Twin Cities Veg Fest 2026 brought the fun and excitement! As the largest plant-based festival of its kind in the Midwest, this event doesn’t disappoint. And this year, it was bigger and better than ever, with outstanding special guests, delicious food, fun activities, and a welcoming atmosphere.
Let’s relive all the amazing moments of this momentous event!
Excitement Builds: The VIP Pre-Party
This year, the Twin Cities Veg Fest party started early with a VIP pre-party held at the park the night before. VIP ticket holders were treated to a spread of chips and Bitchin’ Sauce dips, hand-poured craft mocktails, and a selection of pizzas from Pizza Luce. A live DJ set provided the perfect backdrop to the party atmosphere.
Guests also received a coveted swag bag and t-shirt and got a sneak peek at the park as things were being set up. It was a one-of-a-kind exclusive experience for some of our biggest fans.
Twin Cities Veg Fest honored guest and keynote speaker, John Lewis, the Badass Vegan was on hand for photo opportunities and inspiration. The fun and delicious food of the evening was like an appetizer of what was to come the next day — the excitement in the air was palpable.
Getting There Early: Guests Start Lining Up
The festival began at 10 am on Sunday, September 20, but the lineup of fans started forming hours earlier. While our vendors were busily setting up inside the park, hungry attendees lined up at the front gate to be the first to get inside. The first 50 people in line also received an exclusive swag bag, full of plant-based samples, coupons, and more.
As the gates opened, attendees quickly poured into the festival grounds to find their favorite vendors and activities. Lines started forming at food trucks and food vendors almost instantly and continued throughout the day.
The Main Attraction: The Food of the Festival
For many Twin Cities Veg Fest attendees, the food is the main attraction. Food truck after food truck… and it’s all plant-based! Local vegans love that they can order whatever they want at the festival and know that it fits in with their values. But you don’t have to be vegan to enjoy all that the fest has to offer. In fact, surveys show that around 50% of Twin Cities Veg Fest attendees are NOT vegan. Many people come just to try all the delicious foods, even if they don’t subscribe to a fully vegan diet.
Vendors offer a wide variety of plant-based food and drink, including healthy options like fresh-pressed juices and rice bowls. Also on offer were festival standards like corn dogs, pizza, and egg rolls on a stick, comfort food classics like burgers, loaded tots, mac & cheese, and even vegan seafood platters. Curries, spring rolls, pad thai, momo, and more provided global influences to sample from all over the world. For the sweet tooth, vendors offered donuts, cookie dough, cobbler, candied fruit, chocolates, and more! So many options to choose from meant that every festival-goer’s experience was unique and it was impossible to try it all!
Engaging Guest Speakers
One of the most exciting parts of Twin Cities Veg Fest was the presentation from keynote speaker John Lewis, known as the Badass Vegan. With his sparkling smile and down-to-earth style, John captivated the crowd with his message. John talked about his personal journey to veganism, some of the benefits of the lifestyle, and took questions from rapt audience members. The presentation was full of tips for embracing the plant-based lifestyle and inspiring anecdotes. Some of the most poignant moments of the talk were hearing from youth in the audience ask for advice, and John responding with enthusiasm and inspiration, inviting the audience to reach out for more and to stay in touch.
Pallavi Pande, mompreneur and founder of Dtocs, was also on hand for an inspiring presentation. Dtocs provides eco-friendly, sustainable tableware, party ware, and other foodservice products. Pallavi’s talk centered on the company’s sustainability practices and how they empower women. The audience was enthralled with her informational and engaging presentation.
The Let’s Beat Breast Cancer Rally — And a Special Proclamation
Just before noon, several local drumlines started drumming up excitement from various corners of the festival grounds, all marching towards the Compassionate Action for Animals Music & Activities Stage. Here, the Let’s Beat Breast Cancer Rally kicked off a series of presentations that brought together cancer survivors and loved ones and those interested in disease prevention.
The Rally was organized in partnership with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) as part of a series of nation-wide events, as well as CAA’s Wholesome Minnesota. Survivors shared their inspiring stories and presenters gave information on how healthy habits, like eating more plant-based foods, can aid in cancer prevention.
As a special addition to this year’s rally, the Saint Paul mayor made an appearance to issue a Proclamation, declaring September 20, 2026 as Twin Cities Veg Fest Day in the city of Saint Paul. The mayor also encouraged the masses to take the Veg Pledge — a promise to try more plant-based foods for one week.
The Proclamation and Rally were exciting parts of the day’s festivities, providing inspiration to many.
Rockin’ at the Festival: The Music
What would a festival be without music? And Twin Cities Veg Fest doesn’t disappoint! The drummers at the Let’s Beat Breast Cancer Rally brought big festival energy. Singer-songwriters Gaia Wilde and Jezebel Sweet both played lovely sets that got the party started and got folks in the mood for more fun.
New this year was the TCVegFest Hardcore Show, organized by Dusty Sewerpipe. This show of hardcore music featured four bands and infused the Pihlstrom Consulting Music Pavillion with punk power chords and raw, youthful energy. The lineup included Full Metal Jacket, Chronic, Collective Fate, and Clear the Gap. Young music fans danced and moshed to the music.
