VegFest 4.. sustainable creativity

Thanks once again to the almost 400 people who came along to our fourth VegFest this autumn, which was the final event in the programme of the Fife Climate Festival. We met people from all over Fife, as well as Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perthsire, Dundee, Stirling, Falkirk and the north of England.

We were in the Old Kirk for the second time, and managed to cram even more stalls into the space. We love this venue for its cosy atmosphere, which helps with a feeling we want to cultivate: that VegFest is a community event and a day out - not just a market where you come to buy stuff and leave.

We had 19 vendors at the market, including: old favourites like The Tiffin, QBee Rustique, Bliss Bites and Bodylushious; powerhouses of the Scottish vegan scene, Planet G, Considerit and Soft Serve Cartel; and welcomed for the first time with great excitement Jeavons Toffee, Peachy Keen, Good Food Good Feelings, and the new owners of Earthy Vegan Cheese. As ever we're grateful to small businesses for showing up to meet the Fife vegan community!

Our superstar volunteers kept the day on track, looking after our vendors and helping out the public. Special thanks to Kitty and Jonathan for unwavering commitment to the welcome table, Kirstin for photography, Alex for standing out in the rain directing traffic, Catherine for supporting the Creative Space, Fife College Events Management students Zayla, Crystal, Morgan and Katy for jumping in wherever they were needed, and the Old Kirk volunteers for helping us set up and tidy up.

We had the opportunity to expand our Creative Space by paying local artists to lead workshops, thanks to a grant from FCCAN. Hosted by Pen Pals, our usual playful space saw tables full and messy with creative experiments and explosions of colour.

Under the guidance of Lea and Abi, kids and adults alike printed thier own custom VegFest merch. Leaves and sunlight and drops of rain entwined to make beautiful images with cyanotype printing faciliated by Yarrow. Well-loved clothes were given a new lease of life with visible mending techniques taught by Lauren Smith. The bustling atomsphere was punctuated by laughter and shared stories as multigenerational groups enjoyed sharing techniques and skills from t-shirt printing to colouring in, and young minds were encouraged to explore the wonder and chaos of the natural world in their aristic work.

Following a super slick takedown of VegFest and a quick hoovering of the Old Kirk, we decanted to cosy BArty's to debrief and hide from the rain, where we enjoyed a comprehensive buffet of delicious vegan fare. Despite stuffing our faces nonstop throughout the day, we managed to inhale plates of mac n cheese, eight different types of wraps and fresh cripsy salad. Make sure you visit BArty's for lunch or dinner, as their new menu is a head above in terms of vegan options, plus a stunning array of botannicals and a full range of vegan West beers on tap.

We're planning two VegFests next year, in May and October, and plenty of other things in between.

In the meantime, look out for our VegFest Socials and fundraisers, tell us your ideas for what you'd like to see as part of future VegFests, and we welcome any donations that will help us to meet our costs for this and future events.

See the rest of the photos from the event here - thanks to photographers Kirstin and Kit!

We hope that your stockpile of tasty treats sustains you through the chilly winter. Until next time,

Team VegFest (Amy, Lea, Abi, Kit, Tony and Shiva)