WHAT PEOPLE SAY ABOUT TAMPA BAY VEGFEST
“Is it just me? Yesterday at the Tampa Bay Veg Fest I look around and I see an awesome rainbow of people. People who walk outside of what society deems normal, not just being vegan but in other aspects of life. I experienced nothing but kindness from each person I talked to. Not one person looked sideways at me for asking where’d you get that food??? lol no one was drinking/drunk. Not one person was loud, rude, obnoxious. It’s rare to go to any public happening and not find one asshat. I’m so very proud to be a part of this movement to abolish animal exploitation and so proud of our vegan family. Yesterday was awesome! it was refreshing to be in a crowd of leaders, not followers!”
–Hippie Michele 2019
“Sooo proud of my hometown Veg Fest! 10K attendees… So honored to coordinate the BBQ Cook Off. So packed with people with solid super vibes. I will always be back in town for this. Thank you to Florida Voices for Animals and all involved in the tireless work that goes on to present this lovely event freely to all. Did I mention I had a great time?“
–Patricia Massari 2019
“Great variety of vegan food vendors! Opportunities to
learn about being cruelty free and more.”
– Cindy Layner 2019
“One the top 10 vegfests in the US according to published reports n surveys. Great food, great people and vibes. Lotsa free vegan food too, which you don’t always find. And of course, the speakers”
– Ellen Jaffe Jones 2019
“Always has the best speakers.”
– Richard P Hackett 2019
“I had a great time at the Tampa Bay Annual Veg Fest. It gets better every year! Thanks to the organizers and volunteers who put a lot of work into this.”
– Lynn Griesemer 2019
“We had a great time today at the 2019 Tampa Veg Fest. Tasty food, speakers, cooking demos, and many other vendors. And one of us left filling out papers to foster a senior dog.”
– Ekos Salon 2019
“Tampa Bay Veg Fest was FULL of amazing souls. Thanks to all the plethora of non-profits, businesses and individuals fighting to end animal cruelty and factory farming. I wrapped up this afternoon with this ask: talk to one another; share your knowledge and lean into the web. We are connected, all of us, in this circle of life and life begets life. Vegan, today, and all days, for the planet, for the animals and for health.”
– Jenny Branch 2019
“2018 was the best Veg Fest yet!! Loved the new location and layout. SO many great food and vendor options.” – Sierra Kluson
“Loved the location and layout of this year’s Tampa Bay Veg Fest! We arrived early and were able to find free parking just a few steps from the event! So many great food vendors to choose from and everyone was super friendly. The TB Veg Fest tote bag was a nice addition this year. I especially like the cross-body strap. Great job to all the volunteers, vendors and rescues for making it an amazing day!” – Shannon Scahaefer
“Wonderful every year. Great to have like minded people together & to know all the food is vegan. wonderful for kids to be with other vegan kids. Great to swap recipes and learn from others who are vegan. Nice to try different vegan foods.” – Debbie Small
“First time attending and the venue was great! SO many wonderful vendors. Family and leashed pet friendly too. The Kid Zone was great with tons of activities to keep the kids entertained; it was all very well organized.” – Emily Engstrom
“Love, love love this event and organization! We were so impressed with the professionalism and how well organized this event was. Thank you so much for all that you are doing for the vegan community and for hosting such an incredible event!” – Laura McCutcheon
“The first Tampa Bay Veg Fest was a big success. It was a very well-organized event and well-attended. We are looking forward to being there in October 2011.” – Justine Mayela, V-Dog Food, Exhibitor
“I was greeted upon arrival by a friendly volunteer who helped unload my tent, tables, boxes etc. That has never happened to me before. The entire day was delightfully busy. We ran out of everything.” – Zia Terhune, VegFund, Exhibitor
“As a 20 year vegan, I was quite impressed with every aspect of the 2010 Tampa Bay Veg Fest. The organization, enthusiasm, and sheer SIZE of the event (amazing for a first year!) helps give me hope for the future of this important movement. I look forward to the next one!” – Neil Kaplan, Justine & Neil (opening music act)
