Written By Sason Bishope Parry
What better way to spend Labor Day weekend than at an all-vegan open-air festival that generates money for animal organizations and inspires change through veganism. That was the mission and, ultimately, the incredible scene at the 3rd annual Bizerkeley Festival, which took place on Sunday, September 3rd I, in Downtown Berkeley. Thousands of vegans, those curious about veganism, and non-vegans looking to try some awesome vegan food and support the cause flocked to the festival, dubbed as the largest vegan food festival in the Bay Area and the only one to take place in Berkeley, California.
Over 75 of the best vegan vendors from around the country were brought in to feature, sell, and showcase everything from outstanding plant-based food to lifestyle, wellness, beauty, sports, and fashion. There were also selected non-profit animal sanctuaries and vegan organizations promoting animal welfare and sharing educational info on the importance of veganism. It was a family-friendly, good vibe event that brought together a community spirit and people of all colours and sizes to celebrate veganism. There were giveaways, games, a kid’s area, and a silent auction with 100% of its proceeds benefitting the Herd and Flock Animal Sanctuary. The Bizerkeley Food Fest proudly raised over $3,000 for Herd & Flock Animal Sanctuary.
Organizer and Founder Erika Hazel, a veteran vegan since 2016, outdid herself, creating a unique and transformative event to inspire change. Erika adopted the Bizerkeley Vegan denomination because she interpreted it as ‘bizarre Berkeley,’ meaning unique, unconventional, and extraordinary, which is how the city of Berkeley makes her feel.
“We are so excited about veganism and our mission. Bizerkeley is a non-profit festival that prides itself in supporting local Bay Area animal organizations and helping small vegan businesses have a platform to showcase their products and grow. We’ve raised over $5000 for The Berkeley Animal Shelter, and this year we raised over $3000 for Herd and Flock Animal Sanctuary.” – Erika Hazel
Erika says she was always destined to become vegan. As a child, she became a vegetarian, and in college, she was asked if she wanted to help animals and said, “Of Course I Do.” This planted the seed. However, it wasn’t until about seven years ago that she started watching a vegan documentary called “Vegetated,” which made her take veganism more seriously and changed her life. Once she finished the doc, she says she threw everything out of her house that wasn’t vegan. Ultimately, she says she went vegan for the animals and her health, and in 2020, the idea for the festival was born. The first incarnation in 2021 was a big success, selling out in advance, with 2022 following suit, and now, in 2023, she and her team are celebrating another big sell-out year.
“We’ve had people from all over the country, including Carson City, Nevada. It is truly my honour to create a welcoming space for the Bay Area to experience so many incredible brands, products, and services that introduce the vegan and non-vegan community to outstanding business owners, and I’m happy that The Bizerkeley Food Fest is the hub for all of us to connect with one another.”- Erika Hazel
From the likes of it, the 2023 edition was a massive success in all areas, with people showing up as early as 10 AM, one hour before the actual kickoff time at 11 AM. Clearly, these early bird enthusiasts wanted to get a head start so they could indulge in all the vegan food and products available before the rush. And rush it was, as mobs of people poured in, smiling, empty recyclable bags in hand and ready to explore. The Bizerkeley team of workers and volunteers was outstanding, greeting everyone as we entered with big smiles and good vibes. I was a little concerned about the weather over the last week, but the sun Gods were shining down on the Bizerkeley Festival as it turned out to be a sweltering sunny day. From the moment you walked in, vegan vendors were everywhere. Many were giving out free samples of vegan products, and one of my favourite plant-based proteins, VEGA, was handing out tubs of their plant-based protein and brain fuel powder.
VEGAN FOOD HIGHLIGHTS
There was no question that hungry patrons had plenty of delicious vegan food and drink selections to choose from. Some of those options included: Out-of-this-world barbecued vegan shrimp and sausage skewers from local Bay Area favourites The Vegan Hood Chefs * Fried chicken sandwiches made entirely from plants from Oakland’s Better Chew were served up hot and spicey * Mouthwatering corn cake topped with vegan cheese and corn salsa from Vegan Chula Eats, another local vegan fooderie was an absolute favourite of mine and based on their popularity throughout the day many others *
Free samples of tasty vegan deli meats were given out by Sponsors Prime Roots deli and newcomers Green Wolf Foods *
San Francisco’s own Black Sheep Foods sampled their incredible vegan lamb meat which is the first of many products they will be launching *
Southern Cali’s The Vegan Circus had delicious corndogs, funnel cakes and loaded nachos available to support their amazing cause of working to liberate enslaved circus animals *
Local pizzeria Plant N Soul served up delicious baked vegan pies to perfection *
Chef Mina had her signature Indian style samosas available sharing a booth with Better Chew * There was even vegan Cambodian-inspired food from Los Angeles-based SreyVegan that commanded some big lines *
Delicious tamales were cooked up and also sold in packs by another local favourite Donnas Tamales which you can find now in many stores and farmers’ markets *
San Jose-based Earthy Vegan Cuisine served up their healing natural and raw foods and bowls for the healthy vegan enthusiasts * Berkeley’s family-owned Wow Wow Lemonade was busy all day making their handcrafted drinks and speciality smoothies *
Delicious and super healthy cold press sea moss juices were available from Richmond-based Liquified Juicery which had so many great options to choose from *
Another local favorite Mossed Juicery also had their version of tasty, healthy cold press juices on hand to energize patrons * Festival sponsor Three Pines was giving out free samples of their plant-based milk I’m sure blew the minds of any dairy lover in attendance.
