A totally free vegan festival with over 200 exhibitors is happening in Toronto

A vegan festival is happening in the heart of Toronto, and there will be over 200 exhibitors of plant-based food and wares. The best part is, it’s free.

VegTO Fest isn’t just about sampling delicious vegan food, although there’s sure to be a lot of that. It’s also about learning from innovators in the plant-based field and meeting up with other vegans who share a similar mindset.

This is the 39th edition of the event. It’s being held in Canada’s largest square, Nathan Phillips Square, which spans 12 acres.

The event has grown considerably since its beginnings long ago when they had hundreds of attendees: in 2019, the fest attracted 35,000 attendees and had 160 exhibitors. Over the years the event has included everything from cooking demonstrations to conversations with animal advocates, cookbook authors and nutrition experts.

Their title sponsor this year is the Korean Tourism Organization, which means this year the festival will include The Korea Pavilion. This area will allow visitors to explore veganism in Korean culture, with plant-based Korean food as well as a K-pop and K-drama zone, hanbok try-on experience, a K-beauty booth, Korean calligraphy and education on Korean Buddhist culture.

There’s still time to apply to be an exhibitor at VegTO Fest, and concepts both big and small are welcome. You can apply to be a “seedling,” “sprout” or “harvest” exhibitor. All packages include the opportunity to sample, a tent and at least one table, and at the “harvest” level you get electrical access and refrigeration, and you can cook on site.

They’ll also be taking on volunteers, so if you’re interested in helping out keep checking their website and social media.

VegTO Fest will be taking place Sept. 21 and 22 at Nathan Phillips Square.