Image courtesy of St. Louis VegFest
For hardcore herbivores and the veg-curious alike, the World’s Fair Pavilion in Forest Park is the place to be this Sunday, October 24, from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. St. Louis VegFest returns with information, community, and tons of delicious plant-based food.
After a hiatus during the pandemic in 2020, the festival is back and better than ever, with more than 50 vendors on hand, as well as four speakers, two yoga instructors, programming for kids, and a band and DJ. “It’s going to be a great festival,” says Caty Brown, event manager for VegFest.
Festival sponsor St. Louis Animal Rights Team (START) is an animal rights organization, though there are other reasons to go vegan or explore reducing consumption of animal products, which will also be covered at the fest, notes Brown. The nutrition viewpoint will be represented for “those who are shooting in the direction of health and illness reversal,” says Brown. Some vegans are mainly concerned with the environmental aspects of a standard diet, and there will be information covering that perspective as well.
Bill Muir (a.k.a. SGT VEGAN) advocates for a plant-based diet under challenging circumstances, as he experienced during his deployment to Afghanistan. Renee King-Sonnen from Rowdy Girl Sanctuary and Rancher Advocacy Program will share about alternatives to factory farming. Caryn Dugan (a.k.a. STL Veg Girl) and Dr. Jim Loomis will co-present a talk and cooking demo called “Culinary Medicine.”
The festival is 100 percent vegan, so don’t expect to see eggs, cheese, or honey. “We have pretty strict rules if you want to vend there,” Brown says. “We want everything to be cruelty-free.”
Many of this year’s vendors are longtime favorites, with a few new faces. Lulu’s Local Eatery has reopened and will be at the festival. Terror Tacos is an event sponsor, as well as vending; the all-vegan Mexican joint with a horror and hard rock aesthetic has been the talk of the town among vegans and omnivores alike since opening this spring. And Bombay Food Junkies will be on hand as well.
“They’ve been big supporters—their food is always delicious," says Brown. "Any meat eater I know who wants to try vegan food, I take them there.”
