Organised by Vegetarian Victoria, World Vegan Day aims to promote veganism in a bold and celebratory way.
Heading up the concert program is Melbourne five-piece All Truism. All Truism cover songs not from a particular artist or of a particular genre – instead, they pick tracks touching on animal rights and the environment, ranging from trip hop tunes by Portishead to heavy metal a la System of a Down.
Also performing at World Vegan Day is Justiciero, a three-piece gathered from around South America. The band is known for freely mingling English and Spanish in their Ramones-esque
punk tunes.
As Melburnian as a moustache on a glass of beer, Pear and the Awkward Orchestra will be presenting a brand of folk-pop influenced by artists like Sia and Gotye. The band is known for their festival shows and their sustainables-only merchandise.
The World Vegan Day lineup also features genre-bending singer-songwriter Charlie Lane, folk-rockers Run Rabbit Run and Gippsland blues-rock group The Buttons.
World Vegan Day Live Music Coordinator, CeCe Sanderson, says each band was selected as per a particular criteria.
“It is a requirement to perform on our Live Music Stage that all artists are vegan and are willing to donate their time and music to our event in support of veganism,” Sanderson says.
“Many [performers] have walked through the gates of a World Vegan Day event, and approach our team when their passion for music and veganism drives them to get involved. We are the only vegan event in Melbourne with an all-day Live Music Stage to entertain our audiences.”
While it is a lifestyle festival promoting health and compassion, music is arguably the most crucial aspect of the event.
“Music is the blood that beats through society. Bringing vegan musicians together to perform at our vegan event creates a platform for vegan artists to share their music, whether that be with a vegan message or otherwise,” Sanderson says.
“At the World Vegan Day Live Music Stage, we support creativity and expression, whilst bringing a fresh and diverse taste of sounds to Melbourne.”
As punters rush through the gates this Sunday, the Live Music Stage will be difficult to overlook with its grand presence and state-of-the-art sound system.
“With the enormous signage on the stage, it will be hard to miss. Situated in the Town Square Lawn, next to the Grand Pavilion, facing the Grandstand seating, the Live Music Stage will be jumping. It is our biggest stage to date,” Sanderson says.
But the most important aspect of the Live Music Stage is the diversity of its lineup.
“All our artists come from different walks of life, and have a variety of sounds. The music on the day ranges from an electronic DJ, to vegan punk rock, to acoustic solo performances.”
Away from the music, punters won’t just eat the very best vegan foods, but be able to learn how to cook the delicacies themselves. Vegan chefs such as Adam Khazaal of Tabasco Hot Sauce, Markeeta Hines of Namaste Nourishment and Yoko Inoue of Melbourne raw food cafe Shokuiku will be on hand to educate aspiring cooks. There’ll also be vegan clothing lines and a bunch of other festivities for festival-goers to peruse.
