The Best European Festivals for Vegan Food
From the iconic Glastonbury to Amsterdam’s trendy DGTL, more festivals across Europe are offering tasty, sustainable vegan food than ever before – and some are even going entirely vegan.
Awakenings Summer Festival, the Netherlands
Awakenings
The long-running Awakenings is one of the best outdoor techno festivals. The music line-up is packed with more than 100 DJs, and the food line-up is just as good: the entire festival is now meat-free in recognition of the impact animal agriculture has on the planet, so you’ll find plenty of delicious vegan food at the event.
Boom Festival, Portugal
Boom Festival encourages a switch to vegan eating to help spare animals and reduce its environmental impact. Festivalgoers will find this easy to do, thanks to the wide choice of delightful vegan options across the festival. In 2022, 86% of Boom’s catering was vegan and/or vegetarian. Music, dance, art installations, and mouthwatering vegan food? See you in Portugal!
Boomtown, Winchester, UK
This independent festival celebrates music from around the globe and throughout the underground, taking in everything from reggae, roots, and folk to electronica, metal, and punk. In a bid to fortify the festival’s sustainability efforts, Boomtown is “focusing hugely” on increasing its vegetarian and vegan options, so expect a good selection of vegan food to choose from.
Buddhafield, Taunton, UK
The Buddhafield Festival is an annual gathering with hundreds of workshops and activities including yoga, meditation, green crafts, permaculture, and a healing area. Inspired by the ethical principles of Buddhism, all the cafés on the site are entirely vegan.
DGTL Amsterdam, Netherlands
Described as “a leading example of green, eco-friendly raving”, Amsterdam’s trendsetting DGTL festival brings together some of the leading names in dance music with a strong ethos of helping to protect the planet. The festival first went meat-free back in 2016 and made the switch to being entirely vegan in 2022. Rave on!
Glastonbury Festival, Somerset, UK
As one of the biggest performing arts festivals in the world, you’ll find a wonderful variety of vegan food across Glastonbury’s many traders. Be sure to visit the popular Green Fields area, which aims to raise awareness of environmental problems and offer solutions. That’s why Green Fields is entirely meat-free, with enticing vegan food stalls throughout.
Hay Festival, Hay-on-Wye, UK
This annual literature festival held in Wales is famous for attracting some of the world’s best-known speakers and celebrities, including the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Hilary Clinton, and Judi Dench. The catering is always of stellar quality, too, thanks to an array of vegan options like South Indian street food from Lalita’s and Happy Maki’s giant vegan sushi burritos.
Medicine Festival, Reading, UK
Medicine Festival is known for celebrating nature and bringing communities together. To support personal and planetary health, the event offers entirely meat-free catering and champions plant-based eating.
NorthSide, Denmark
This three-day music festival aims to be Denmark’s greenest cultural event and boasts four stages of music and unique performances such as “glitter wrestling”. The food offered is 85% vegan, and the festival has ditched red meat, chicken flesh, and fish. Almost there!
Nottingham Green Festival, UK
This long-running grassroots festival takes place at the Nottingham Arboretum every year and is free to attend. With over 100 stalls that feature campaigns, creative arts, and cooking demos, you can expect to learn about inspiring activism and try new crafts and skills. You’ll find plenty of tasty and planet-friendly food, too, as the festival has been fully vegan since 2017.
Shambala Festival, Northamptonshire, UK
Shambala has been highlighting the environmental impact of raising animals for food ever since it stopped selling meat back in 2016 – a move that saves the festival a massive 100 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year. What’s more, since 2019, the festival has served only plant-based milks for its hot drinks. So be ready to eat your way through the many vegan food stalls while you enjoy the eclectic music line-up and programme of speakers, workshops, and other activities.
The Green Gathering, Chepstow, UK
The Green Gathering, which takes place in the scenic Welsh countryside, prides itself on offering creative entertainment and having a strong focus on sustainability. Enjoy music, crafts, vegan cookery demonstrations, and activism while discovering exciting vegan food. All food stalls are meat-free, 50% are entirely vegan, and the organisers aim to increase the percentage of vegan products year on year.
Vegan Camp Out, Oxfordshire, UK
Find music, talks, yoga, activism, and more at the world’s largest vegan camping festival. The list of food vendors is as packed as you’d expect, with 60 leading brands serving up all your favourite vegan food. It has everything – from pizza, hot dogs, burgers, and smoothies to ice creams, cakes, and Indian and Chinese food – now that is a line-up!
Way Out West, Sweden
With an eclectic programme featuring some of the world’s most popular musicians, this popular Swedish festival welcomes over 100,000 visitors every year. Since 2012, Way Out West has been serving only vegetarian or vegan food (for all visitors, workers, and artists, too), so delicious animal-free food can be found everywhere.
We Love Green, France
We Love Green has everything from music and art to talks and comedy, and sustainable development has been at the heart of its creation since 2011. This festival serves 100% vegetarian food to visitors, and over 100,000 meat-free dishes were devoured on site in 2023.
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Why Vegan?
By choosing vegan at festivals (and everywhere else!) this summer, you’ll take a stand against industries that use, abuse, and slaughter animals. You will also discover that vegan food makes you happier and healthier and helps to tackle the climate emergency.
Not vegan yet? Give it a go! Order a free copy of our vegan starter kit, packed full of recipes, tips, and advice, including information on plant-based nutrition and ideas for quick and tasty vegan meals:
