Vegandale Food & Drink Festival

Vegandale Food & Drink Festival is the juggernaut of North American plant-based festivals, a travelling showcase founded in 2015 by Hellenic Vincent De Paul that has grown into a five-city tour spanning New York, Toronto, Chicago, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. The New York edition is the flagship, returning in September 2026 to the Citi Field parking lot in Queens after its 2025 move from Randall's Island — a shift that improved transit access via the 7 train and made driving viable for the first time.

The scale is what sets Vegandale apart from every other vegan event on the continent. Expect more than 150 vendors across food, drink, fashion and lifestyle, drawing 15,000-plus attendees across a single Saturday. The 2025 edition deliberately rebalanced toward food, bringing in more chefs and restaurants and cutting back on non-food booths — a response to attendee feedback that queues had overwhelmed the eating experience. Music runs all day across multiple stages, and the festival has built a reputation for spotlighting Black and Brown vegan excellence through its vendor curation and programming.

The Toronto edition remains the spiritual home of the brand (Vegandale started as a neighbourhood project in Toronto's Parkdale district), while Philadelphia, Chicago and LA round out the US tour. Tour dates for 2026 had not been announced at time of writing — the festival typically confirms its calendar in late spring, with individual city dates landing between August and October. Tickets sell in tiers from general admission around $35 up to VIP packages around $150 that include early entry, lounge access and bottomless drinks.