Eastbourne to host its first ever vegan festival

Eastbourne's first ever vegan festival is coming to town at the end of Veganuary.
Eastbourne is going to have its very own vegan festivalEastbourne is going to have its very own vegan festival
Eastbourne is going to have its very own vegan festival

Organised by Robert Stevens of Sussex Vegan, the free event will take place at East Sussex College on January 25, and it welcomes vegans and non-vegans alike to explore the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle.

Robert, an A-Level student from Seaford, said, “I’m very excited about it. We’ll have lots of vegan food, beauty products, interior design, art, and a DJ for the day.

Robert Stevens at Vegan Festival LewesRobert Stevens at Vegan Festival Lewes
Robert Stevens at Vegan Festival Lewes

“There’s loads going on.”

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The 20-year-old helped organise Lewes Vegan Festival this year – which was a huge success and saw around 1,000 people visit from all over the country.

He said, “2018 was a massive success for vegans, I hope 2019 will be the same. We are reaching out to people, showing the benefits of an alternative lifestyle.

“It’s all about educating, informing, but also celebrating it, it’s majorly exciting.”

A stall at the vegan festival in LewesA stall at the vegan festival in Lewes
A stall at the vegan festival in Lewes

Eastbourne man is hottest vegan finalistHe explained why he thinks the vegan diet is the way foward, “51 per cent of greenhouse gases are from animal agriculture, that’s more than air and shipping industries combined. From a planet point of view it completely makes sense.

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“If they realised what went into their food, I think a lot of people would change their minds.”

Robert has been juggling his studies with running his business Sussex Vegan (on Facebook under @sussexvegan).

When asked about a recent vegan protest in Brighton, he said, “There are many ways to change the world, for me I prefer the open, inclusive celebrations and welcoming people along, because people can see with their eyes the food and make their own decisions.”

Eastbourne Vegan Festival is hosted in partnership with East Sussex College and is open to the public.

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It will take place at the A-Level Centre at the campus in Kings Drive from 10am-4pm.

It’s hoped more than 1,000 people will come along.

Anyone wishing to know more – or those who would like their business to be involved at the event – can visit www.sussexvegan.com/veganfestival.

To find out more about what it means to be vegan you can visit www.vegansociety.com

And for more information about Veganuary visit www.veganuary.com