The UK Music Festival – what to expect as a vegan/vegetarian

The UK Music Festival – what to expect as a vegan/vegetarian.

If you’re lucky enough to be heading off to a UK music festival this summer, the last thing you want to be worrying about is how to maintain your vegan or vegetarian lifestyle while you’re there. Never fear – not only does this blog have you covered in terms of what to expect and how to prepare, but you might be pleasantly surprised at the offerings that music festivals have. Don’t forget, its 2016 and free-from lifestyles are everywhere!

1)

We’ll start with the easiest and cheapest!

Take your own food. Seriously, take as much as you can fit in your bag, pockets, socks… It will save you money when you get there (bonus) and will also ensure that you have enough food to eat if all else fails. (which is highly unlikely – check out point number two for more detail)

What to take? Anything that doesn’t need to be chilled, is easily transportable (i.e. won’t turn into mush by the end of a three-day weekend) and tastes delicious. We mean, there’s no point taking something you won’t want to eat! Go for snack bars . We love Clif bars, Trek bars and NAKD bars, oats (just add water and sweetener and you have yourself a delicious and nutritious meal), vegan snack food (pop in to your local Holland and Barratt before you go and check out their fridge section – sausage-less sausage rolls, pasties, and other finger food work very well), sandwiches and dried fruit and nuts (boring but you may feel the need for some nutrition at some point).

2)

Relax – the festivals have you covered

Vegan and veggie options are extremely popular and easy to find at most festivals. Find out where they are situated when you arrive – before you get too hungry and tired to find them later! If there aren’t any stalls specifically dedicated to your dietary requirements, head to the Asian or Mexican stands. Nachos without the cheese, veggie chili or a vegetable curry are all filling options which are nearly always safe (but don’t be afraid to ask if you’re unsure).

3)

Chances are, you’re not going to a music festival to drink water all weekend.

Make sure you bring your own vegan alcohol. Beer, cider, wine or something stronger – decide on your favourite vegan options beforehand and take with you what you can. If you want to purchase drinks at the event, grab an app such as Barnivore, enter the brand name and it can tell you whether the product if veggie or vegan friendly.

4)

If all else fails – locate the chips!

Ok they’re not too healthy, but they are tasty. And as all veggies and vegans know, sometimes they really are the only option! You would have to be very unfortunate for this to happen in 2016, but hey, we don’t know what festivals you’re going to. Based on the trends people have observed this year, we promise you it probably won’t come to this. (At least not until you’re drunk and the only thing to keep anyone going at 3am is the wondrous fried potato.)

If you’ve already been to a music festival this year – let us know how you found the veggie/ vegan side of things!

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