This was my first time attending Veggie Fest. This festival is free to attend and offers free food samples,music,speakers and meditation seminars as well as food for purchase . Parking is free . This was a fun festival to attend and have a delicious experience. read more

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It's official, Veggie Fest trumps Vegandale! After being a day-one fest goer of Vegandale, I finally gave up on the festival after last year, and made room in my schedule to scope out Veggie Fest. This family friendly event offers free parking and free entry. There were PLENTY of decently sized samples in the first section of the fest, along with merch and healthier living tents. The food is purchase by food tickets only (no refunds on unused tickets). One tent is for cash, one tent is for card. Very quick process. I purchased 25 tickets ($1 = 1 ticket) and was able to get veggie kebabs, a lemonade, water and a smoothie, which was PLENTY after all of the sampling we did. There were plenty of vegan options as well, not just vegetarian! We spent about 3 hours here, 45 minutes of that was spent listening to a lecture which was very informative. I loved all of the guest speaker options, live music, children's area, yoga and meditation tents. I purchased some chili oil, veggie snacks and dip on my way out (all pre sampled) and in all, I spent $68 and my tummy was happy, whereas I typically would spend $200 at Vegandale pre alcohol purchases, and I would have spent 4 hours in lines being miserable. No alcohol here, but I preferred the chill vibes and appreciated the ample parking, seating, and quick lines. All of the Veggie Fest staff was friendly and helpful and the vendors were SO KIND. Highly recommend if you're getting tired of the hot mess that Vegandale has become. read more

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Very organized festival from the easy parking to the spacious outdoor venue. Admission and parking were free. We tried many samples from the vendors promoting their products and they were all gracious about answering questions. There were speakers, meditation & yoga lessons and even School of Rock Naperville performing on the main stage. The main event sponsor was Science Of Spirituality International Meditation Center in Lisle. We saw familiar faces representing Forest District Of DuPage County, Manna Kitchen and a representative from Duly Health and Care. Food items for purchase were reasonably priced although we didn't partake because I was feeling ill from the extreme heat. It would be practical to have the festival in September when it is not as hot. They did encourage everyone to stay hydrated, had a tented area with chairs to get out of the sun and I was able to bring in my hydro flask of water. There were water stations available as well as recycling and trash containers throughout. They also had an area dedicated to children. read more

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Great amazing experience and a wonderful variety of food. Good people a,wide variety of flavors and choices. Trying to see new ways of improving your health through diet. Also music us always great. read more

Veggie Fest was a fun and well organized event. They needed more signs on the road to point to the actual parking area because I didn't know where to enter (should go in via Warrenville Rd, not Naperville Rd). Once in the parking lot area, they had people directing traffic and it was easy to park and walk into the fest. The first section included vendors that were providing free samples. People lined up to wait for their turn to taste the offerings. In the middle is a large area with live music, seating and tons of food vendors ready to sell plant based food. I enjoyed the beyond burger and vegan ham and cheese sandwich. There was a family fun section with activities, but I didn't have time to explore that area. ....| \ _ , , , - - , , _ , .../ , ` . - ' ` ' . _ \ - ; ; ; , _ ..| , a - ) ) _ . ; . ( ` - ` - ' - ' ' - - - ' ' ( _ / . _ ) - ' ( _ \ _ ) 2019 read more

