Chicago Vegandale Festival is a one day event held in Grant Park to get your fix of vegan food and drink. Vendors include all the Chicago favorites along with Vendors from across the US and even Canada. It is a great chance to try some vegan eats that may not be close to where you live. Come hungry as the options are endless. I saw burgers, sandwiches, pizza, soul food, Mexican, LOTS of ice cream, fruity drinks, desserts, juices and more. There are even some vendors selling merch so you can hop on board and have a quirky vegan shirt. The event has a DJ with some contests and even games. They had volleyball, bags and giant yard pong set up; so you could play a quick game in between eating. The photo opportunities were endless; besides snapping photos of your food they had a free photo booth, giant Vegandale letters, and signs all over the event.
What I Ate
I started out with a Chk’n Fried Tofu Donut Sandwich from Chickpea & Olive. It was breakfast and lunch in one bite and I loved it. Crispy and Salty with Sugary and Sweet a simple but delicious pairing.
It was hard to decide which ice cream to get as there were so many but I ended up having some cookies and cream Mini Drops which are like the vegan version of dippin dops.
I had to get a little fruit in for the day so I got a chocolate covered banana from Obon.
I wanted to get something fruity and refreshing so I got a Pineapple from Tropic Love. It was pretty much pineapple blended and poured into the pineapple shell for the cup.
I am slowly adding to my vegan shirt collection and as much as I wanted to get something from Harmless Threads I went with an out of town vendor and got a muscle tank from The Vegan Jetsetter that says Plant Vibes.
I wish I could have tried everything; there was so much amazing looking food and drinks. Although it was a hot one out this year (90+) It was great to try some new food and be reminded that there are so many like minded people and vegan options out there. If you are thinking of going next year I highly suggest checking it out! See you next year Vegan Fest!