Vegan Day first occurred on November 1st, 1994 as a way of commemorating the 50th anniversary of the UK Vegan Society and indeed the term “Vegan”. The Vegan Society was established in November of 1944; although the exact date was unknown. The President of the Vegan Society decided to elect the date of the 1st of November. This is now recognised as the date on which the Vegan Society was founded and on which Vegan Day would be observed.

Along with celebrating the start of the Vegan Society, Vegan Day is an opportunity to promote the benefits of a vegan diet and veganism in general. The term Vegan was coined by Donald Watson and derived from the word Vegetarian. At that time, the differentiation was that Vegans did not consume dairy products. Later this extended to eggs, and by 1951, veganism had become a movement of people who did not partake in the exploitation of animals.

Each year there are a number of festivals and exhibitions held around the world by vegan societies. In addition, there are many local events, talks and cooking demonstrations organised by individuals.

Here are some of the exciting events across the UK for November:

NOVEMBER 2016

Nov 5th – Vevolution, Oval Space (London E2 9DT)

Nov 6th – Bournemouth Vegan Fair, 11am – 5pm, Bournemouth Pavilion (Bournemouth BH1 2BU)

Nov 12th – Plymouth Vegan Fair, 1pm – 10pm, 1 Lockyers Quay (Plymouth PL4 0DX)

Nov 13th – Wiltshire Vegan Fair, 10am-4pm, The Neeld (Chippenham SN15 3ER)

Nov 19th – Animal Aid’s South West Christmas Without Cruelty Festival, 10:00am – 4:15pm, Corn Exchange (Exeter EX1 1BU)

Nov 19th – Bristol Viva! Vegan Festival, 10:30am – 4:00pm, The Passenger Shed (Bristol BS1 6QH)

Nov 19th – Surrey Vegan Fair, 10:30am – 4:30pm, The Guildford Institute (Surrey GU1 4LH)

Nov 19th – Dundee Vegan Festival, 10:00am – 4:00pm, Chambers East (Dundee DD1 1EP)

Nov 20th – North East Vegan Festival (NEVFest), 10.30am – 5pm, Stadium of Light (Sunderland SR5 1SU)

Nov 27th – Winterfest Vegan Christmas Market, 11am – 5pm, Leeds Town Hall (Leeds LS1 3AD)

Nov 27th – Nottingham Vegan Market, 10:30am – 5:30pm, Nottingham Conference Centre (Nottingham NG1 4BU)

Nov 27th – Cambridge Vegfest, 9am – 5pm, Cambridge Guildhall (Cambridge CB2 3QJ)