London Vegan Festival: Sunday 21st August 2011

[Frank]

London Vegan Festival: Sunday 21st August 2011.

11:00am to 8:00pm.

Hornton Street, London W8.

Vegan Festival with stalls, speakers, entertainment, food, children’s activities and more....

Please put the date in your diaries.

[harpy]

Thanks for the tip-off Frank - glad it's back next year!

[Frank]

Time to start bumping this thread.

Hope to see you guys there

[Gwydion]

Will be there no doubt. Always a good'n, looking forward to seeing everyone.

[Frank]

Time to bump this thread!

[Gwydion]

No one else coming to this? Wow, gonna be a quiet one this year!

[rainbow]

I'm coming! Hello! I don't know anyone in person, only on the board, so unless anyone has some concrete plans for a meet-up, I will probably arrive early, do all my shopping and then scuttle off before it gets too crowded (I'm not comfortable in big crowds). But if anyone else will be there in the morning and wants to meet, we could all rendez-vous somewhere?

[Gwydion]

Cool. Would be good to meet you rainbow, especially as I think we stay not too far away from eachother?

Let's see who else is coming and then see if we can agree to a plan of action from there?

[nickyb]

I'm going!! Will most probably be volunteering with Veggies, really looking forward to it!

[Gwydion]

Great! Let us know if you can break for a bit to mingle

[michaelt]

I can't wait - it's just down the road where I am in Shepherds Bush. My impression is that most of the interesting vegan-related events seem to happen in East London.

[rainbow]

I'm in East London. I disagree! Was in West London the other day - 222 Veggie Vegan, Whole Foods in Kensington and the Vegan Festival and Xmas Without Cruelty Fayres. North London has Vx, Manna, Loving Hut etc. South London has Ms. Cupcake. East London is rather quiet! (Maybe I just don't notice what's going on around me - tell me, what am I missing? Gallery Café is cool, hoping to go there tomorrow.)

[pusskins]

We'll be there! Wa-hey! Can't wait lol

[michaelt]

The grass is always greener on the other side! I guess I was thinking of the more "alternative" scene. Last year I went to a terrific vegan festival in a squat in East London. There's also Pogo Cafe. Secret Society of Vegans is East-ish. But, come to think of it, maybe you're right that there's plenty over this way!

[rainbow]

Pogo Café is extremely cool, I agree, but I admit that I haven't been there in ages because it's not easy to get there on public transport. SSOV are more north London than East London. But yes, Pogo, Gallery Café, and once upon a time we also had the Rootmaster (gone, alas!). Ah, this whole city is just great!

[alisont]

I will be going to this (as long as my guinea pig is ok as not been well recently) I have train tickets and a hotel booked. Planning a meal on the Sat night at Peking Palace too if anyone is interested in going?
Looking forward to seeing everyone I know who is going and to meeting new people too.

[Gwydion]

Planning a meal on the Sat night at Peking Palace too if anyone is interested in going?

Aye, will be there I think. Haven't been since it became a Loving Hut...

[rainbow]

What time will people be going to Peking Palace?
I can't commit firmly to it as I may or may not have to be dealing with something else that evening, but would like to pop by if I can.

[Gwydion]

Not to speak on behalf of Alisont, but I'm sure it was 18:30.

[pusskins]

So are people going to be meeting up at the actual festival? We won't be able to make a meal afterwards but would be nice to meet with some peeps on here 'live'

[Gwydion]

In past years we have tended to converge around 'the steps' - or the pub just down the road ;p

May be a little more difficult this year, due to the small number of people going - potential to recognise or bump into someone that much slimmer I guess.

Saying that, venue is far from huge! Have you been before and/or ever met anyone who is going?

[pusskins]

Yes, have been for the last 3 or so years? Obviously not last year lol My partner and I have just recently 'gone raw' so are looking forward to scoping out the raw delights! Met up with people a couple of years ago from the forum but I don't think any of them are still posting on here now. It would be nice to say hi to people from on here.

