With over 75+ vendors, 25 Backdrop installations, a DJ and samples. I was looking forward to this event.
Saturday 13th July Vegan Dale London was wonderful!
But first, let's talk about directions for those who want to attend next year.
Long story short. Clapham Common is a big field area, so although the instruction was to go to Clapham Common for Vegan Dale, more specifically it was located at Clapham South.
I took the Bus to Clapham Common, it was pretty straightforward... You would think I arrived (no problem... riiight?) NO!
The amount of people I met on the trail who were also lost was unreal. Eventually, I met a Father and daughter Tony and Olivia who said they had already walked to the other side of the Common and found nothing. The father and daughter duo graciously welcomed me into their group. We all endeavoured on the treacherous journey following an imaginary path without direction or signposts. There was not always a path but sometimes a field, It was uneven and lumpy to walk on making my feet extremely saw.
We tapped into our instincts, summoned the all-mighty wizard Google Maps and moved with high spirits to find the magical land that is... 'Vegan Dale'.
I told myself I would take as many people as I possibly could with me. I randomly started announcing "We are going to Vegan Dale! Are you lost?... So-are-we"! Before I knew it,
we found ourselves a search crew!
Eventually, we made it.
Vegan Dale London 2024 SELFIEEE!
We met Makeda the lovely lady in the middle of the photo at the entry gate of Vegan Dale. She shared her thoughts with the group before entry, "Pensioners should not have to pay for this kind of event". To a degree, I agreed because some pensioners do tend to suffer from heavy isolation and with the price hikes are also struggling financially. I am pretty sure if community buses for the elderly were provided they would be more than happy to attend to socialise.
Makeda and I embarked on a mission to find the jelly coconuts.
The Jelly Coconut man
I met this man at the jelly coconut stand. I asked him why is he standing on the box, he asked me why I asked, I said "Because my mind travelled far and I need you to bring it back". In other words... (I have an overreactive imagination and what I was thinking was so unnecessary I will not iterate it), I needed him to clarify his actions to help me shake the silly thought out of my head. He told me it is because it makes him feel 'powerful'. (DAMN! I actually thought his explanation would help). He further went on to say, "and it helps people find the coconut stand". ( OK, that helps).
The coconut this gentleman is holding was bought from konsciouskuisine (Instagram link), it was delicious.
The jelly coconut sold was exactly what I needed on this hot day. It was freshly chopped and opened in front of me with coconut water filled to the brim, it was meaty with lovely coconut jelly that quenched my thirst and hunger for a few hours.
The vibe
Olivia asked me what brought me to Vegan Dale and what expectations did I have.
I truly was not expecting so many people, despite the advertisement I thought it would be the equivalent to the Wild West, desolate ground and a ball of tumbleweed rolling by. (again my imagination said that), even though I was fully aware Clapham Common is nothing but a field.
My answer... "I came for the experience, to try new things and to meet my tribe.
The colours were vibrant, the people were high-vibing and the sun was shining.
I met these two gorgeous people in front of the jelly coconut stall. They looked so vibrant in their knitwear I just had to ask for their picture.
The 1st Stall
Walking into Vegan Dale the first person we met was a campaigner from 'Made In Hackney' (Instagram link).
It was explained that 'Made In Hackney' is the first-ever vegan cooking school in the UK. 'Made In Hackney' is here to educate on the diversity of cooking plant-based food. It is a charity that addresses the issues of food access, health inequalities and climate change.
I asked what words would be used to describe this organisation, the words used were;
Kind
Community
Driven
Check them out on their website 'Made In Hackney'. (website link).
Hungry bellies
The stand in line for food felt like forever. Only a few vendors were selling hot food so the lines at these stalls were incredibly long, I mean if you were in line with friends or family they could hold your spot and you would have time to line up somewhere else to make and receive your order returning to the hot food queue that barely moved.
We stood in line for over 3 hours, my feet were tired and saw. I forgot my picnic blanket at home so sitting on the grass was out of the question as I was fully dressed in white,
but I did have an unsuspecting backup...
You are most probably wondering why I am standing like this... I am not standing.
I am sitting on my umbrella. Yes, it looks uncomfortable and darn right dangerous, but I was desperate. However my balance game was immaculate, my butt depended on it.
There was a seating area, but unfortunately only accessible through VIP tickets which were sold out. So I was doing the balancing act of my life.
Thirsty
The sun was blazing, my throat was dry and my butt was saw. This gentleman standing in line in front of us with his family (mum and brother) told me about the boba stand that was one stall away, he told me he bought the last Passionfruit boba which he held alongside a box of doughnuts bought from PROJECT D (Instagram link), (it was emotional) because lining up for 3 hours for food with a box of doughnuts looking at me was not easy and I love passionfruit flavour boba and just like the wicked witch of the West because of the heat, I was M-E-L-T-I-N-G!
As you can see the Boba stall is completely sold out. The only available flavour of choice that was left was Brown sugar no boba just ice, and because of the limitation, I scored a discount from £8.50 to £5, hey now, I wasn't mad, for a £3.50 discount best believe I was happy, Vegan Dale is not cheap. The boba was cold, refreshing with ice and very tasty, I had to buy another an even £10!
