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The NOLA Veggiefest is coming!
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There are many reasons for vegans in New Orleans to be hopeful about the future of veganism in the crescent city. At the top of the list would have to be the upcoming NOLA Veggiefest. On May 16th from 11am until 7pm the festival will make its 2nd annual appearance, this time in a bigger venue and with more sponsors and vendors than at its debut last year.
According to event organizers, the NOLA Veggiefest has two main purposes. The first is to raise awareness about vegetarianism by providing the public access to a mix of food samples, speakers, animal rights organizations, cooking demos, and cruelty-free businesses. The second is to raise money for The Humane Society of Louisiana, an independently run animal rescue and advocacy organization.
After the better-than-expected turnout last year at Cafe Bamboo the event is being upgraded to a larger venue. This year it will be held at the First Unitarian Universalist Church at 2903 Jefferson Ave. Organizers are expecting around two thousand vegetarians and veg-curious attendees, due to increased advertising and buzz around the event, as well as the stellar line up of speakers.
This year the speakers at the event include:
- Jane Velez-Mitchell veteran television news journalist
- Jack Norris nutritionist and co-founder of Vegan Outreach
- Dr. Craig Sommers author of the Raw Foods Bible
- Robert Cheeke vegan bodybuilder
- Gene Baur author and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary
- Josh Hooten co-founder of The Herbivore Clothing Company
- Dr. Jonathan Balcombe behaviorist and animal-rights activist
In addition to the speakers there will be musical entertainment from local performers Terrina Cook, Jon Hébert, and Sweet Jones Music. There will even be a belly dance troupe, Pandorium!
Much of the event is centered around providing tasty vegan food to the attendees. There will be a demo on making green smoothies by Twila Hoyle and a baking demo by Good Feelingz Vegan Bakery. The list of food vendors is growing daily but so far includes No Whey Vegan Bakery, Hey Cafe, Organic Planet, Mrs. D's Delights, KC's Babycakes, and Cafe Bamboo.
The event has dozens of sponsors, many of which will be on hand to promote and sample their products. VegNews is helping promote the event nationally with advertising in their hugely popular magazine. Health Force Nutritionals and the long-awaited New Orleans Food Cooperative are also providing generous sponsorships. Sweet-toothed vegans will be happy to see Coconut Bliss and Sweet & Sara on board. A silent auction and raffle will help raise additional funds for The Humane Society of Louisiana.
Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under, and free for kids under 2. There are still opportunities to be a vendor or sponsor, donate to the silent auction, or to volunteer at the event.
The NOLA Veggiefest is organized by members of the New Orleans Vegetarian Meetup. The New Orleans Vegan Examiner will be profiling speakers, sponsors and vendors in upcoming columns. In the meantime you can become of fan of the NOLA Veggiefest on Facebook.
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