The Best European Festivals for Vegan Food
From the iconic Glastonbury to Amsterdam’s trendy DGTL, festivals across Europe are offering tastier, more sustainable vegan food than ever before – and some are even going entirely vegan.
Awakenings Summer Festival, the Netherlands
The long-running Awakenings is the world’s largest outdoor techno festival. The music line–up is packed with more than 100 DJs, and the food line–up is just as good: the entire festival is now meat-free, so you’ll find plenty of delicious vegan food at the event.
Boom Festival, Portugal
The Boom Festival encourages a switch to vegan eating to help spare animals and reduce the environmental impact from food. And festivalgoers will find this easy to do, thanks to a wealth of delicious vegan food across Boom’s venue. In 2018, 73% of Boom’s food options were vegetarian and/or vegan, and the festival’s aim is to get that figure even higher for 2022. Music, dance, art installations, and amazing vegan food – see you in Portugal!
Boomtown, Winchester, UK
This independent festival celebrates music from across the globe and throughout the underground, taking in everything from reggae, roots, and folk, to electronica, metal, and punk. In a bid to fortify the festival’s sustainability efforts, Boomtown is “focusing hugely” on increasing their vegetarian and vegan options this year, so expect plenty of delicious vegan food to choose from.
Buddhafield, Taunton, UK
The Buddhafield Festival is an annual gathering with hundreds of workshops and activities including yoga, meditation, green crafts, permaculture, and a healing area. Inspired by the ethical principles of Buddhism, all the cafés on the site are entirely vegan.
DGTL Amsterdam, Netherlands
Described as “a leading example of green, eco-friendly raving”, Amsterdam’s trend-setting DGTL festival brings together some of the leading names in dance music with a strong ethos of helping to protect the planet. The festival first went meat-free back in 2016 and has now made the switch to being entirely vegan for 2022 and beyond. Rave on!
Forwards Bristol, Bristol, UK
Launched in 2022, this music festival has a line-up stacked with exciting new acts and forward-thinking artists. As part of its green initiatives, Forwards Bristol has pledged that 50% of its traders will only be serving vegetarian and vegan food.
Glastonbury Festival, Somerset, UK
As one of the biggest performing arts festivals in the world, you’ll find a wonderful variety of vegan food across Glastonbury’s many food traders. Be sure to visit the popular Green Fields area, which aims to raise awareness of environmental problems and offer solutions. That’s why Green Fields is entirely meat-free, with delicious vegan food stalls throughout.
The Green Gathering, Chepstow, UK
The Green Gathering, which takes place in the scenic Welsh countryside, prides itself on offering creative entertainment and having a strong focus on sustainability. Enjoy music, comedy, vegan cookery demonstrations, and activism while discovering exciting vegan food: all food stalls are meat-free and more than 40% are entirely vegan.
Hay Festival, Hay-on-Wye, UK
This annual literature festival held in Wales is famous for attracting some of the world’s most well-known speakers and celebrities, including the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Hilary Clinton, and Judi Dench. The food is always star-quality, too, thanks to an array of vegan options like Lalita’s South Indian food and Wrap It’s global-themed toasted wraps.
Nottingham Green Festival, UK
This long-running grassroots festival takes place at the Nottingham Arboretum every year and is free to attend. With over 100 stalls that feature campaigns, creative arts, and cooking demos, you can expect to learn about inspiring activism and try new crafts and skills. You’ll find plenty of tasty and planet-friendly food, too, as the festival has been fully vegan since 2017.
Psy-Fi, the Netherlands
This psychedelic music and arts festival features psy-trance live acts and DJs as well as some of the world’s leading experts on topics such as science, psychology, and shamanism. The festival does not support the meat industry, which is why it’s 100% meat-free with many vegan options.
Shambala Festival, Northamptonshire, UK
Shambala has been highlighting the environmental impact of raising animals for food ever since it stopped selling meat and fish back in 2016, a move that saves the festival a massive 100 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year. So be ready to eat your way through the festival’s many vegan food stalls while you enjoy the eclectic music line-up and array of speakers, workshops, and other activities.
Vegan Camp Out, Leicestershire, UK
Find music, talks, yoga, activism, and more at the world’s largest vegan camping festival. The list of food vendors is as packed as you’d expect, with 60 leading brands serving up all your favourite vegan food. It has everything – from pizza, hot dogs, burgers, and smoothies to ice creams, cakes, and Indian and Chinese food – now that is a line-up!
Way Out West, Sweden
With an eclectic programme featuring some of the world’s most popular musicians, this popular Swedish festival welcomes over 100,000 visitors every year. Since 2012, Way Out West has been serving only vegetarian or vegan food (for all visitors, workers, and artists, too), so delicious animal-free food can be found everywhere.
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Why Vegan?
By choosing vegan at festivals (and everywhere else!) this summer, you’ll take a stand against industries that use, abuse, and slaughter animals. You will also discover that vegan food makes you happier and healthier while also helping to tackle the climate emergency.
Not vegan yet? Give it a go! Order a free copy of our vegan starter kit, packed full of recipes, tips, and advice, including information on plant-based nutrition and ideas for quick and tasty vegan meals:
