Recently in my Facebook memories was the schedule of speakers for our very first, our inaugural, Triangle Vegfest. Do you know the story?
The Spark That Started It All
In 2014 I had about 2 1/2 months of free time between my practicum and internship. I was working towards (and have) my Masters in Education: School Counseling. I needed something to do. The internship was full time and unpaid. I reached out to the community and asked them if they wanted a vegfest and I received an astounding YES!
Not Everyone Believed… At First
Funny side note, they person I was dating at the time hated the idea. He felt it would be a waste of my time. I countered his negative energy by saying that this could be an amazing opportunity to build relationships, relationships that could lead somewhere in the future. Oh my it sure has!! Another side note, he has since apologized to me and is very proud of what has been built. 🙂
The First Triangle Vegfest
So, Triangle Vegfest was formally named and a logo was created and within four months (10/16/2014) we had our first festival. It was at Carolina Pines Park and we were able to have Gene Baur as our keynote speaker. We outgrew the park and we had a few thousand people in attendance. It was wild! Kids were in the parking lot trying to charge for parking (how can you be mad at those little budding entrepreneurs?), but we did run them off. I’d never organized anything of that size. It was a perfect day. There were no real issues. I was happy. The community was happy. And so began the past 11 years of producing vegan festivals.
It was in 2015, a year that could have ended this whole exercise, that I was asked about going to Wilmington, NC. In 2015 I ended up doing most of the work to bring the festival to life so by the day of, I was done. I was completely spent. I knew that I needed to not only ask for help, but receive help if I wanted to keep doing this.
Expanding the Mission
It wasn’t until 2018 that we moved to another city and Wilmington was the first expansion. At the time, Wilmington didn’t have a fully vegan restaurant and since then they’ve had a max of three and currently two. I always say the best way to get vegan restaurants to open in a community is to bring a vegan festival to town to show the interest. It worked!
Over the past 11 years we’ve done monthly markets, pop-up markets, vegan mac and cheese contests, all you can eat pancakes, and more.
What’s Next: A New Era for 2026
To bring in a new era, in 2026 the focus is going to be on Veganism in Action. It’s to show the world that veganism is more than food. We are a movement that is inclusive and diverse and welcoming. I would love for you to think about what it means to you and feel free to share your thoughts with me.
Also in 2026, we are partnering with The Body Building Vegan and his team, Vegan Squad Coaching to bring the festivals to various cities. Hey, Wilmington, we are looking at you and Columbia, SC as well. They are in addition to Asheville, Raleigh/Durham, Marietta, and Statesville. This partnership is going to take stress off my shoulders and allow me to focus on what I do best. Having a team of young (and strong) humans with an incredible social media following will inject the energy we need into these events.
So get ready everyone, we are starting this partnership with our Durham fest on 11/1 and 11/2. You’ll see the whole crew on both days and we are bringing back our retail booth so you will be able to purchase shirts, hoodies, stickers, etc at the events again.
Thank You for the Journey
November 1 is World Vegan Day and what better way to celebrate than attending our education day at the Durham Armory? November 2 is our festival day so make it a World Vegan Weekend with us in Durham, NC.
Thank you! None of this could have happened or continue to happen without you. The relationships have brought me to this point. I am so thankful to everyone who has believed in me and this mission. Truly.
