Vegandale Plant-Based Food Festival Returns to Miami

Vegandale, one of the country's largest vegan festivals, returns to Miami this weekend, and there's a twist: A hip-hop heavyweight and globally known DJ will close out the festival's 2023 tour.

The event, which originated in Toronto in 2015, is best known for taking a unique approach to promoting veganism with its large-scale, festival-style format. The festival takes place on Virginia Key Beach Park in Miami on Saturday, December 2, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Subsequent 2023 tour stops include Chicago, Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, and Dallas.

This is the third Vegandale experience in Miami. The city was chosen to launch Vegandale's '22 tour after the attendance at the previous Vegandale in Miami exceeded the organizer's projections. (Additionally, Miami, considered a vegan-friendly city, is home to Seed Food & Wine Festival, the nation's first weeklong, plant-based festival.)

Since its inception, Vegandale has evolved into one of the world's largest touring vegan experiences. The festival spotlights music, art, and — of course — food, thanks to its varied assortment of vendors and sponsors eager to showcase the latest in vegan product innovation.

Part of that success is, in part, thanks to Vegandale's introduction of full-scale performances, whose founders say they hope to leverage entertainment as a conduit for engaging a wider, non-vegan demographic. The move has since resulted in record-breaking attendance, with the 2023 New York event drawing a crowd of nearly 40,000 attendees.

This year, organizers project upwards of 20,000 attendees at the Miami event, where more than 100 food and lifestyle vendors will showcase their products.

This year that may also be thanks to DJ Khaled, who is set to headline the event alongside Rick Ross and Coi Leray, two artists who headlined earlier events this year.

In addition to the live entertainment, Vegandale will once again showcase its diverse roster, featuring hundreds of nationally and globally sourced vendors, many of which offer food and drink. This year, expect to find dozens of chefs offering vegan takes on everything from soups, burgers, pasta, sandwiches, and desserts to bottled beverage brands that highlight teas, pressed juices, kombucha, and more.

The plant-based outdoor party will include plenty of Miami favorites. Local standouts include the Krazy Vegan, Lucky You Burgers, Dub n' Grub by Chef Kofi, Vegan Junkie, and Isabel's Vegan Cuisine.

The festival is also a good place to try restaurants from across the nation and around the globe, including Deep Fried Watermelon from the Philippines, Kale My Name from Illinois, and California-based Vegan AF. (A complete list of vendors can be found on the event website.)

Vegandale will present interactive art installations that celebrate the cruelty-free lifestyle, as well as vendors selling vegan-friendly merchandise and gifts.

Although the atmosphere is celebratory, the organizers' mission is sobering and straightforward.

"We live in an era where the exploitation of animals isn't necessary for society to function," Vegandale founder and CEO Hellenic Vincent de Paul tells New Times. "I believe we have a moral imperative to create a vegan world that sees an end to animal exploitation entirely — today, now."

Vegandale Food and Drink Festival. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, December 2, at Virginia Key Beach Park, 4020 Virginia Beach Dr., Miami; vegandalefest.com. Tickets cost $10 to $60 via vegandalefest.com/miami/tickets.