook page. The tickets were available online a long time before the event or the visitors could buy them at the entrance.
The Vegan Festival Adelaide is a truly wonderful event full of very useful information and an exceptional range of high-quality vegan, organic and cruelty-free products. It makes sense that most of the event visitors were vegan, but the festival was not limited only to those who already live the vegan lifestyle. Everyone who is curious about plant based living was welcome and there was a space for everyone to learn something new or try and indulge some of the delicious vegan food.
I give the festival five stars and I can't wait to find out what next year's programme will bring. But one thing is clear: vegan festivals will continue to unite like-minded people, teaching them to show their compassion for all animals and helping them make a difference. Next year will bring even more eclectic and awe-inspiring vegan food to help erase the line between herbivores and omnivores!
Klara is a professional freelance writer for hire. She offers web content, blog posting, ghostwriting and copywriting. She writes for healthy lifestyle, wellness and travel websites. She focuses on veganism and the vegan diet. When she's not writing, she develops new tasty vegan recipes, travels the world and plays with her kitty. For more information about Klara's online writing services please contact her via her website Written By Vegan. You can download her Vegan Starter Kit there for free.
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