Closing out the festival was a rollicking set by The Riff Rangers, a local band known for their uplifting mix of jazz, swing, folk, rock, and pop covers. Attendees sang and danced along to the music, enjoying the popular hits from this fantastic local band.
The Fest’s Secret Ingredient: Cooking Demos
The cooking demos at Twin Cities Veg Fest are an annual favorite. Local chefs get to show their stuff and present plant-based dishes to audiences ready to learn new tips. And the best part? Attendees get free samples of the dishes being presented as well as recipe cards, so they can make the dishes at home.
First up was Sheila Nelson, the owner and talent behind popular local bakery Vegan East. Sheila showed guests how to make an easy and versatile plant-based Nacho Cheese Sauce. This delicious, dreamy sauce is great for chips and dip, tacos, and more!
Later in the afternoon, local chef Robin Asbell demonstrated two new dishes featuring BeLeaf vegan seafood. Robin’s exclusive recipes were Green Curry Shrimp and Salmon Poke Bowls. Two delectable options that show just how amazing plant-based eating can be!
Fun for All Ages — And Species
The festival also included an array of free activities and family-friendly fun. A morning yoga class provided a relaxing start to the day. The newly updated playground and bounce house were popular among the fest’s youngest fans and busy all day. Outdoor games like badminton and croquet offered fun diversions on the wide lawn of the park. The Baron of Bubbles joyfully set the mood for fun for all with huge bubbles floating across the outdoor games area.
Twin Cities Veg Fest is also welcoming to well-behaved companion animals and the dogs of the festival are a perennial favorite. Many attendees bring their dogs along and enjoy meeting other pups at the fest. We even spotted some cuddly bunnies enjoying their greens in their pet strollers!
The Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge Awards Ceremony
Capping off the wonderful day was the Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge Awards Ceremony. The Challenge lasts all August, with local restaurants offering new plant-based dishes for diners to try, and then rate. All of the restaurants were honored at this exciting ceremony, and then the top winners were announced.
This year’s winners are:
1st place: Tori Ramen with their Korean BBQ Mushroom Ssam
2nd place: Golden Chow Mein with their Kung Pao Cola Tofu
3rd place: Gatherings Cafe with their Wild Harvest Tacos
This was Tori Ramen’s second Challenge win, beating the competition from many previous favorites, as well as newcomers. In fact, 2026 saw the highest number of participating restaurants ever! Several restaurants kept their dishes on the menu past the Challenge, providing more delicious plant-based options to Twin Cities diners. More than 1200 ratings were cast, and from our survey, nearly half of voters do not identify as vegan. Year after year, the Challenge is helping more Minnesotans discover how delicious and satisfying plant-based food can be.
The Awards Ceremony is always a popular part of Twin Cities Veg Fest, with attendees excitedly packing the tent to find out who won the Challenge.
Twin Cities Veg Fest Goes Green
The vegetables aren’t the only green aspect of Twin Cities Veg Fest. The fest aims to reduce waste as much as possible. Our Zero Waste Stations and volunteers help to ensure compost and recycling are properly sorted. This year, we are proud to announce that we reduced the quantity of trash from nine cans to seven, despite higher attendance numbers and nearly twice the amount of material sent to compost!
Providing our free shuttle service from Union Depot, along with partnering with Metro Transit to offer free transit passes for public transportation makes the festival easy to get to and reduce the carbon footprint of car travel for attendees.
The Impact of Twin Cities Veg Fest
Twin Cities Veg Fest exists as a celebratory gathering for those in the vegan community. But it’s also open to all, no matter what your dietary preferences are. And the festival is inspiring change! Among non-vegan attendees, 66% noted they were more willing to reduce meat, dairy, or eggs in their diet after visiting the fest. 72% reported greater willingness to reduce animal products in their food choices or purchases of materials such as leather, wool, and down.
Festival planners aim for the event to be bigger and better every year, and this was reflected in the many positive comments and satisfied ratings we received, like these examples:
“Thank you for such a wonderful day! VegFest is one of my very favorite days of the year, and my son and I look forward to it so much!”
“Absolutely love how this festival has gotten better each year!”
“This is better than the state fair!”
The atmosphere at the festival all day was truly joyful. So much great food to try, activities to enjoy, and people to connect with. Both festival veterans and newbies alike had loads of fun and left fully satisfied.
See You Next Year!
Twin Cities Veg Fest 2026 was a huge success and we hope you’ll all join us again next year! We’d like to thank everyone who made this event possible: CAA staff, our volunteer planning committee, many volunteers who help with set up, cleanup, and day-of duties, our presenters and musicians, sponsors, exhibitors, and attendees!
We know it’s hard to wait for the next festival. In the meantime, you can join us at another fun CAA event, with many options throughout the year. You can also donate to CAA to ensure the festival keeps bringing the plant-based fun for years to come.
Show your support for CAA and Twin Cities Veg Fest year-round with our fun merch! Find t-shirts, sweatshirts, tank tops, hats, baby onesies, and more in our shop — all in an expanded selection of colors and sizes.
We’ll see you soon — whether at next year’s festival, or another event!
