Detroit’s Eastern Market will go vegan for VegFest this weekend

The metro Detroit area has a surprising number of vegetarian and vegan restaurants, many of which will come together on Sunday, June 5 for VegFest at the Eastern Market. The festival brings together nearly 100 vendors selling vegan food, desserts, drinks, and more, all in the name of plant-based living.

Local faves like Cooking with Que, Dooped Donuts, and Unburger will be serving fresh eats, and you can stock your fridge with take-home items from countless other homegrown and national brands.

We personally recommend stopping by Give and Grow Mushroom’s booth if you’re a fungi lover, because they have some of the best, and freshest locally grown shrooms around. (None of the magic variety, though because it’s not that type of party. Or maybe it is? We secretly hope it is.)

Another booth you’ll want to stop by is the Detroit People’s Food Co-op, which broke ground for its cooperatively owned, Black-led grocery store in Detroit’s North End neighborhood in April. They’ll have more information on the project and how you can join up.

In addition to food, you’ll find sustainable shopping goods, a kid zone, plus free samples and coupons from brands like Beyond Meat, Orgain, and Miyoko’s Creamery. Those brands ain’t cheap, so we expect the freebies to go quick. Get there early and bring your own reusable shopping bag for all the goodies.

There will also be performances by violinist/vocalist Ashley Nelson and DJ Drake Phifer.

VegFest, which is put on by nonprofit VegMichigan, has been postponed for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last VegFest was held in 2019 in Novi, and 2022 marks the event's 21st annual installment. All the action will be in Sheds 5 and 6 of the Eastern market from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. For a full list of vendors, see vegmichigan.org.

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