Veggieworld is an international vegan fair, that has been organised since 2011, in 8 different European countries. In October 2017, it was organised in Brussels for the first time.
entrance Veggieworld in Tour & Taxis, Brussels
Veggieworld was located in Tour and Taxis. Nicely renovated old industrial buildings on the north side of Brussels. Parking just next door (a bit expensive, 7 euro, whether one was there for half an hour of half a day didn’t matter), good facilities (accessible toilets). Bright place, with high ceilings.
Tour & Taxis, Brussels
entrance Veggieworld at Tour & Taxis, Brussels
It was unclear to us at first – going by the name – whether this was a vegan or vegetarian fair (it is vegan). We feel “Veganworld” would be a much more appropriate, clearer and better name. Veggie usually refers to vegetarianism, not veganism, so that is confusing. And using the word veggie instead of vegan makes ‘vegan’ less known and even sound more extreme (see our post: just say the word: vegan!).
Admission was 8euro pp (10 euro on the day itself), which we felt was a reasonable price. Of course a free festival like Vegan Summerfest does lower the treshold for people to come visit and discover veganism, but the financial input from entrance fees can support more professional and accessible logistics.
Given the 8/10 euro, the fair wasn’t as big as we had expected it to be. A decent selection of stalls though, and some participants and brands that we didn’t know.
Floor plan of VeggieWorld, Brussels
The Hall at Tour & Taxis, Veggieworld, Brussels
The Hall at Tour & Taxis, Veggieworld, Brussels
We had some snacks (icecream, Liegois waffle), but for a real ‘meal’ it was a bit of a queue, as there were only a handfull of stalls offering lunch (and no outside foodtrucks like for example at Vegan Summerfest). The cupcakes from Sarah’s vegan bakery were definitely the nicest vegan cupcakes we have ever had!
One peculiarity that struck us as very odd was ‘stuffed’ chocolates shaped like (parts of) a dead and plucked bird. Euw. Don’t mind animal cookies or animal shaped chocolates, but the shape of a killed, decapitated and plucked turkey is the epitomy of the objectification of animals for consumption. Not an image that needs perpetuating when advocating against speciesism. When asked about the reasoning behind the shapes, the lady just said she thought it was ‘a nice idea‘.
Sarah’s Vegan Bakery: the best cupcakes we ever had, Veggieworld
No. Euw no! Chocolates shaped like (part of) a dead, decapitated plucked bird, Sweet Vegan, Veggieworld
Food at Veggieworld 2017:
There were some talks and demos scheduled at Veggieworld. These were held in a corner of the hall, and after listening in shortly I had to give up. Too much back ground noise, which was a pity. I much more prefer that talks are held in separate rooms, like for example at Vegfest in Utrecht and Vegfest UK, so one can really focus on the talks.
Corner of Hall were talks were held. Pieter Jan Lint (chef) just coming out. Veggieworld, Brussels
Next to food, also stalls offering vegan wines, body and care products, and animal rights organisations. Here are some more pics from Veggieworld, and the participants:
And great to see the fair covered in the national news! Nice to see interest in veganism on the rise! (although news anker Martine should work on her pronunciation of the word vegan 😉 ).
Veggieworld, location
Tour & Taxis
Brussels
October 21-22, 2017
organised by EVA (Ethisch Vegetarisch Alternatief).
website: https://www.evavzw.be/Veggieworld
site of Tour & Taxis, Brussels
veggieworld Hall, Tour & Taxis , Brussels
The Bruges Vegan 
HA! Thought the same thing… why didn’t they just use the word vegan… and then I read your para saying exactly that. Agreed!
It’s just such a vicious circle really: not wanting to use the word vegan because it might ‘deter’ people. But the less it is being used, the more obscure it remains ….
Wow…sensational food. Agree about the birds. Weird!!
Yes, really weird. Perpetuating the image in people’s minds of turkeys as ‘plucked decapitated birds with delicious stuffing’.
No! When people hear the word ‘turkey’ they should get the image of lovely, lively free wandering birds.
Yes to “VEGAN”. Maybe they thought if they used the word veggie, more people would come. Some people are all messed up with the word “vegan”, they shouldn’t be, but some are. And that whole turkey thing is weird, she thought it would be nice. How is that nice???? Thanks for this post! I am looking forward to my first vegan fest!!! 🙂
But the less the word vegan is used, the less people will get to know it, and that way it stays an obscure concept.
Hope you can enjoy a vegan festival in your area soon!