Annual Veggie Fest Goes Online for 2018 - Returning 2019

Veggie Fest, the Chicagoland celebration of the vegetarian lifestyle that attracted more than 45,000 people in 2017, is going virtual this summer while organizers plan a 2019 reboot to accommodate the event’s annual growth. Until then, festival fans can feed their appetite for all things veggie at veggiefestchicago.org, a brand new website designed to serve as a year-round source of recipes, articles and inspiration for those interested in introducing plant-based meals into their diet.

Website features range from information on vegetarian and vegan diets, along with recipes in both categories (Gluten-Free Chocolate Chunk Cookies, anyone?), to news and blog posts about healthy living and eating, a roster of famous vegetarians, and a calendar of vegetarian-related events. Content will be continuously updated and expanded to include personal recipe repositories, chef spotlights, restaurant reviews and more.

The website is an outgrowth of Veggie Fest, which started small 12 years ago and evolved into a must-attend summer highlight. Last year’s two-day event featured an international food court with more than two dozen kiosks, food demos ranging from tofu paté to Indian moong dal, yoga and meditation tents, and the festival’s fifth annual spirituality and health symposium with nearly three dozen sessions from medical doctors and other international experts on topics from the physical, mental and emotional benefits of vegetarianism to food travel choices. The festival also included 100+ vendor booths, live music and children’s activities.

Veggie Fest’s host sponsor is Science of Spirituality (www.sos.org), a non-profit organization with meditation and learning centers worldwide. The group’s new national headquarters in Lisle will open to the public in September.