Central Florida Veg Fest

229/100 in 2016 challenge

Amazing event each year! We have been to the event a few years running now. It always gets better. The weather was perfect. We usually get there was it just opened as the event becomes very busy very quickly. It is held each year in Orlando Festival Park. A great centralized location. Open and airy. Food is amazingly fresh and most are made to order on the spot. Hubby is a vegan so he loves coming here. Love the hot dog cart and of course Drunken Monkey, Etho's and Infusion Tea. You can get a whole coconut open to drink for 4.00. Very cool. Loved the limeade. Very refreshing. Great information seminars are held, as is cooking demonstration. Pet adoptions on site at great prices. Yoga classes are also held several times a day. Great freebies on smoothies, bars and nuts. Loved the popcorn vendor. Event itself is free but parking is 5.00. Well worth it.

And so; the long awaited Vegfest of 2017 has come and gone, and in my personal opinion; it was a really good time. Loved that there was a lot of variety of food and samples, speakers, live music, and that nice little garden that was lovely to take a stroll in.

One of the highlights for me personally as a Vegan is that you don't have to ask at the food stalls: "Does this have dairy?" "This doesn't have any meat in it does it?" It was nice to have so many choices all at the same space. I think however that most things were a little more expensive than I thought it would be. One food item in particular from the Boca fresh stall which I personally thought was insanely overpriced and didn't taste good was the Mac n Chip meal. A whopping $12 (see pic) it looks appetizing though, which explains why we were in line for about 30 minutes, and then when you taste it you're like "ok flavor, I know you're hiding in there somewhere." Did they focus more on visual appeal than actual taste? Apparently so.
Well, at least Vegan hot dog cart was there to save the day because their doggies were outstanding, really, even the carnivore amongst us thought it was one of the best hot dogs he's ever eaten. He also liked the 'fake steak' kebabs from loving hut which I agree were REALLY good, they really did taste like chewy steak. I also really enjoyed the fresh coconuts. I bought a medium sized one and I was drinking out of that baby for almost the entirety of my time there, it just wouldn't stop giving coconut juice; it was great!
Valkyrie was also there but I didn't get to try it as we had gotten lots of baked good samples at other tents and were full already.

I can't wait for next year honestly, and I'm definitely be keeping an eye out for Vegan hot dog cart, and those fresh coconuts :)

Such a fun filled day for the family. I love this local festival that they have every year. I am so glad they have an event that focuses on vegetarian and vegan food and allows local vendors to come and share their goods. When we had gone we had tried a little bit of everything from a few vendors. I had tried Ethiopian food for the first time which completely blew my mind along with the veggie Vietnamese and Indian food. What I really enjoyed is that almost every culture was represented during this festival as well which allowed us to have options and to see the different veggie cuisines from around the world. I highly recommend this festival for those who are interested in it for next year, with fun for the kids and free admission how could one resist?

I was pretty unimpressed - both with the venue and the overall collection of vendors at this event in 2017. Even looking at the map, it looks extremely disorganized - it was just as bad in person. Overall, the mix of vendors was disappointing and the logistics bad enough that I'd avoid it in the future. The parking was a mess (there were confused kids overseeing it alone!) and when I saw a lady pass out, I couldn't find any event staff or on-site medical personnel to assist! Being a free spirit is fine, but things like this still need a semblance of order to come off properly - there was none to be seen.

The variety of food vendors was good, but they definitely need more and should better utilize the space at Festival Park (or relocate elsewhere!). The "animal haven" was essentially non-existent (2 turkeys & 5 rabbits?); the music was REALLY bad at the early afternoon hour; the majority of vendors seemed out of place to me, such as home gutters salespeople, and even spices for steaks and seafood (lol!)...and then the ultra stereotypical hawking of tie-dye shirts, bad art, and incense. What a letdown!

DON'T MISS THIS EVENT! Seriously the BEST VegFest I've ever been to!!!

All of the food is vegan. Exception: the açaí bowl place had honey in some of their their bowls.

Get there right when it opens! I arrived one hour after they opened and four parking lots were already full. Parking is $5.

The park is the perfect location for this event. There was plenty of space between vendors. You will find: animal sanctuaries (along with chickens, Guinnea pigs, cats, kittens, assorted dogs, greyhounds, pugs to interact with), local restaurants (carrot dogs, nachos, Jamaican patties, açaí bowls, Ethiopian food, tamales, tacos, meals with included sides, Thai, Raw, zucchini noodles alfredo, veggie burgers, pulled jackfruit sandwiches, sweet potato fries, fried plaintains, chili, soups & bisques, popcorn, frozen bars, ice cream, smoothies, cupcakes, cookies, muffins, donuts), free food samples, pamphlets and info, speakers, live cooking demos, vegan T-shirts, plants, fruits (persimmons!), musicians (dancers, singers/guitarist, lip syncing), oils, yoga, meditation, and so much more!

