Back in 2013, there were only 12 vegan festivals in the UK – by 2019 there were over 300, indicating the very rapid growth that the vegan communities witnessed last decade. A combination of Covid & Lockdowns and the cost-of-living crisis, coupled with the proliferation of vegan options everywhere, including supermarkets and high street chains, has meant there are significantly less vegan events in the UK now, but there are still plenty to choose from, with over 100 vegan festivals, fayres and markets in 2025. The biggest vegan event and the most well-known has to be Vegan Camp Out, an annual event held in the summer outside and seeing up to 10,000 people camping for the weekend, and the biggest collection of vegan street food traders anywhere in the world! 

 

Long running events like the Bristol Vegan Fayre (which started in 2003) & the London Vegan Fayre at Kensington Town Hall continue to this day, hosting around 100 traders and up to 1500 visitors, whilst Vegan Events UK host around 20 medium sized vegan events around the country, including Scotland and Wales. One off events like Vegout West and the Tyneside Vegan & Music Festival continue to grow in scale and popularity, with the West Country particularly well served by Vegan Fairs, organising weekly vegan events and markets across the region. Many towns now have their own vegan market, & often a regular occasion, with one of the biggest being in Dorset in May, spread over 3 days with over 50 traders present.

 

Vegan events and markets are a brilliant place to meet up with other vegans and they provide an essential backbone for many independent vegan traders and campaign groups, allowing them to build up contacts and sales whilst developing their branding and marketing. Many well know vegan brands started off at vegan events – Nakd snack bars started at the Bristol Vegan Fayre back in 2006 with just 3 snack bars in their range before growing into one of the biggest snack bar brands in the UK. One Planet Pizza enjoyed many years on the festival circuits before developing their brand for the supermarkets, and vegan events across the UK continue to provide the lifeblood for multiple vegan traders – there’s a whole community of independent vegan traders that exhibit at these events week in week out, with artisan vegan food options always proving popular. 

 

Vegan events have also helped foster a growing vegan artistes collective with stages full of comedy and live music as well as art exhibitions and poetry along with open mic stages, and retain a very special place amongst the broader vegan community – its where we all meet up, and strength in numbers is an important reason for people staying vegan and becoming active.

 

Why Go Vegan strongly encourages your participation at your local vegan event or market!

 

Vegan Events & Markets – Diary – Why Go Vegan