Check out @bubble_rushhh on Instagram, or scan the QR code. enlarge this screen for better scanning ability.
Exploration and Interaction
The line was still terribly long, I asked Tony to give me a phone call when the line was close to the food stall while I went to the interactive area, he was kind enough to to do so.
I wanted to interact with the life-size chessboard since I saw it advertised online. When I got to the board there was an intense match taking place. It was honestly a pleasure to watch.
I moved on to the 'Model Citizen box', for the past few weeks I had been calling it the 'Barbie Box'. This was another interaction I had wanted to do for the longest time.
This lovely lady called Jessica offered to take my picture, and we both watched in admiration while the laddie in front of us strutted her stuff and struck her poses like bam, bam and bam never skipping a beat, she set the bar and I knew what I had to do. Oh boy did Jessica let me pose and flex and pose some more. In those moments I was truly 'Thee Top Model, I got so into character it was not until I was done posing as 'THEE NEXT TOP MODEL AKA BLACK BARBIE' I realised the queue had grown from 2 people to 10. I asked Jessica if she wanted to take a picture with me, and she said yes and let-me-teeell-yoou... the camera loved us! Her new husband took the photos of us (They just got married). Thank you and CONGRATULATIONS to you both.
Food G-l-o-r-i-o-u-s Food
We were second in line, we stood in line for so many hours we made bonds with the people in front and behind us. When the people in front received their food the crew and others let out a big cheer of congratulations. An hour ago people were miserable and hangry, an hour ago food was nothing but hope and a dream, but now we stood at the front of the queue it was now a reality, we could smell it and see the prep, we practically did a merry jig we where so excited.
Earlier I noticed it was a husband and wife crew when I went to ask how they took payment. The work and determination deserve nothing but respect. Mistakes were made and overcome. The very fact that the line kept moving was a testament to the strong work ethic.
Instagram: @Dirty Vurger
My food was being prepped right in front of me. My mouth was watering and my stomach rumbled.
With a congratulatory cheer from the crowd on receiving my food I left the line.
Tony, Olivia, and I ordered the same meal 'Fully Loaded' We found a spot to sit and eat, only I did not sit I kneeled on two pieces of tissue to keep my white clothing from turning green, it was uncomfortable but I persevered.
Due to the food portion being monster size Tony and Olivia ate half of their meal, I only ate some of my fries saving the rest.
The fries were fresh off the fryer hot and crispy with the choice of peri-peri seasoning, I chose plane fries with a seasoning of salt and ketchup, by far they were some of the best fries I had ever eaten. I saved my burger to share with my daughter when I got home and I am glad I did.
This was a burger you would have to flatten with the palm of your hand if you wanted to eat it without deconstructing it. The burger build and contents were lettuce, tomato, vegan cheese, vegan coleslaw, vegan mayo, vurger sauce, hashbrown and onion rings.
I was glad to have shared the burger with my daughter she was happy I brought something back to share with her. My daughter gave me her honest opinion about her thoughts on the food, she was not a big fan of the patty but everything else was enjoyable, and I agreed with her.
So the question would be... Was it worth the wait? I would say absolutely.
To me, this was so much more than waiting in line. I met new people and made new connections, it was truly an enjoyable experience.
The way Home
Bellies were filled and it was time to go. The day was filled with high spirits, laughter, jokes, and friendly interaction. Saying goodbye to Toney and Olivia felt like I was saying goodbye to family.
We said goodbye, hugged, and parted ways.
My bus journey was not dull. 2 Couples that also attended Vegan Dale were on their way to their hotel as they travelled 4 hours into London for the event. They just so happened to be one of the lucky ones who purchased VIP tickets in time. The bus ride was full of again more jokes and laughter. We got off at the same place and I directed them to where they needed to go and with hugs and a spud/ fist bump, we parted ways.
Does, don'ts and info
Would I recommend the Vegan Dale experience? Definitely! However, I would take a different approach to how I do things next time.
The first mistake I made was wearing boots and not trainers. For the amount of walking done, trainers would have been the ideal footwear.
The second mistake was getting off at Clapham Common, I should have gotten off at Clapham South.
The third mistake was forgetting my picnic blanket.
Fourth, I should have eaten before I left the house, instead of fasting for the occasion.
Oh, and the 5th mistake was wearing all white.
Next time I will arrive earlier so I can be one of the first in line for hot food, eat, relax, digest, and have time in the day to approach other vendors.
I did not take my daughter to this event because it was advised online that it was inappropriate due to the large crowds of people and loud music, it was also suggested to bring children if you felt comfortable and confident to do so. There were some children and babies there within family groups, but not many.
There are plenty of open areas to avoid being close to the loud music. Security is positioned all over, especially in the VIP section in case of issues.
The event was gated; no animals are allowed unless they are aid/ support pets.
For future Vegan Dale events, I would suggest more samples be handed out as I only received 1 Sample from Bubble Rushhh throughout the 5 hours I was there, which is nowhere near what was advertised.
Direction signs should be added so people can find Vegan Dale with ease.
Overall this was a pleasurable experience and I am glad to have taken part.
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Peace, love, and progress.
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Thank you for reading.
Written by Jenetta Greaves
Instagram @infiniteconsciouswarrior.1
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