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Great concept, failed execution. Firstly, don't call it Veggie Fest Chicago, it's not in Chicago. Call it what it is and be done with it. I know people may be coming from other areas to the event and perhaps flying into Chicago to go. However, this is misleading and if they book a Chicago hotel they'll be sorry. Secondly, the parking situation is an event in itself, what a major PITA. Maybe hold the event in Chicago, people can Metra it here or take PT, if they insist on driving there are many garages that can accommodate them. Lastly, and most importantly, get organized. Either let food vendors accept cash or set up more booths for people to buy tickets so the line isn't at least 50 deep. I didn't get to try any of the food here from the vendor's, the lines to purchase tickets and also for the food were insane. Thankfully, there was a booth for water better out of a box being better handing out samples because I was parched. Some of the other vendors of products were pushy and/or condescending while hawking their products. When I feel like I'm being pressured to buy something, I tend to hold onto my wallet tighter, unless it's the deal of the century, there isn't anything that I need to buy now. The positive, and why I might consider going again, the speakers and cooking demos. Acooba Scott is one of them, she's just darling, great demos and just such a warm person. Her website http://www.acooba.com/ recipes and information. I didn't download her ebook, however I'll be doing it. The chickpea tuna salad recipe is so simple and makes a great sandwich. You can also find recipes from some of the other cooking demo participants by tooling around on the Veggie Fest website. This can be a great all around event with some work, but for now, if you attend go for the speakers and demos. Eat before you get there and bring your own beverages so you don't get dehydrated. Otherwise, bring a lot of patience, again, a lot. read more

Veggie Fest - Long lines - Festivals Near Me - Lisle, Illinois

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I enjoyed the veggie fest so much that I went two days on the same weekend. Really, I had no choice. There were so many items I wanted to try and being one person, could not possibly eat that much in one day-- and still brought food home. The event is free and free parking, too, all good! Getting in to designated parking areas moved pretty well. You do have to buy tickets to use as currency at the food booths, but they had several lines, some cash only, some card only, all moved quickly. Tickets are non refundable, so buy with caution, but are sold in any quantity so going to get a couple more if short is not a big deal. The vegan "chick'n" strips were so yummy, particularly if you're a person who misses the real thing from time to time, but darn good either way. Pro tip: they have dairy and non dairy ice cream. The non-dairy sold out fairly early the first day, so don't be like me and say, "maybe later", cuz later may never come. I missed out. Boo hoo! People were disappointed cuz it was a scorcher on an August weekend. Another pro tip: tho there is a significant area for seating near a stage with GREAT music acts, it does fill up and most of it is not covered, again; it's August. It was sweltering. Grab some grub and then enjoy it while you cool off in a demo tent. And if you're really hot, find a spot in the range of the fan. You will thank me!! I really enjoyed the demos. One of the things I learned was how to make mayo out of aquafaba which is a relatively new concept in the last year or two. The demo with Marla Rose and her husband (Vegan Street) was both fun and informative and not preachy (if that is a concern for you). There really is a lot to taste, experience and learn. If you have a group interested in sampling some of the same items, all the better. That will really save you money and valuable tummy real estate. I think most items were in the realm of $3-$7 just to give you an idea. Were they all winners? Maybe not, but half the fun is experimenting. Vendors of all sorts, from vegan/cruelty free merchandise, food, fashion, vitamins, snacks, etc. abound. If they combined this with the Renaissance Festival, I'd spend all day there! read more

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Something for everyone here at Veggie Fest 2017. Actually located at Benedictine College, 5700 College Rd, Lisle IL. August 12th and 13th from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm each day. Free food seminars, food & drink samples, live music, product demonstrations, kids area and shopping. Most memorable was a masala dosa with 3 sauces(?) and a hot kicker, totally worth the long line! read more

