Food festival devoted to vegan, plant-based diet returns to Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A food festival focused on plant-based and vegan-friendly products returned to Louisville after four years.

Bluegrass VegFest was held at the Mellwood Art Center on Saturday. The event featured more than 50 vendors, national speakers, children's activities and arts and crafts.

The festival was previously hosted in 2016 and 2017, but following a four-year hiatus, returned with national speakers Dr. Milton Mills, Gene Baur and Toni Okamoto.

Kristina Addington, owner of V-Grits and Chimera Brewing Company, founded Bluegrass VegFest.

"We have thousands of people pouring into this festival, it really goes to show how important a vegan lifestyle is to a lot of the community in Louisville," Addington said. "I'm excited to see where it goes from here."

The event offered attendees the opportunity to learn about plant-based eating, and show how people can support local businesses with vegan options.

"It goes to show that if you have any kind of business, there's a huge vegan market in Louisville," Addington said. "We need to have some vegan options."

Addington said the festival will continue annually, along with hosting smaller festivals throughout the year.

To learn more about Bluegrass VegFest, click here.