The 3rd Annual Vegan Social Pop-Up Event featured delicious food + drinks, and eco-friendly shopping too!
Eat. Mingle. Shop Consciously.
Vegan Social Events, hosted The Toronto Vegan Social Pop-Up Event this past September, in Toronto. This annual event brought together a high vibe group of influencers, media makers, the community and local companies for delicious vegan eats & drinks, sustainable shopping, music, and inspiring presentations by special guests. Our guest speakers included cookbook author and YouTuber Candice Hutchings of The Edgy Veg, Sustainability Experts Carly Bergman & Brenden Fitzgerald of The Sustainable Duo, and clothing designer Jacky Wasserman of BEETxBEET.
The evening featured a silent auction with vegan & cruelty-free prizes, in support of the event Charity Partner Wishing Well Sanctuary, a farmed animal sanctuary located in Bradford, Ontario. The rescue pigs of @citypigsto also joined the event as special guests, including Persephone a potbelly and Truman a mini pig.
Our guests received $25 in gift certificates from Fresh Restaurants, Il Fornello and Panago Pizza, as well as complimentary pizza at the event! We also distributed a limited number of swag bags containing vegan goodies valued at $100 - details listed in the Swag Bag section below.
Special guests and local-Toronto vegan influencers Anne-Marie Campbell of the Meat Free Athlete and Lisa Le of the Viet Vegan. Photo by: Two Market Girls.
We were thrilled to have the rescue pigs of @citypigsto joining at the Vegan Social Pop-Up Event, including Persephone, the friendliest potbelly, pictured above. Photo by: Jairo Lop3z Productions.
The Toronto Vegan Social Pop-Up Event. Photo by: Jairo Lop3z Productions.
Crazy D's Soda Labs’ all natural soda without the guilt. Photo by: Two Market Girls.
Toronto Vegan Social Pop-Up - September 2018. Photo by: Mariah Craig.
Find the full photo album with all of the photos from this event on Facebook.
Sustainability Behind Every Event
At Vegan Social Events, we believe that veganism and sustainability go hand-in-hand. Animal agriculture plays a significant role as a contributing cause of serious environmental issues including, pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, species extinction, ocean dead zones, and rainforest destruction, just to name a few. As consumers, we can take the power into our own hands by voting with our dollar every time we make a purchase.
We worked closely with all of our vendors to make this a zero / minimal waste event. We requested that of our vendors considered the environment by limiting the number of boxes, plastic, and other waste that may be produced from their booths. We also encouraged our guests to bring their own reusable containers, cutlery, metal/glass straws, reusable bottles and bags. Every little bit counts!
If you would like to learn more about the environmental issues that are related to animal agriculture please visit www.cowspiracy.com/facts.
Carly Bergman & Brenden Fitzgerald of The Sustainable Duo joined the event with a presentation all about sustainable swaps for zero-waste living. Photo by: Two Market Girls.
Zero Waste Bulk joined the event us with sustainable alternatives like stainless steel containers, reusable shopping bags and safety razors. Photo by: Two Market Girls.
THE CHARITY
Vegan Social Events are all about bringing the community together and supporting organizations that are working in the areas of animal rights protection, and the promotion of the vegan lifestyle, as well as sustainability initiatives. We are proud to have Wishing Well Sanctuary, a farmed animal sanctuary located in Bradford, Ontario, as our event charity partner. Wishing Well is home to rescued farmed animals, including, cows, pigs, chickens, sheep, goats, donkeys, and horses, who will live out their natural lives at Sanctuary.
What we love about Wishing Well Sanctuary is that they have a strong focus on education, with guided tours that are open to the public and school groups, as well as summer camps and wellness programs. Education is key to progressing the vegan movement - the more informed we are as consumers, the better our choices will be. Sanctuaries like Wishing Well give individuals the opportunity to meet and interact with animals that they might otherwise never meet and inspire compassion towards all living beings.
This event featured a silent auction that raised just over $700 for Wishing Well Sanctuary!
Sanctuary tours are held from March through November and offer a great opportunity to interact with the Wishing Well family. Photo by Eh Vegan.
Il Fornello, an event sponsor, generously donated a booth space to Animal Rights Toronto, an online platform with resources relating to animal rights issues and and a calendar of events for Toronto and surrounding areas. Photo by: Aaron Fisher.
This event featured a silent auction with vegan & cruelty-free prizes and 100% of the funds raised were donated to Wishing Well Sanctuary. Photo by: Aaron Fisher.