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FREE FESTIVAL ALERT. FREE FESTIVAL ALERT. FREE FESTIVAL ALERT. Music, meditation and sooo many munchies!!! Does it get any better? M'thinks not. This was my second time attending this 100% budget & family friendly festival and it fo sho won't be the last. Everyone is friendly, many of the booths give out free samples, at any point in time there's at least 3 cooking/healthy eating classes going on at the same time. There's a meditation room, a large tent doing lifestyle chats, a kids craft and photo tent and about a million other really fun booths showcasing and sometimes selling books, clothing, honey, olive oil, peanut butter, and cooked food items available once you hit up the ticket sales booth. The OMango booth rocked and everything they offered was free. $0 mango chutney anyone? The frozen yogurt line wrapped around the food area, I regret not saving room for the Caribbean food tent, I got an Indian skewer on naan w/ veggies and paneer and my boo got a really tasty falfel, though the veggie sushi looked delish as well. The fresh juices we good but defo on the pricier side and overall I'd say the festival needed more beverage options as most any booth with a liquid had a line that wrapped around the corner. The festival is the kind of thing you *could* do in an hour and a half if you don't have kids, don't stay for a cooking class and just grab a bite to eat, but we stayed for a half-days worth of festi fun. We partook in a class and a half of cooking and tasting, we checked out every booth, ate ourselves silly and enjoyed The Giving Tree (band) so much that we stayed the entire 2+ set. In fact, they were so good we actually thought about coming back the next day to see them play again. Parking is a total pain, but I guess it was still an improvement over two years ago when you had to park across Diehl and play frogger w/ all the traffic. This year you can park about a half mile away away and get "directed" by way too many working one traffic stop and not working together... but the parking was still free, and there was no shortage of spots once you got to the lot. Next year? No doubt I'll be up in here. read more

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Veggie Fest is by far the best fest. I loved just about every second I was there - well, until medical had to get called in, but I'll get to that. The vendors were plentiful, offering up sample of their biggest hit items and a plethora of coupons. They were knowledgeable and friendly, and always willing to take the time to explain why their product was as fantastic as it is. The food was ridiculous. Tasty. Plentiful. Inexpensive. There was every cuisine imaginable, and prices were more than fair. ((Although I always hate the ticket system - but I get why it's the most effective. I'd be highly annoyed to have to stand in a line 20 people deep while people dig out their pennies and dimes)). I went for a falafel sammie ((for a whopping 4 bucks - or 4 tickets)) and branched out and dried one of the faves, the Indian Dosa. Both - incredible. If I hadn't been so stuffed I probably would have downed a carrot-apple smoothie, plate of Chinese food, and some Jamaican chicken. The entertainment was fantastic! The bands and singers were incredible, playing relaxing and chilled out tunes. The speakers were knowledgeable and shared a variety of information on why vegetarianism is so beneficial. Although I'm only about 90% vegetarian, I was quickly reminded why I made my dietary choice - in fact, it made me want to take the vegetarian challenge again and eliminate the 10% of poultry in my diet. ((And yes, I only eat poultry that is nitrate, hormone, and antibiotic free. Not to mention, if the animals weren't treated well, I want nothing to do with it.)) Due to low blood sugar levels and heat exhaustion, I ended up feeling less than good. Actually, I passed out. ((Awesome huh?? I'm such a baby.)) The medical staff on site was amazing. They stayed with me to ensure I was okay, brought me cold drinks, and did everything they could to ensure I was okay and comfortable. Not knowing what was wrong, they assured me I would be okay - which instantly calmed my nerves. Kudos to the medic team! Parking was a complete clusterf*ck. But what can you expect when hundreds of people fledge to Naperville to enjoy the benefits of Veggie Fest?! I quickly got over it. Conclusion: Awesome 5 star event. read more

Veggie Fest - Indian Dosa - Festivals Near Me - Lisle, Illinois

Of course, I went to check out the veggie vendors! You had to get tickets to purchase food, one ticket for one dollar. Things were not ridiculously priced, in my opinion. Most drinks were 2 or 3 tickets, entrees 5. I enjoyed a nice coconut - straight up with a straw (from Fresh Fruit)! I also had some vegetarian indian food which was awesome, it came with my all time favorite, naan (India with love). I tried a basil lime drink which was actually more of a dessert since it was made with ice cream (Cold caffine now). Also tried some seasoned fries from Fries your way. Every thing was really good. There was a food booth that was just sampling and offering to enter to win a meal, I think the name was Mango, I took their menu....but I think I lost it. Sad :( There was an Organic Salad Oasis booth which had a strawberry salad that also looked really good....I was just too full to keep eating. There were booths selling vegan protein powders, Way better snacks...which I probably should have tried. I missed the peanut butter booth somehow...seriously, I don't know how I let that happen. There was a coupon booklet you could get right when you walked in which gave you discounts at booths that day as well as some coupons to use at another time. It would have been better if I had thought to get this on the way in, rather than on the way out. They also had speakers as well as musical entertainment. I would definitely go again! read more

