VegFest Pilipinas makes its long-awaited comeback as a face-to-face event on November 19 and 20, this time at the The Spine in Blue Bay Walk along Macapagal Avenue in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines.
VegFest Pilipinas 2022, which will be open during that weekend from 9 a.m. until late at night, is an international celebration of the vegan lifestyle and philosophy, promoted via food (lots and lots of free samplings!), eye-opening speakers, engaging performances, a film showing, and merchandise galore.
The very first VegFest was created by the Toronto Vegetarian Association in 1985. The first year of VegFest Pilipinas was in 2016 in Eastwood City in Quezon City. Through its seven-year run, it has grown and evolved with more people participating and volunteering, more beneficiaries, more activities, and more people becoming aware of the advocacy. Today, VegFest Pilipinas holds the record for being the biggest vegan festival in Asia.
VegFest Pilipinas has also paved the way for the Philippine market to embrace local vegan businesses and vegan-friendly brands such as Quorn and UnMeat. The festival showcases local vegan businesses (from food to drinks to fashion to home and personal care), cooking demos, games, and raffle draws.
The last VegFest PH live event, held at the Bonifacio Global City Arts Center in 2019, was visited by almost 10,000 people. The onslaught of the pandemic saw VegFest Pilipinas 2020 holding a special international online event, with Capt. Paul Watson (founder of Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd Conservation Society), international animal activist Milo Runkle, and the renowned Golden Vegan Athlete Fiona Oakes as keynote speakers. VegFest 2021, on the other hand, saw volunteers conducting a zero-waste vegan community outreach for 10 barangays in Metro Manila.
With the return to an all-out face-to-face food festival this year, the overarching theme goes back to “kindness,” integrated into the practice of intersectional veganism. VegFest Pilipinas 2022 aims to link the non-violence movement and animal liberation to different fights against oppression and abuse. Thus, there will be speakers from the LGBTQIA +, human rights, and environmental rights movements. Plus, a film showing of the Filipino-made documentary “Delikado” depicts the deadly struggles of indigenous land defenders in Palawan. As always, 100% of the profits from ticket sales and sponsorship go to beneficiaries, this year being PPBCC (Philippine Pet Birth Control Center) Foundation Inc and SIFCare Foundation (https://sifcare.org/).
To learn more about the festival and its updates, follow the Facebook and Instagram accounts of VegFest Pilipinas and Vegans of Manila.