From the Ground Up: Plant-based food events abound this fall

September is a big month in Rhode Island for vegans, vegetarians and anyone plant-curious, and I’m going to break down the vegan events you can expect this month.

VEG OUT: Vegan Eats and Treats! hosted by RI Food Fights: This month-long event will allow veteran vegans and the plant-curious to explore Rhode Island’s huge and ever-expanding vegan food scene. Participants purchase a food passport for $25 and receive coupons for the 15 participating restaurants. Each restaurant will offer an item, showcasing the sheer amount and variety of accessible vegan dining in Rhode Island. Tickets can be purchased here. For information, go to rifoodfights.com

Vegan Night at Narragansett Brewery: On September 17 from 4 – 9pm, Narragansett Brewery will be hosting a vegan night, featuring comfort food from pop up business Basil and Bunny and ice cream from the Like No Udder ice cream truck.

RI Vegfest’s VEGTOBERFEST: On September 19, Rhode Islanders are invited to experience Oktoberfest, reimagined. This event, taking place at Trinity Beer Garden in Biltmore Park, will feature 15 purveyors of vegan foods and three different breweries offering vegan beers. Participants will receive a small dish from each participating restaurant as well an array of beers to sample. There are three times for the event, 11am – 1pm, 1:30 – 3:30pm and 4 – 6pm. Tables are sanitized in between sessions. As of now, both the 11am and 1:30pm sessions have sold out and there are limited tickets available for the 4pm slot. 

Like No Udder Fall Fundraisers: Every Thursday for the month of September, vegan ice cream shop Like No Udder, located in Providence, will donate 10% of their profits of the day to different local organizations. These will include Rhode Island Vegan Awareness, Providence Queer Trans Mutual Aid, Providence Animal Rescue League, Unity Farm Sanctuary and Ten Lives Cat Rescue.

Gong Bath Sound Journey with Rhode Island Vegan Awareness: Though not food related, this event helps a vegan cause dedicated to advocating for veganism and a more just, peaceful world. Gong vibrations are said to be a form of sound therapy, inducing a state of meditation and relaxation. The gong bath will be led by Heather Paris, a vegan Kundalini yoga instructor, break-work practitioner and sound healer, and her husband, Thad Paris, a fellow vegan sound healer. The proceeds of this event will go to Rhode Island Vegan Awareness. 

Several smaller vegan businesses also do pop-ups that are announced closer to the dates of the events.  Basil and Bunny, Miss Vegan, the Afro-Indigenous Vegan, and Born from Pain are all vegan businesses to follow to stay in the loop for local pop-up events. 

Unable to score tickets for some of these events? Don’t worry — there are still opportunities to explore and celebrate Rhode Island’s vegan scene. Only a little later in the year is Providence Vegan Restaurant Week, which will take place October 29 to November 7. This statewide event expands outside of Providence as numerous restaurants demonstrate their dedication to plant-based cuisine by creating two to three special dishes for the event.