Veggie Fest - Festivals Near Me - Lisle, Illinois

We had a great time. Parking was quick. Saw two great speakers. Dr. Bearnard and John Salley! We had Buddha Bowls and Coconut water in the coconut! Lines moved quickly. Stayed for almost 4 hours. read more

Veggie Fest - #selfiewithsalley - Festivals Near Me - Lisle, Illinois

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I went to Veggie Fest 2015 for the first time this year. It was located on the Lisle campus of Benedictine University, which seems to be a new location for the festival. Parking was in high demand on Saturday. I arrived at the festival before the posted opening at 11 am and ended up in the garage parking lot, which is the farthest campus lot from the festival. The closer lots were already full. The festival grounds were in an open, grassy area at the northeast corner of Maple Ave and College Rd. Although there were tents for those who wished to attend the talks and food demos, there was not much shade elsewhere. A number of vendors offered food samples and I liked the Spicy Cajun Caribbean Chicken & Rice from Caribbean Kitchen in the food court. I also tried the veggie kabobs but was not a big fan. Overall, I think it was an okay experience, especially since admission and parking were free. It was somewhat difficult to find the festival grounds after I parked because there were no signs to follow. And by the time I left the festival at noon (aka, an hour after the festival opened), I couldn't help but notice that the local police had closed off the entrances to the campus and were directing traffic to overflow parking lots. read more

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Veggie Fest once again returned to the grounds of Benedictine University! I like this setting much better than the other location where the SoS congregation meets. This year did not disappoint, I thoroughly enjoyed the presentations from Arran Stephens and Arjan Stephens of Nature's Path Foods and the "Learn to Meditate" workshop. I LOVED the food at Art of Dosa. It was reasonably priced, gluten-free, vegetarian and mouth wateringly delicious. The live music and free yoga classes were great too! For a free event with FREE parking, this is a blast! THE DOWNSIDES... as we were in the main tent listening to speakers from Nature's Path, the live music was too loud (they should lowered it a tad) and the booth next door was TOO CLOSE. They were doing a Spanish-speaking presentation and it was so loud, I thought they were in our tent. Please think about that next time and spread out the speaker tents!!! read more

I AM CHANGING MY REVIEW FROM A 2 TO A 4. BUT PLEASE CALL IT VEGAN FEST AND NOT VEGGIE FEST. Soooo misleading and NOT a healthy place to eat. They were pushing very heavily vegan diets in their seminars, which I see are not necessarily healthy. It should incorporate A LOT more veggies, hence the name! And only healthy, non of that carnival crap food that I saw. 2017 REVIEW: horrible parking, but I understand new location and they are working out the kinks. So I'm hoping next year isn't over an hour wait to park. I do want to say I appreciate all the volunteers, the free entry, entertainment, free yoga, and free samples. So I feel with all that, I can't leave it at 2 stars. I did see several unhealthy vendors still like the Indian booth passing out juice boxes with 32 GRAMS OF SUGAR. ..but since I know to read labels, I can easily pass on that crap. I feel bad for those thinking everything that's there is healthy though. 2016 REVIEW: It's a great idea, but not well executed. I hate giving bad reviews, but i wasn't the only one with these issues so i had to say something. I gave 2 stars for a few reasons : 1st- For a fest that sounds healthy like "Veggie Fest", I can't believe how hard it was to find something healthy to eat! There was so much deep fried crap, white flour, white rice, fried rice, pizza, corn dogs, chili dogs, french fries, brownies, ice cream. ...some of that might be "vegan" but definitely not healthy! My family and I are just trying to eat healthy and keep my mom's cancer away. How hard can it be to find healthy vendors? ? 2nd- I thought the map was poorly executed. When it says a speaker would be at the "main tent", where does it say the words "main tent" on the map? Same with "Sanctuary" and "tent A"...I walked all over trying to find where these speakers were going to be and ended up missing some of it. None of these were clearly marked and with the temps near 100, it's very frustrating walking in circles in this heat. They attempted an index but even that is a mess. The food court was all "O's", fine, and they alphabetized it,fine, but then they didn't list it in numerical order which was hard to read. They split everything else up in categories but instead of using one letter per category it was a jumbled mess. Why not have each letter be a category. For letter "A" there are 11 tents. So list what is in section "A" alphabetically and then number them in order, A1, A2, A3 and so on. And you don't need that many split up sections, "N" and "L" cab be combined and so on. I know I wasn't the only one that was asking random people where things were because the map was useless. 3rd- I love food demos, but unless you have a camera showing what is being done upfront onto a screen or a mirror above the food. ..it's not a demo if no one can see it. read more