VEGAN DESSERT HIGHLIGHTS:
For the sweet tooth, there were several vegan ice cream and dessert bakeries selling some of the tastiest sweets that I guarantee would make most non-vegans switch to plant-based. Some of those I tried included; Local Ice cream maker Mr. Dewies Cashew Creamery which was absolutely to die for and had many flavours available as well as a make-at-home ice cream kit *
Sacramento based The Sweet Flour Bakery brought some of their signature cute macaroons and cookies which were a big hit *
Heavenly cakes and cupcakes from Antioch’s Green Flour Bakery were so good, that they sold out of many of their desserts – their oreo flavour was over the top *
Eclipse Foods out of Oakland was also on hand as an official sponsor giving out free samples of their super creamy 100% plant-based ice cream that seemed to keep ice cream lovers coming back *
For the fruit lovers there were superfood Acai fruit bowls from Acai do Amazonas * Another popular and super tasty new healthy protein-infused snack company Rivalz was also on hand giving out free bags of their pizza and spicey street taco flavored snacks *
For the 21+ there was a zero-proof sampling area from Dr Hops Hard Kombucha keeping the good vibes flowing. Hard Kombucha is a great healthy and vegan alternative to alcoholic drinks as more and more people move towards elixirs and other refreshing beverages to take the edge off.
Bizerkeley Food Festival was a smorgasbord of every type of animal food made plant-based and cruelty-free that you could imagine.
From healthy infused vegan options and natural juices to fried-up plant-based comfort foods with so much flavour, many patrons stood in line for hours to get their fill.
VEGAN FASHION AND MERCH HIGHLIGHTS:
Beyond the wonderful vegan food, drink, and dessert options, dozens of vegan products and designers sold and showcased everything from vegan leather made from cactus (yes, cactus leather) to t-shirts, bags, candles, vegan sporting goods, and accessories.
A few I had the pleasure to check out included San Francisco’s Soneha’s vegan leather designs, which included shoes, handbags, and more, handcrafted from cactus leather and really well made * Beautiful handmade jewellery and accessories were available from Chula’s Aesthetics *
If you’re a candle lover like me I was happy to check out Brentwood-based Bicoastal Candle Co.’s beautifully natural handcrafted and scented vegan candles*
For apparel lovers Vegan Power Co a cool and retro merch company that prides itself in donating to animal sanctuaries had lots of their excellent merch offerings for sale * Another awesome vegan vendor was SoCal’s Eco Sports which makes sustainable sporting goods like vegan leather-made basketballs that I guarantee even the pros couldn’t tell the difference * I.Heart.Avacado was another favourite vegan and cruelty-free apparel company from Austin, Texas, with a variety of excellent products and clothing for sale.
ANIMAL ORGANIZATION AND NON-PROFIT HIGHLIGHTS:
Some amazing non-profit and animal organizations were also on hand to educate and sign up people for their causes. Some of those included sponsor Herd and Flock Animal Sanctuary based out of Vacaville, which had cute animal sticker giveaways that were a big hit with the kids. All of the proceeds from the silent auction were donated to their cause * Another inspiring animal organization on deck was the California Pit Bull Rescue, which was there to educate people on all the fantastic things they do for Pit Bull’s like the beautiful Bailey who was greeting patrons and hoping to be adopted.
Some vendors sold out of many of their products, showing the market demand for veganism and plant-based foods and products. I noticed that many patrons stayed until the end and, even at closing, were still at vendor booths for last-call offerings. Veganism has been around since the beginning of time, being called vegetarianism or, as the early Greeks and Zoroastrian Persians called it, “abstaining from anything with a living soul.” It wasn’t until 1947 when British animal lover Donald Watson coined the term “Vegan,” and the Vegan Society was born. The heartbeat of veganism is the ideology that animal lives matter and that an animal’s life is worth more than our taste buds or the products and clothes we use. Throughout the last decade, veganism has become more mainstream in the United States and Globally and has become one of the most important social justice movements today. Although vegans only make up about 3% of all people globally, this amount is increased when we consider that there are vegetarians, non-vegans, plant-based eaters, and others who also enjoy veganism and may become vegan one day.
A small percentage of the people I spoke to at the Bizerkekely festival were not vegan, however, they said they loved plant-based foods. This speaks volumes to today’s market, where creative, compassionate, and sustainably conscious people seek to inspire change by developing ways to make vegan foods and products more accessible. The Global market share for plant-based food is expected to reach over $80B by 2025. Today, every animal dish can be made vegan with all the plant-based alternatives available, and it’s easier than ever to make the transition for the animals, health, and the environment.
The same goes for fashion and every other industry where animals are exploited and slaughtered by the trillions annually. By simply finding cruelty-free alternatives or creating them with a little effort, we find ways to change the past belief systems and culture and move forward into a new paradigm of better living for all inhabitants of our planet. Everywhere we look and go, vegan products continue to pop up in markets, retail chains, and options at omnivore restaurants, and I don’t see this trend slowing down anytime soon. Especially now with good people like Erika Hazel and the countless vegan vendors, brands, chefs, designers, environmentally conscious organizations, and the animal organizations, she brought together for the Bizerkeley vegan festival.
Overall, Bizerkeley was a fantastic experience, and I’m looking forward to seeing what The Bizerkeley has in mind for 2024. Until then, GO VEGAN! –
“Vegans making a difference one day at a time.”
For more info on the Bizerkeley food festival, go to: www.thebizerkeleyvegan.com