The grounds were cleans. Free to get in. Dogs are allowed.

Just GO!

SO. MANY. VENDORS.

Wowza!

First year attending and I'll definitely be back. I am not a vegetarian by any means, but I really appreciated the effort the festival put behind informing the general public about the basics of the lifestyle. There were plenty of tents, speakers, and demonstrations about vegetarianism and, in general, living a healthy lifestyle.

I loved the dedication and thought behind the event as well. None of the vendors had anything that contained made from animal products, and the Vegan Tent was my personal favorite. They had TONS of free samples of vegan food and snacks -- little packets of vegan coconut oil (LOVE), "burgers", "chicken" nuggets, health bars, Zevia All Natural Sodas, and chips. My ultimate faves were the Beanfields' Bean & Rice Chips (Nacho flavored); I think I came back and grabbed three bags in total throughout the day.

The amount of food vendors was really great too. I tried the "Meatball" Sub from Ethos, a Blueberry-Basil popsicle from POP Crafts, and a chocolate cupcake from Raphsodic. The sub and the popsicle were amazing -- I could eat a sub everyday and those popsicles were the perfect treat on a warm day. I did not enjoy the cupcake though; it was dry and the frosting was just really dense.

All in all, this was a great festival and I'm glad to see it circulating nationwide!

Have you ever entered a restaurant and started asking a few questions about the menu and get a look from the server that tells you that inside they are rolling their eyes and judging you?
Yup, it happens 90% of the time I go to a restaurant because I ask questions like, "Is the broth in the Squash soup chicken or Vegetable?", "Do you have any other meatless options besides pizza or salad?" on that one I love it when they go, oh yes PORK or chicken and I have to explain that I don't eat FLESH... ok I don't say it like that but I would love to.

Point is that as much as people complain that Vegetarians or Vegans are self-righteous and judgmental, since I have become one I found it completely the other way around.

So imagine how wonderful it was to be in an environment of "no judgement" from anyone there. Not a single person at this fest was going to roll their eyes at me because I don't want to eat an animal for health and moral reasons.

I couldn't believe how huge it was, I had seen who the vendors were all going to be online, but didn't realize the magnitude of the event. There was live music which I love, speakers, rescue groups (it took ALL of my self control not to come home with yet another rescue), Hare Krishnas, Buddhist Monks, Vendors selling everything from jewelry to t-shirts, and last but not least DELICIOUS amazing food!

We had a meal from an Indian place (I know, I am horrible but can't remember the name), a Smoothie (delicious) and dessert from Rhapsodic Bakery.

We also listened to a speaker (mixed feelings about that one, it was for Bodybuilding on a Vegan diet but ended up being a basic chat about why Vegan - hey buddy preaching to the choir - and super basic fitness info ... I took my vegetarian client who wants to bulk up and we wanted more about actual Bodybuilding on a Vegan diet, all I got was "more calories").

Because we got called away on an emergency I missed the one person I REALLY wanted to hear - John Salley... as a vegetarian FROM CHICAGO... dude, you are my hero in more ways than one.

All in all, I truly wish they had this fest more than just once a year, maybe another in the spring would be great.

Entrance: FREE

Parking: $5 per car

Food: price varies for each vendor (but we usually spend $15 per person)

Attractions: food vendors, invited speaker tent, pet adoptions, and craft vendors.

This is my second year attending. It has grown a lot from last year, so I can only imagine how much bigger it'll be next year :) I love the food tents, so much to eat and only 1 stomach per person!!! This is my dilemma each year. This year I invited friends and this meant that we got to try a lot more food, because each person got something different and we all shared.

The only reason I did not give them 5 stars is because of the lack of garbage & recycling cans. We walked forever looking for a garbage can because there weren't enough and when we found one it was so full, that food was falling out of it :-/ this was frustrating. I hope they fix this for next year.

I write this review as I catch a glimpse at the View and hear all the hate those women are spewing on vegetarians simply because of the new report from the World Health Organization that shows that processed meats cause Cancer and red meat raises the risk of Cancer. This was the biggest display of stupid on live TV that I have seen so far. Even worse that all those idiotic reality tv shows.
But I digress...
My recommendation to anyone, regardless of your eating habits is to come out and walk around this fest. You will see that every cause, every tent, everyone involved here comes out on the side of doing good. There are no evil causes here. I mean, you are walking around a place where every supporter advocates treating every living creature with respect, and treating the world with care...what can possibly be wrong with this ? What is so controversial about good stuff?
Therefore, it is guaranteed that you will come across good people, enjoy good food, music and more, and have an awesome day.
Come out next time, have a blast!

One of the largest vegan events in the area. Lots of great food. Live music, animal encounters, yoga, and public speakers. The event is always well organized. There is plenty of room at the event, lots of parking, and clean restrooms.