Such a scam! Organisers didn't think of any convenience for the people here. We had to stand in long queues to get the ticket to buy anything from the stalls as they were not accepting cash or card; moreover, there was no refund on the tickets purchased. This means that if I had got 100 tickets worth $100 ($1 = 1 ticket), and I had used 50 tickets at the stalls, then I couldn't get back my $50; the organisers will keep that money. They promoted by saying vegan food as healthy food, but most of the items were deep fried and oily, and can't add to anyone's good health. read more

Ok, this isn't something I'd typically go to...I've heard of it the past few years but a friend of mine was working a booth at the fest and since it's FREE and close by I thought I'd give it a visit. There is plenty of parking and a short walk to get to the fest...the area the fest is held in is around the small side, booths are close together and you'd think they were handing out free money the way people are crammed in there stocking up on samples of veggie chips and vitamins! So in other words...lots of people, small space - you get the idea. Toss in some humid muggy weather and you've got a short visit to this event. But, that was me... I'm not a vegan, vegetarian, gluten free or any of that stuff...but I'm interested in healthy eating and stuff and I got some great samples from this event. As for those who ARE a bit more involved...it's definitely worth a trip to check out and get info on some of the products out there. There is also food and drinks there - if it wasn't so hot and crowded I wouldn't have minded sticking around a bit longer but we headed out and didn't try anything so I can't speak to that. read more

Great place for vegans and vegetarians! Tons of booths to get food to order, as well food demos, tons of items to purchase, and plenty of samples! I came back with a full belly, lots of great knowledge, and way too much organic and Vegan food, such as raw cacao, raw sunflower seeds, sprouted bread, and all natural deodorant. The only downside is the location. Unless you have a car, it's difficult to get to from the city. read more

First, there are FAR TOO MANY people at this festival! Parking was a nightmare, and the walk in was borderline ridiculous! People were rushing around, bumping into each other, as if they were starving and the food was running out. Not to mention it was nearly 90 degrees and the food was located on a blacktop parking lot. Way too hot! I think its time to expand to support this crowd. Second, although what we tried was OK, it would have been nice to have more vegetable options, other than all Mediterranean/Middle Eastern fare. Some good old grilled vegetables, fresh vegetables, roasted vegetables etc would have made this worth the trip. Even the sale of garden fresh vegetables would have been a good option. Doubt we will put ourselves through that experience again. read more

Wow! What can I say about veggie fest ! It's always a good time! Music, activities, and learning experiences, tons of samples I'm sure could be a meal in itself. But the food there is simply the best! So many options I really wanted to stuff my face! Great food for kids too like a veggie corn dog and stuff. You can also do a Lil shopping g there too, they have clothes and soaps and essential oils there for really good prices. Everything was so nicely priced. Even the event is free! Join the veggie challenge. And get free samples and a really cute tote. I have been a vegetarian for a long time but I really hope those who did do the challenge they stick with it. Simply the best time for my family read more

