November is finally here! We welcomed our favourite month with an action packed World Vegan Day. Each November, we celebrate the formation of The Vegan Society and the incredible growth of the vegan movement since its humble beginnings all the way back in 1944.
We launched World Vegan Day in 1994 to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of The Vegan Society. It is incredible to see just how far the message has spread! Today, the awareness of World Vegan Day and World Vegan Month has soared, with the occasion being internationally recognised and celebrated in locations from Auckland to Amsterdam. In fact, #WorldVeganDay was even trending worldwide on Twitter!
Take a look at our round-up of some of the World Vegan Day celebrations around the world. How did your city mark World Vegan Day?
1. Istanbul - A World Vegan Day conference
Veganism is evidently on the rise in Turkey. After hosting the very first VegFest in Turkey, Istanbul also played host to a World Vegan Day conference, organised by the Vegetarian and Vegan Society of Turkey. The conference featured a panel session with special guests, vegan food tastings, vegan art exhibitions, workshops, a documentary screening, product launches and stands, and live music.
2. Belfast - A fusion of Indian and Northern Irish vegan cuisine
Souls restaurant, an Indian Fusion restaurant with a Northern Irish twist, decided to mark World Vegan Day with the launch of a brand new, 4-course a la carte menu. The menu features mouth-watering treats like Tofu Tikka and Somosa Pinwheels.
3. London - The release of a vegan grime track
Vegan artist Joel Bravette, better known as Jay Braze, chose to commemorate World Vegan Day with the release of a brand new track, a remake of Stormzy’s iconic 'Shut Up'. The light-hearted song definitely draws a few laughs, but it also packs a serious message about the benefits of living a vegan lifestyle.
4. Mumbai - A 20-day vegan festival
While there are hundreds of festivals taking place throughout World Vegan Month, Mumbai and its surrounding areas probably take the crown for the longest duration of any single festival, hosting an event that will last for a staggering 20 days! They certainly go hard in Mumbai.
The event will feature screenings of popular pro-vegan films such as Okja and Cowspiracy and will climax with the main event on November 12th.
5. Boston – A World Vegan Day animal rights march
In honour of World Vegan Day, residents of Boston took the streets of their city to hold a peaceful animal rights demonstration, helping the public to make the connection between the meat on their plates and the destructive industry that creates it.
6. New Zealand - Awarding vegan eateries
SAFE, a national charity in New Zealand, chose to observe World Vegan Month by recognising the best plant-based restaurants in the country with their Eat Kind Awards. The annual awards are a fun way to recognise the growth and diversity of vegan dining out options.
7. Amsterdam - Learning and lunching
The Green Office of Vrije University Amsterdam held a World Vegan Day Lunch and Learn lecture, where students were educated on the ecological footprint of the meat and dairy industry, as well being treated to a delicious array of vegan fare.
8. Florence - Vegan cooking demonstrations
Florence hosted a World Vegan Day festival where a selection of vegan activities took place, from book readings by vegan authors to cooking demonstrations showing how to make delicious egg-free pasta. What better place to learn how to make delicious vegan Italian cuisine!
9. India - An epic bike journey across the country
Rohit Ingle is the incredible man behind the mission to travel around India on bike to promote the vegan movement. The plan is to cover 19,000 km over one year. His outreach mission will conclude in November 2018, by which point he’ll probably have very sore thighs, but hopefully will have inspired many around India to go vegan.
10. London - The launch of a vegan mac and cheese pie
Young Vegans in Camden have claimed the title of the first fully vegan pie shop in London. Marco and Carla, the duo behind Young Vegans, built quite the name for themselves on the vegan street food scene. But they’ve now launched their very first shop, just in time for World Vegan Month. To commemorate World Vegan Day they chose to release a limited edition mac and cheese pie, which looks utterly divine!
For all the latest World Vegan Month news, events and competitions, make sure you head over to our World Vegan Month page.
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