On Saturday, October 22nd, Kingston hosted its first annual VegFest at St. Lawrence College. There were food, drinks, skincare products, clothing, jewelry, live music, a cooking demonstration, and more.
I wrote an article about why Queen’s students (and everyone else) should attend VegFest, and now I’m going to tell you what my first experience was all about.
It didn’t take long to get from Queen’s campus to St. Lawrence college; only about 15 minutes by bus. When we got there around 11:30, the place was already packed. There were three or four rows of vendors and not much space to maneuver through the crowd. I was really happy to see how many people are vegan, vegetarian, veg-curious, or just supporters of other vegheads. I didn’t realize how large of a community there is in Kingston.
It was so busy that before noon all of the Eat Lover‘s donuts (mentioned in my previous article) were gone. Makes sense, considering their deliciousness and the fact that they were giving them away for free.
My friends and I stopped at a lot of booths, trying samples and smelling products. Here are just some of the booths that I visited at the event:
What I loved most about the event was the sense of community. Businesses and advocacy groups from all over the greater Kingston area came to serve the vegan and vegetarian community for the day. The lead organizer, Sharon Ash, even checked to see if there were any cheesy vegan nachos left at Nona’s station while I waited in line for my pesto pasta. Now that’s a foodie community.
In the future, I think that the Kingston Veg Fest could benefit from a larger event space, and even more on-the-spot food vendors to balance out the amount of fashion, advocacy and skincare booths. I mean, the more food options the better, especially in a city where there aren’t that many vegan options. It’s always nice to go somewhere where you can eat whatever you want without having to ask, “Is this vegan?”
Nevertheless, my friend and I each enjoyed a little meal from Sigrid’s Natural Foods. Verdict: absolutely delicious.
With a full belly and a smile on my face, I left VegFest and got on a bus to Queen’s… but not empty-handed.
Until next year, VegFest.