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.