Vegans Who Snack Food & Art Festival

Vegans Who Snack Food & Art Festival is Ottawa's premier plant-based festival, a seasonal outdoor event held at the historic Parkdale Public Market on Parkdale Avenue in the Hintonburg neighbourhood. Rather than a single annual date, the festival runs twice a year: a spring edition (30 May 2026) and a fall edition (24 October 2026): which gives Ottawa's growing vegan scene two reliable touchpoints bookending the patio season.

The festival's pitch is in the name: food and art, together. Expect 50+ thriving small businesses across a curated mix of ready-to-eat vegan snacks, groceries, specialty treats, artisan ice cream, clothing and shopping, original art, self-care products, fresh flowers and more. The Parkdale Market setting is the anchor, a covered farmers market structure with surrounding pedestrian space, which means partial rain protection plus room to spread into the Parkdale Avenue streetscape for overflow vendors and music.

The programming leans festival-atmosphere rather than trade-show: live DJs curated by Homo Phono spin across the day, creating a legitimate street-party vibe that pulls in neighbourhood regulars and weekend day-trippers from across the National Capital Region. The family-friendly format makes it a reliable Saturday option for parents, kids wander freely, sample openly, and there's enough art and music to keep the non-foodies in the family engaged.

Entry is always completely free, and the festival has become a regular feature on Ottawa Tourism's event calendar, with official city backing that translates into smooth logistics: clear signage, street closures where needed, easy OC Transpo access via Parkdale Avenue bus routes, and nearby parking. Practical tip: the May edition typically sees warmer, drier weather and bigger crowds, while the October edition catches the tail of Ottawa's autumn colours, both have their charm. Arrive in the first hour (the market opens mid-morning) for the best vendor stock; beloved Ottawa baked goods like those from Delights by Mama routinely sell out by early afternoon. Follow @veganswhosnack on Instagram for full vendor lineups and confirmed programming.