After months of conjecture and uncertainty since the end of May’s VegfestUK Bristol 2017, when it was announced that the event would no longer continue at the outdoor Amphitheatre venue, followers of some of Europe’s biggest vegan festivals need wait no longer for news on what will happen to this historic event.

The VegfestUK organisers are jubilant to announce the newly renovated Ashton Gate, home of Bristol City Football and Rugby Clubs, as the new venue for its long-running Bristol event in May 2018. With the new prestigious and high-profile events space that is Ashton Gate, boasting top-class conference and VIP facilities, VegfestUK Bristol is set to experience a significant makeover from its previous outdoor guise. A set of new features are planned to go alongside the traditional VegfestUK mix of stalls, food, talks, cookery demos, family activities and music to create an unrivalled experience for anyone interested in a vegan way of life.

Elated by the prospect of taking VegfestUK Bristol to a new level, organisers added: “We’re clearly thrilled to have the opportunity to work at a venue like Ashton Gate. The facilities there are second to none and this will bring a whole new experience for our visitors of vegan events in the UK.

“VegfestUK Bristol is the UK’s original vegan festival and it’s now in its 16th continuous year, many thousands of visitors are in for a very pleasant surprise with a visitor experience unlike any other in the UK.”

Ashton Gate’s managing director Mark Kelly added: “It is fantastic that we have been able to support VegFest 2018 to continue its history here in Bristol.

“Our executive head chef George Opondo is looking forward to working with organisers to make this one of the best vegan festivals in Europe. We’ve worked incredibly hard to establish Ashton Gate as a venue for high-quality food and catering and I think this will be an excellent addition to the international events that we are able to hold here.”

Running from 11am - 11pm on Saturday and from 11am - 9pm on Sunday, VegfestUK welcomes a whole new set of features as well as retaining its traditional flavours in the form of more than 200 stalls, spread over three main concourses. The flagship Lansdown Restaurant, which can hold up to a thousand theatre-style, will play host to a variety of educational talks and cookery demos, all of which will run until 6pm each day. Meanwhile, ten outdoor catering stalls will line Marina Dolman Way along the Lansdown Stand recreating a matchday “fan village” with local DJ’s and acoustic acts adding to the outdoor atmosphere. Comedians, live acts, magicians and a club night staged indoors during the evenings will all contribute to the carnival feel of the festival.

VegfestUK will also be working closely with Bristol City Football and Bristol Rugby to promote the event to sports fans, as well as their local engagement schemes within the Bristol community.

The show website will be live for stall bookings in November 2017 at www.bristol.vegfest.co.uk (currently displaying info from VegfestUK Bristol 2017).