California, and especially its Southern part, is leading the way with conscious living, eating, and vegetarian way of life. So there is no surprise that OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa is a place for 5th annual VegFest of SoCal.
The event brings free vegan food, drinks, speakers, demonstrations, and also chefs, influencers, bands, DJs, comedians, yogis, and various other entertainments to keep guests busy. There is even a play area and games for kids.
The main goal of this festival is to celebrate vegan way of life and introduce it to people who never tried it before because they don’t know the benefits of it or simply never had a chance to learn about healthy, environmentally friendly and cruelty-free living.
To get the most out of events like that you shouldn’t just simply show up and go with a flow, but do some planning before. There are some tricks and tips to maximize your time while there:
VIP Pass
Yes, get that and you will feel like you are a pro at this. You will be skipping lines and getting to everything before all others.
Reusable bags
The event is about the environment and our impact, so the least we can do is bring our reusable bags, plates, utensils, and straws to the fair.
Sunscreen
We are dealing with South California here, which means that sun can scorch you in the middle of January, and we are talking about October. So yes, sunscreen all the way and then some!
Buy tickets online
This is another way to skip the lines and get to all that vegan ice cream before all the people from the line will. You are welcome!
- 25% OFF Local Deals
- Extra 10% OFF Select Deals
Have a picnic
You should definitely make some time for relaxation and picnic, so bring a light blanket and enjoy yourself with endless food options everywhere.
Ditch your car
You can reach the event by Uber, Lyft, and bus, or you can bike and carpool – whatever it takes to reduce your environmental footprint. You won’t have to worry about parking then too.
No dogs
SoCal loves dogs, but the fest is about food, so leave your pets at home.
Explore
This is all about exploration – be ready to taste, test, sniff, touch, and enjoy all kinds of performances and information.
Volunteer
If you’ll choose to help out, you will get free entrance, free shirt, and behind-the-scenes experience. Totally worth it!
Family time
The event is very inclusive, so definitely bring your friends and family to show them around and keep kids entertained in “Conscious Kid Corner”.
One final tip – you should lookout for vendors like Raul Medina’s taco pop-up Taqueria La Venganza. He serves barbacoa-style tacos that are vegan and as authentic as it gets.
Raul grew up with his grandmother’s tacos in Mexico that were made of beef head, hog maw, birria, and all kinds of other meats. And then his father had diabetes and passed away 2 years ago.
This is where Venganza name comes from – vengeance on diabetes and heart disease, hence meat substitutes and vegan ingredients. The proof of goodness in here, as Medina’s tacos won Taco Madness in Los Angeles in 2018.
VegFest is all about such new flavors, meals, vegan options, and desire to try things out of the box, so enjoy and come back next year!