“As a business owner and a long-time vegan, I was able to promote my business to people who share my values and eat lots of great food. Can’t wait for Tampa Bay Veg Fest 2011.” – Greg Jones, Acupuncture Physician, St. Pete Community Acupuncture, Exhibitor
“Without a doubt, one of the best events we attended all year — can’t wait until the next one! Go Tampa Bay Veg Fest!!!!” – Lisa Lewis, CARES (Community Animal Rescue & Educational Shelter), Exhibitor
“Isha Foundation, being a non-profit organization addressing all aspects of human well-being, had a chance to have a table set up right near the play area and had many people stop by our table. I had a good time meeting and interacting with a great set of people that I shared similar interests with. A well organized event creating a much needed awareness about vegetarianism. The organizers were friendly and were willing to go out of their way to help make the event just as pleasant for the vendors as it is for the visitors. Already looking forward to the event next year!!” – Sowmya Venkat, Volunteer at Isha Foundation, Exhibitor
“Tampa Bay Veg Fest 2011 was our first in Tampa. It was a lovely, intimate affair. We met wonderful people with open hearts and minds who were also receptive to and supportive of our mission (farm type animal rescue, education, and advocacy). Thank you for all the hard work put in to make possible the wonderful, heartwarming event it was. We are really looking forward to Tampa Bay Veg Fest 2012. See you there!” – Darlynn Czerner, President, Darlynn’s Darlins, Inc., Exhibitor
“I just wanted to say how much my husband and I enjoyed Vegfest! We are from Canada and came to Tampa just to partake in the festival and we loved it. Guess you could say it was an international festival!! I have been vegetarian for 27 years and both of us have been vegan for one year. The music and entertainment were fantastic and added the perfect ambiance to the event! We loved the speakers, charities, samples and I was thrilled to get a Sea Shepherd shirt. It really helped reinforce how easy it is to be vegan and all the choices that are available that are animal friendly. A bonus when my husband is new to his new eating style. Now, if we can just get these products on the shelves in Canada!!! Thanks again and we hope we can visit next year!!! – Jill and Tim Cowan
“You did a GREAT job! We enjoyed our entire day there! Loved Dr. Barnard and Dr. Mills. I knew I would love Dr. Barnard, but I had not been familiar with Dr. Mills. We ended up enjoying his lecture JUST as much! Awesome stuff! Great food, great vendors. Wish I had had time for the cooking demonstrations. Can’t wait to come again next year!” – Becky Chartrand
“Great event!! It was my first time. I was visiting from Lake County and had a blast. Thanks to all who put it together. Such incredible education.” – Kim Combs Martin
“Was a great time, with great speakers and good food.” – Shelley Taber
“Thanks for putting on such a great event! After a morning spent running (and running and running), Veg Fest hit the spot! Great to see favorite restaurants and organizations and to learn about new (to me) ones!” – Haley Butler
“A million thank you’s for the 5th Annual Veg Fest. It was beyond words wonderful, and all of the hours of behind-the-scenes work were evident in this magnificent event. It would be impressive to just have music; or to just have booths; or to just have food; or to just have speakers … but the professionalism and skill of putting all of this together each year is (almost) beyond words. The food was wonderful. The music delightful. The speakers inspirational. The booths were all informative and enlightening. I hope that it is not too soon to wish that there will be a 2015 Tampa Bay 6th (Annual) Veg Fest and I look forward to helping out in any way that I can. Thank you all!” – Jayn Meinhardt, Cincinnati, OH
“I wanted to let you know we had a GREAT time at the Tampa Bay Veg Fest as an exhibitor this year! We loved our location and our neighbors. The atmosphere was high energy, great music, great food, lots of sweet feathery & furry friends too! We would love to be your doTERRA vendor again next year if that is a possibility. Thank you!” – Melissa Krueger