Canine Haven Rescue also joined the event to help raise awareness about their organization which rescues dogs from Mexico, Dominican Republic, Saudi Arabia, Nepal, North America and any local surrenders. Canine Haven is a non-profit organization that is run only by volunteers.
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKERS
This year’s Vegan Social Pop-Up Event featured an inspiring line-up of special guest speakers throughout the evening, covering vegan cooking, sustainable living and eco-friendly fashion!
- Vegan Kitchen Essentials Round-Up -
Featuring cookbook author and YouTuber Candice Hutchings of The Edgy Veg
- How to Beet Fast Fashion -
Featuring clothing designer Jacky Wasserman of BEETxBEET
- Everyday Sustainable Swaps -
Featuring Carly Bergman & Brenden Fitzgerald of The Sustainable Duo
We were thrilled to have cookbook author and YouTuber Candice Hutchings of The Edgy Veg join us with a Vegan Kitchen Essentials Round-Up!
Clothing designer Jacky Wasserman of BEETxBEET shared all about sustainable fashion and tips on what to look for when adding to your wardrobe!
The Sustainable Duo joined the event with a presentation on everyday sustainable alternatives for zero waste living.
FOOD + DRINKS
Vegan Social Events are known for featuring Food & Drink vendors who provide complimentary tasting items for guests to enjoy. Guests enjoyed sample sized servings of delicious vegan cheeses, superfoods, desserts, snacks, as well as a variety of drinks from our fabulous vendors. Our Food and Drink Vendors also had full size and “take-home” items available for sale.
Guests enjoyed complimentary vegan spanakopita from Vegan Stokes Cheese. Photo by: Aaron Fisher.
Culcherd Tree Nut Cheeze. Photo by: Aaron Fisher.
Vegan Burger Bites from Wholly Veggie. Photo by: Aaron Fisher.
Snacker Yogi Lotus Seeds from Bha Foods. Photo by: Two Market Girls.
All of the vegan cheese from Zengarry Fauxmage. Photo by: Aaron Fisher.
Guests tasted an abundance of vegan cheeses from Vegan Stokes Cheese. Photo by: Aaron Fisher.
A sweet selection of vegan granola from Nolaa Granolaa. Photo by: Aaron Fisher.
VEGAN + ETHICAL + SUSTAINABLE GOODS
Sustainability has played a strong role in all of our events and we are proud to have included lifestyle vendors who showcased eco-friendly and cruelty-free lifestyle products. Guests had the opportunity to meet the creators behind the brands and learn all about products that we can all feel good about supporting!
Leaves of Trees natural skincare and beauty products. Photo by: Two Market Girls.
Kall!is Oils and AnimalStone. Photo by: Jairo Lop3z Productions.
Bare Market featured package-free goods, including body and home care items. Guests were invited BYOC: Bring Your Own Containers, to fill up on bulk items. Photo by: Aaron Fisher.
Zero Waste Bulk joined the event us with sustainable alternatives like stainless steel containers, reusable shopping bags and safety razors. Photo by: Aaron Fisher.
THANKS TO OUR EVENT SPONSORS
Tonica Kombucha Tea is brewed and bottled in Toronto, Canada with all natural, raw, certified organic ingredients.
Il Fornello - If you're looking for a restaurant with an abundance of vegan options, Il Fornello has you covered with their new vegan menu which features wood fired pizzastopped with Nuts For Cheese Blue Cheese & Daiya Foods cheese.
BIO RAW - Food designed for superior nutrition, without sacrificing the enjoyment of a satisfying meal. Everything we make is Certified Organic, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free.
Special thanks to Fresh Restaurants for providing $10 gift cards for each of our guests, Il Fornello for providing certificates for complimentary Avocado Caesar Salad with Parmesan (valued at $10), and Panago Pizza for providing each guest with a $5 Gift Card, as well as complimentary pizza at the event.
SWAG BAG SPONSORS
This event also featured swag bags with contents valued at over $100. Our events are well-known for having generous swag bags filled with high-quality items, including full size and sample size products, as well as promo vouchers.
An abundance of goodies from the event including swag bag items, and purchased products. Photo by: myhappyliltummy.
The reusable canvas bags that were used for our Swag Bags were generously provided by Organic Garage.