[rainbow]

I don't know how to recognise anyone, so let's just say that I'm hoping to be at Ms Cupcake's stall around 11am, and I'll be the woman in her early 30s with long brown hair looking unreasonably excited at the cupcakes on offer and trying not to be too obviously drooling. If you don't get there until 11.03, I'll be the woman in the corner gleefully shovelling cake into her mouth.

[pusskins]

Love it! I will keep a keen eye out for a cupcake gremlin...!

[alisont]

What time will people be going to Peking Palace?
I can't commit firmly to it as I may or may not have to be dealing with something else that evening, but would like to pop by if I can.

Not to speak on behalf of Alisont, but I'm sure it was 18:30.

Yes it's at 6.30pm - I'm ringing to book a table tonight, maybe 6-8 going. Be great to see people there - if anyone else wants to go please let me know, or feel free to ring PP direct if you want table will (when I get round to it) be booked in my name - Alison Townsend. Really looking forward to my London weekend!

[Gwydion]

As just mentioned on the book of faces, pinched from the website:

Please note: We`ve just found out that there are underground line closures on the Circle & District lines this weekend. There are three alternative routes which are quite simple as follows:*1) From Victoria : No 52 bus to Kensington Church Street.2) Underground to Notting Hill Gate (Central Line). No 52 bus to Kensington High Street (via Kensington Church Street)3) Underground to Earls Court (Piccadilly Line). C1 bus to Kensington High Street.

Looks like Notting Hill Gate is only a ten minute walk away (thanks Amy).

[Frank]

I'll be there without fail.

A lot of people just sign up now on Facebook with the event organisers.

But as Gwydion said - a lot of people off the forum will just turn up - and we will probably say 'pub at 1' and then people will be in and out all day.

One year - I think there was in excess of 50 forumers on the steps. Pretty cool that.

(If you want to find Rainbow - just carry a cupcake!).

See everyone that is able to - at Peking Palace on Saturday

[Mollfie]

Oooh interesting! I will have to see if the boy and I can go.

[rainbow]

I went! It was fun! It was a shame I had to leave so early, but thanks to Frank, I got to meet him and Gwydion and a couple of friends (I think the others were not Forumers?). I did indeed get there at 11am, made a beeline for the cupcake stall, and then proceeded to scoff cake in the corner, as promised. But I felt a bit sick after that, so looked at all the other cake stalls with less enthusiasm than they rightly deserved, so people might not have recognised my cupcake-gremlin-tendencies unless they saw me right at the start! It was so nice to put names to faces, and I'd love to meet forumers again in future. Hope the rest of you had fun!

[harpy]

Glad you enjoyed it rainbow. I hope a good time was had by all. Was it as busy as ever there?

I had hoped to go but ended up overbooking myself today

[Gwydion]

Great to meet you rainbow, although briefly Hope your cakes made it home in one piece!

Tsk tsk harpy! Inexcusable.

Personally didn't find it to be anywhere near as busy as previous years?

[rainbow]

Great to meet you too Gwydion! Hopefully for a little longer next time! One of my two cakes was demolished within three minutes of purchase. The other sort of made it home, although a cupcake gremlin appeared to have taken several bites before it got presented to my partner.
I found the crowd levels surprisingly tolerable, but assumed that I'd just got there early and left before the big rush. Maybe it was just less busy. It was a nice day so people might have had other plans, plus it went on for nine hours and I expect most people weren't there the whole time, so the total numbers through the door may have been much higher than the numbers present at any one time. You still had to jostle to get anywhere near a Redwood free sample though.

[harpy]

If it was less crowded than usual I feel even more p-d off with myself for not going! Normally the crowds give me the vapours. It's probably a good day to run it for longer.

It has grown a lot over the years - I remember going to one in the Conway Hall in Red Lion Square years ago and that I think is much smaller than the current venue.

[Frank]

Nice to meet you Rainbow.

See you at more events no doubt

[Franksmammy]

hi pusskins! was nice to meet you, i was surpriesed to be recognised! haha hope you had a good day x

[pusskins]

Very nice to meet you too! I hope you had a fab time and managed to snaffle quite a few goodies lol