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Strictly Good Vibes
Vegan Vibes festival always has excellent kai, innovative food products, fascinating speakers and kicking music, but this year also includes a lush botanical section, kids’ pottery, jewellery making and handpoke tattoos.
Vegan Vibes festival always has excellent kai, innovative food products, fascinating speakers and kicking music, but this year also includes a lush botanical section, kids’ pottery, jewellery making and handpoke tattoos.
Are you looking for plant-based inspiration in the kitchen? Want to sit in the sun with friends (and/or dog!), listen to live music and graze on delicious vegan delights? Interested in listening to a range
of experts speak about a plant-based lifestyle? Vegan Vibes has it all on offer, whether you’re vegan, flexitarian or just love eating good kai.
This year’s festival is Saturday, 22 October in the Mount and the line-up is getting bigger as we write, but here are some of the superb things already confirmed...
You’ll be inspired and educated by the people behind great vegan food products. Good Vibes Fungi will be sharing its passion for fungi and the amazing health and environmental benefits. Hear
more about the organically grown mushies, mini mushroom farms and grow kits. Angel Cheese
will showcase its dairy-free cheese alternatives. Founder Alice Shoplan (a speaker on the day) says many people want to reduce dairy consumption but find cheese is a tricky food to give up, and their products make that transition easier.
Other speakers on the day include Ben Eitelberg, environmentalist, athlete, coach and plant-based diet advocate, Hannah Mellsop demonstrating some of her Real Rad Food, and Nat Bos of Max & Louie, running a makeup tutorial.
Meet the teams from Uncle Dunkle’s wood-fired chilli sauces, Solomon’s Gold chocolate (handcrafted right here in Mount Maunganui), Plant Projects plant-based milks and The Brothers Coldpress nutritious juices. Langos Fried Bread Puffs will have a new offering of cashew nut, fresh lime and beetroot with a tamari sprinkle — to add salty to the sweet, and sour; its usual favourites of watercress and walnut pesto, and something sweet, to boot.
Aside from superb food offerings, you can check out a range of like-minded brands, such as Ethically So with homewares and body products, Come Clean (a natural water-based lubricant), and Turkish cotton beach towels from Ruapuke.
A lush new botanical section will be another highlight, so all you green fingers can get beautifying your abode. There’ll be affordable plants from Bay Botanics, Plants by Bee, Plant Decor’s plants, ceramic pots and neem oil natural insecticide; a bright and bold selection from Tui Pots, The Enchanted Florist and Mama Kali’s Farm with all the things you need to grow microgreens on your windowsill.
The Pottery Studio from Tauranga will be in action in the Kids’ Zone, where kids can get their hands into some clay to make some special Vegan Vibes creations, with the option of kiln firing afterwards. There’ll also be free face painting.
The Alchemists Bazaar is all about taking a sustainable approach to jewellery. Feel free to bring
along old beaded jewellery to donate, or kids can bring a beaded piece they would like to rework,
so they can see how to give jewellery new life.
Hand poke tattooing is the term used to describe the oldest skin marking tradition practiced by indigenous cultures all over the world, before technology and steel tools. Liam Makawe will be on site practicing this time-honoured tradition. He says the process is simple but less painful, meditative and heals without trauma (see his work @whai.tohu).
There’ll be great sounds to set the scene too, including Bluey Green, Brown Sugar Factory, Caribbeanz Southern Stars Steelband and Carnivorous Plant Society. Bring an appetite and
a big shopping bag, as well as all your friends and whānau, and be ready for a fun filled day!
