Vegan Summer Fest (BE Vegan)

BE Vegan is the Belgian vegan society behind Vegan Summer Fest, the country's largest plant-based festival, along with parallel initiatives like Try Vegan and the Vegan Awards. The flagship Vegan Summer Fest returns on Sunday, 23 August 2026 at Flanders Expo in Ghent (Sint-Pietersaalststraat 87, 9000 Gent), taking over one of Belgium's biggest exhibition venues for a single-day indoor festival that pulls vegans and curious visitors from across Belgium, the Netherlands, northern France and Luxembourg.

The scale is serious. Expect a huge market hall filled with food trucks and vendor stands selling everything from exotic plant-based ingredients you can't find in mainstream Belgian supermarkets to cruelty-free cosmetics, vegan shoes, clothing, accessories and lifestyle products. The food line-up typically leans international, Asian fusion, vegan Belgian classics (yes, plant-based fries with vegan mayo), Mediterranean, and American comfort food, with enough variety that repeat visits across the day are genuinely worth it.

Programming beyond the marketplace includes cooking demonstrations with Belgian and international plant-based chefs, informative talks on nutrition, sustainability and animal welfare, an information market where advocacy groups and non-profits connect with visitors, a photo exhibition, and DJ sets that gradually transition the energy from morning market into afternoon party. The atmosphere is welcoming rather than militant, BE Vegan deliberately positions the festival as a gateway event for non-vegans, which means plenty of friendly "try before you commit" sampling.

BE Vegan vzw organises the day on a not-for-profit basis, with proceeds supporting their year-round advocacy work. Flanders Expo is a fully indoor, weather-independent venue with excellent accessibility and plenty of seating, a real advantage for older attendees, young families, or visitors with mobility needs. Contact: [email protected].