RI VegFest, one of the East Coast’s largest fully vegan festivals, returns to WaterFire Arts Center on Feb. 21 and 22 for its sixth year celebrating plant-based eating and living.
The 2026 event will feature more than 90 vegan and vegan-friendly food and beverage producers, restaurants, bakeries, food trucks, artists and makers from Rhode Island and 13 other states, with vendors traveling from as far as California, Florida, Colorado and Indiana.
“It has been incredible to watch this community grow and evolve since our first event in February of 2020,” said Robin Dionne, founder of RI VegFest. “This event started as a way to bring Southern New England plant-based food lovers together, and six years later, it has really become a special destination event.”
In 2025, the festival drew attendees from 29 states and 11 countries. All previous RI VegFest events have sold out in advance, and organizers say this year’s event is on track to do the same.
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management has awarded RI VegFest a “Green Events” certification for making the event completely compostable. The festival has partnered with local compost processor Epic Renewal to divert waste from landfills, and Dionne said those efforts have reduced landfill waste by more than 95%.
The festival runs from noon to 5 p.m. both days, with VIP early entry at 11 a.m. Tickets are available at rivegfest.com and may not be available at the door.
