Pensacola VegFest: Vegan Food, Fun & Festivities

By Carey L. Clarkson

Pensacola’s VegFest is back for its sixth annual celebration of all things vegan with a family-friendly day of music, art, face painting, yoga, jewelry making and, of course, food!

Held at the Community Maritime Park in downtown Pensacola on March 23, this year’s VegFest will feature more than 50 registered vendors for attendees to enjoy.

First debuting in Pensacola in 2018, VegFest began when Whitney MacLeod, Pensacola VegFest President, and a small group of local vegans wanted to spread their philosophy on veganism, including the lifestyle’s health and environmental benefits through an interactive event that combined live cooking demonstrations with education.

VegFest has grown to become one of the most popular spring events in the city, drawing more than 5,000 attendees each year. Since its inception, the event has evolved to include a number of local and regional vendors, with last year’s event attracting 6,000 attendees.

This annual family-friendly event is a celebration of compassionate living featuring fun activities for everyone to enjoy. Attendees will enjoy plant-based cruelty-free foods, eco-friendly vendors and vegan artists. This year’s event will also include live music, free yoga sessions, cooking demonstrations and more.

The festival will host a wide range of vendors this year, from Brazilian vegan cuisine and vegan seafood to vegan ice cream and desserts. One returning favorite is Turtle Roll Ice Cream, who first participated in the event in 2023.

Turtle Roll Ice Cream owner, Charlene Cook, began participating in the event as a way to promote and expand on their sorbet-only vegan options. After experimenting with some different recipes, Charlene was able to perfect her tasty vegan sorbet, which was a huge hit at last year’s

“[I am] most looking forward to seeing people return who discovered us last year. I can’t wait to see their inner child come out when they discover our vegan ice creams, sundaes, banana splits and milkshakes,” Cook said.

Join in the food, fun and festivities at the 6th Annual Pensacola VegFest on March 23 from 11 am to 6 pm at the Community Maritime Park located at 301 W. Main St. in downtown Pensacola.

General admission tickets are on sale for $5 each and can be purchased online at pensacolavegfest.com.

“Last year’s event sold out within just a few days of launching the tickets, so we have expanded our available VIV tickets for this year,” MacLeod explained.

VIV (Very Important Vegan) tickets are also available for $30 each, which include free parking, exciting VegFest swag, a tote bag, assorted vegan goodies from event sponsors and exclusive VIV ticket-holder merchandise.

For tickets and complete event details, visit pensacolavegfest.com or @PensacolaVegFest on Instagram and Facebook.