Throughout North America, municipalities from Nashville to Ottawa host an annual VegFest to celebrate all things vegan & vegetarian. For the first time ever, St. John’s will have a VegFest of its own, on Saturday, August 20th. 

“The St. John’s VegFest planning committee came together in the fall of 2015 after we noticed that many Canadian cities have been hosting VegFests over the last couple of years,” the committee said. “Our mission is to celebrate delicious food and to inspire others to experience a wholesome plant-based lifestyle in our community.”

The event will see local guest speakers, community organizations, educational activities, and of course, delicious food all under the one roof, and for FREE! The educational activities will include an interactive panel discussion on the struggles and benefits of being vegan in NL.

Among the guest speakers will be Sue Ann Gardiner, who, “after suffering numerous illnesses and running into a dead end with help from her doctors, reached out to a vegan diet on her own. Her ailments soon diminished, and she now dedicates herself to teaching others about her journey to a happy and healthy life.”

Dr. Arjun Rayapudi will also be a guest speaker. Rayapudi,  a physician, will be speaking about “how your chef’s knife in the kitchen can be more useful than his surgical knife in the operating room for treating many chronic diseases.”

Food vendors will include companies like Nourish Bakery, Pixel Pop T-Shirts, Panago Pizza, Peaceful Loft. “Vegans, vegetarians, foodies, environmentalists and veg-curious attendees will have the opportunity to celebrate delicious food and to discover the countless benefits of a wholesome plant-based lifestyle.”

St. John’s VegFest Presented by the X Store is a free event, and will take place August 20th at the Remax Centre, alongside the St. John’s Farmers’ Market, from 9am-6pm. For more information, add StJohnsVegFest to your Facebook feeds.

The 2016 committee for St. John's VegFest Presented by the X Store

The 2016 committee for St. John’s VegFest Presented by the X Store