Fresh Restaurants - $10 Gift Card
Il Fornello - FREE Avocado Caesar Salad with Parmesan (valued at $10)
BIO RAW - $10 Gift Card
Graydon Skincare - Superfood Mask + Scrubs (full-size bottle) + Promotional Offer
Eden Foods - 4oz snacks & a mustard variety (full-size products), recipe book and magnet
Well Told Health - Sleep and Energy Boosters (sample size)
NuPasta - Pasta (full-size package)
Garden of Life - New SPORT Organic Plant-Based Protein in Vanilla (1 serving)
Vegan Stokes Cheese - Product Coupons
Panago Pizza - $5 Gift Card
GoGo Quinoa - Dark Chocolate Chip Quinoa Cookies (full-size box)
free2b Foods - Dark Chocolate Sun Cups (full-size) + product coupon
Four Sigmatic - Mushroom Elixirs (full-size single packs)
Vegan Labs - Full-Size Snacks
Lakanto - Golden Sugars
Raw Elements - Promotional Offer
Manitoba Harvest Hemp - Sriacha Toasted Hemp Seeds (samples)
Yoso - Product Coupons
Peas and Thanks - Stickers
Shirt Activism - Promotional Offer
New Moon Kitchen - Cookies
Toronto Vegetarian Association
Good Grains Canada - Voucher for a complimentary meal Combo #trio2GO ($10 value)
Shot of Gold - Promotional Offer
The Urbivore - Upcycled Wine Cork Charm + Special Offer
Special thanks to all of the companies who have generously provided items for our swag bags!
Photographers + Videographers
Two Market Girls + check out their YouTube channel too!
Aaron Fisher + The Awakening Self on Instagram
Special thanks to all of the photographers and videographers who captured the event! Photo highlights have been included in this article and you can view the full album on Facebook. Please credit the individual photographers (noted in the description of each photo) when sharing and/or using these photos.
As Seen On
The Viet Vegan - Chatty What I Eat In A Day #24 // Vegan Social Events
“Avra Epstein and her team from Vegan Social Events, which includes vegan event organizer Little by Little as well as local vegan YouTubers, The Two Market Girls, take veganism, sustainability and good times, very seriously.
And I’m glad they do, cause they throw a hell of a party.
I can honestly say I do not believe I have ever eaten so many varieties of vegan cheese in one evening.
Very seriously at least 15.
Life level = Expert”
Read the full review here.
MEET THE TEAM!
The team for our September 6th Vegan Social Events is comprised of vegans who are passionate about the lifestyle! We are so lucky to be joined by such talented and compassionate individuals. Our events would not be possible without their hard work and dedication!
Avra Epstein - Vegan Social Events Creator and Events Producer. Vegan Social Events is a series of 100% vegan and sustainable events that bring together influencers, media makers, the community and local companies for delicious vegan eats & drinks, sustainable shopping, and more!
Sarah Janson - Event Planning Assistance. Sarah, pictured above at Wishing Well Farm Sanctuary, is the founder of Little By Little IC. As Canada’s first exclusively vegan event planner, Sarah aims to make vegan food, beverage and vendors more accessible. She is also certified in plant-based nutrition and provides health, wellness and lifestyle coaching.
Katherine Sousa - Publicity & Media Assistant. Katherine works full time in Public Relations and is also one-half of the Two Market Girls. Check out their YouTube channel for awesome recipes and all things vegan!
Lara Graham - Event Assistant & Hostess. Lara is a RYT-200 hour Vinyasa/Hatha yoga instructor. She works full time in the project management field.
Michael Codner - Event Assistant. Michael, pictured at Wishing Well Sanctuary, is passionate about animal rights and promoting a healthy, vegan lifestyle.
Special thanks to our lovely volunteers Jenn, Kim and Megan, who assisted with hostessing the event. Photo by: Jairo Lop3z Productions.
THANK YOU!
Thank you to everyone who helped make this event a success! I love and appreciate all who were involved. It was so inspiring to see so many great people from our vegan community come together for this wonderful evening.
Don't forget to check out the full photo album from this event on Facebook! Please credit the individual photographers (noted in the description of each photo) when sharing and/or using these photos.
Get social with us - find Vegan Social Events on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook!
To watch video recaps of past Vegan Social Events click here.
To learn about past events visit: www.vegansocialevents.com.
For media inquiries please get in touch via the contact page.
Thanks for your support!
#LoveWildLiveFree
This Toronto Vegan Social and this post was in collaboration with all of the companies and individuals listed above. All products and promotional items will be kindly gifted for the event. I only share products that I personally use and that are made with the highest integrity.
To work with Avra and Love Wild Live Free on collaborations, reviews and sponsored posts please get in touch on the Contact page!