Veggie Fest - Festivals Near Me - Lisle, Illinois

As festivals go, this is one of the best. I picked up so much health information relative to vegetarian diet, importance of non-GMO organic vegetables and oils made from vegetables. A real eye-opening talk by CEO of Nature's Path foods. Also loved the meditation and learned to reduce stress and build inner connection to Divine self. The food was excellent (so many varieties and high quality). The live music sang original hits. Lots of fun. Great weekend event at Benedictine University campus. Sponsored by Science of Spirituality, Naperville. Recommend to improve your well being and happiness. read more

Who doesn't love a free festival that supports veganism? It does hat a bit crowded and some only some of the food vendors are a bit pricey since one ticket is one dollar. They do get some interesting vendors and each year is better than the last for offerings. read more

I love veggie fest and look forward to it the whole year! We always have great food and there are tons of samples. I look forward to the unique vendors. My kids used to love the kids tent, but they have outgrown that. There is even a playground on site. Yes, it is packed, but it is a free event and everything is veggie!! read more

I've been to the Veggie Fest for the last several years. I'm not a vegetarian or a vegan but I love this event. I always enjoy going to try various vegetarian foods...and everything I have ever had there was DELICIOUS!! There are also a lot of booth giving away stuff or giving information. I like it...a lot. read more

Great all family fest! I really liked all the activities, specially those for kids. Food and were pretty good. Giveaways and information given were awesome too. We will definitely make it every year. read more

It's free and that's great. I love free stuff, and you can get stuffed on the free samples. The only thing I have as a downside is the fact that if you wish to buy food, you have to go through and trade your real currency for tickets in order to actually buy some food. I hate when this is done at festivals. I also don't buy into a lot of the spirituality stuff, and I do think that most of the homeopathy stuff is a complete rip off. That works for some though. read more

Cramped but with friendly volunteers. They could really do well with a larger venue. I was expecting a glorified farmers' market but it was mostly a bunch of booths with vegetarian info. Some had prepared food too. I don't know why they still handed out brown paper bags from Whole Foods. read more

5 stars for Veggie Fest this year! I enjoyed all of my free samples and food demos I attended. They definitely had more gluten-free and vegan options than in previous years which was super awesome. They parking was okay... Not terrible or great, but parking at festivals seems to always be a small hassle unless it's at some sort of convention center. I saw the comment from a previous year that chicken was being served and asked a volunteer about it. Apparently the so-called "chicken" was actually soy-based jerk chicken from the Caribbean food vendor. I find it pretty hilarious that they were able to fool some people hehe. Totally going back next year. read more

Loved veggie fest food! Some complaints...lines were very unorganized! Also please get rid of the Chiro One vendor!! the sales person was very aggressive almost insulting, ruining part of my experience. read more

I was disappointed in this fest. I agree with the others that the walk was a bit far but not that bad. They did offer a shuttle but I just made the trek on foot. What I really didnt like were how few vendors were Veggie vendors. And by Veggie, I dont mean like a fruits and vegetable vendor that you would find at a farmers market. There were like four dental offices with tents and then like three chiropractors with tents....BOO!! I wanted more fun vegetarian food tents. That is what I was going for. Or tents with cruelty free products. And here is where I was slightly annoyed. The food court area was selling Chicken at one of the tents. . Not fake Chicken, but real chicken. That is a bit offensive to me. Vegetarians do not eat Chicken. I did not like that this was even offered at this event. I will not drive all the way out to Naperville for this again. Cant wait for Veganmania in September. They are more on par with my beliefs. read more

It was a great event. I was there with my entire family for the third time!! Highly recommend it!

Love this fest, great for all not just veggies. Great place for the family/kids. Lots of options/lectures worth every minute, free parking, free admission. Kids activities great, entertainment awesome. I would love to see more variety from the food vendors so many wonderful veggie/vegan dishes. everything this year spicy. Its hot out what about some grain salads or veggie salads? If you want to convert some none veg heads more mainstream less spice. Easy to get food tickets, at times food lines long. Everyone there is nice a real fun time. read more