VegFests are events promoting the vegan lifestyle with food, merchandise, and guest speakers. According to the American Vegan Society, the very first VegFest was organized by the Toronto Vegetarian Association in 1985. Soon other cities in North America and beyond caught the idea, and now numerous VegFests are held around the globe: big and small, indoors and outdoors. They inspire their attendees to reaffirm their decision to lead a plant-based lifestyle or give veganism a try.
VegFest Colorado was launched in 2011 by Animal Action Network, a nonprofit volunteer organization that works to support and promote the human and ethical treatment of animals by humans. Since 2022, it has been owned and managed by the vegan event collaboration Indoor Cat Events founded by local food truck owners. In addition to VFCO, Indoor Cat Events hosts many smaller vegan events in the Denver and Boulder area, including Vegan Nights, Vegan BBQs, Halloween Bashes, Vegan Pride Parties, and Vegan Holiday Markets.
VegFest Colorado is a two-day vegan festival held at Auraria Campus, an educational facility near downtown Denver. It features an extensive line-up of vendors offering delicious vegan food, beverages, and eco-conscious merchandise. However, VFCO is more than just a food and merchandise market. Its program includes guest speakers who speak on diet, health and environmental issues, cooking demonstrations, food sampling, live music from local artists, morning yoga sessions, and kids’ activities.
While the majority of events hosted by Indoor Cat Events are free, VefFest Colorado is a ticketed event because there are many costs associated with organizing such an extensive festival. The revenue allows the organizers to recoup the costs and keep free events going. However, the tickets are pretty affordable, especially if you pre-order them online instead of purchasing them at the door, and kids aged 12 and under can attend the festival for free.
The price of admission includes entry to the festival grounds for the day (or weekend, depending on the type of ticket), access to all presentations with guest speakers, live music, free water refills, free activities in the Kids’ Zone, free samples from some vendors, and free items from some sponsors. Morning yoga sessions are available for pre-sale ticket holders only, and you need to sign up in advance because the number of spots is limited.
Those who want to make the most of their festival experience can purchase VIP tickets that include entry to the festival for both days, VIP priority seating at all presentations and speaker events (on a first come first serve basis), a swag bag, an exclusive t-shirt, and a free drink or reusable water bottle (varies by year).
VegFest Colorado is held rain or shine since the venue has a large indoor area where attendees can take shelter from weather.
Photo: VegFest Colorado
