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Quick Take:
The upcoming Eugene VeganFest (May 4 at Lane Events Center) aims to be inclusive to everyone — from committed vegans to the veg-curious to the skeptics. Attendees can enjoy food trucks, vendor samples, educational seminars, and nonprofit booths.
The first Eugene VeganFest will take place May 4 at the Lane Events Center, and you don’t have to be vegan to attend or enjoy it — just bring your appetite and an open mind.
Food trucks and vendors will offer samples of vegan cheese, chocolate, and much more.
“Everyone is welcome,” said Hope Bohanec, Eugene VeganFest manager. “Veg-curious, pre-vegans, dabblers, hardcore, even the ‘heck no, I could never be vegan’ people.”
Between bites, visitors can attend educational seminars, browse nonprofit booths, and purchase wool, compost, and planting soils that are free of animal products.
Fifteen speakers have signed up, as have more than 40 vendors, all Oregon-based, with the majority from Eugene.
The Eugene VeganFest is produced by Compassionate Living, a nonprofit dedicated to ending the suffering of farmed animals, but Bohanec said there are many reasons to explore veganism.
“Reducing the amount of animal products we use is beneficial in so many ways,” she said. “Of course vegans are going to enjoy this and will want to come because it builds community, and they get to get excited about all the vegan food. But this really is for everyone, anyone who is curious about living more healthy, more sustainably, and more compassionately.”
Admission is $10, although Bohanec said no one will be turned away due to lack of funds.
In the food court will be Viva! Vegetarian Grill, a staple vegan food truck that has been parked at 12th and Willamette in downtown Eugene for several years. Also representing will be B-Heavenly, which creates vegan burgers and tacos, and X Squeeze Me, offering lemonades, juices, avocado toasts, and more. Eugene’s The Taste of India restaurant will be offering an all-vegan menu. A vegan food cart called The Wild Sunflower will drive up from Medford.
Bohanec said eight animal sanctuaries and rescue organizations will talk about their work. Speakers in the Impact Room will discuss farmed animals, the environment, ethics, and compassion, while speakers in the Vitality Room will focus on nutrition and health. Parents who are raising their children as vegan will speak on a panel along with a pediatric doctor. Champion vegan bodybuilder and best-selling author Robert Cheeke will talk, among others.
Seth Tibbott, founder of Turtle Island Foods and creator of the pioneering meat alternative Tofurky, will speak on the evolution of plant-based foods with special attention to Oregon’s contributions to the history of vegetarian and vegan cuisine. In 1980, Tibbott founded his meat-free company in Forest Grove, and the company introduced Tofurkey’s Holiday Roast in 1995.
Lauren Ornelas, an animal rights activist and founder of Food Empowerment Project, will speak about food justice and lack of access to healthy food choices in Black and Brown communities.
Bohanec said that going vegan can give people a sense of empowerment.
“Many things feel very uncertain,” she said. “We don’t know where things are going, and we don’t know what we can do to help. Our personal choices do make a difference, and food is really one of the most impactful things that we choose every day. … And we can make a difference for the planet, for animals, for our own bodies, for our community to thrive, three times a day.”
Want to go?
Eugene VeganFest
May 4
Lane Events Center Auditorium, 796 W. 13th Ave., Eugene. (The auditorium is the building next to the offices near 13th Avenue and across from the round Wheeler Pavilion.)
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
$10 general admission
$5 senior, student, and low-income option (no one turned away for lack of funds)
https://eugeneveganfest.org
