Written by Sason Bishope Parry
Photos by Jeffrey Littman
Berkeley, CA – On Sunday, September 7th, from noon to 6 pm, the Bizerkeley Vegan Food Festival celebrated its fifth year in style, transforming the North Berkeley BART Station into the Bay Area’s largest vegan block party. What began five years ago as a grassroots community gathering has evolved into a full-scale celebration of plant-based living, attracting over 5,000 attendees this year. It was a capacity crowd and another record-breaking turnout.
It was a day where vegans, foodies, families, and the vegan-curious came together to explore a marketplace overflowing with cruelty-free flavors, creativity, and culture. The energy was infectious; people weren’t just eating, they were celebrating a lifestyle rooted in compassion, community, and fun. Beyond being a feast for the senses, the festival kept its mission clear: raising awareness about animal welfare and promoting a kinder, healthier way of living. This year alone, the event raised more than $2,000 for the California Pit Bull Rescue, proving that every bite and every booth can fuel change.
“The overwhelming success of our fifth annual event was all thanks to our community for showing up and showing out with their support of all-things vegan,” said Erika Hazel, founder and host of the Bizerkeley Food Festival. “At the end of the evening, when the crowd cleared and we began to pack up, it filled me with gratitude to hear vendors share they sold out their menus, performers talk about the energy they felt, and volunteers recount how much fun guests had. These moments remind me why I continue to host this festival and why I look forward to next year.”
Guests explored more than 90 plant-based vendors, from savory global bites and gourmet desserts to artisan goods, wellness offerings, and lifestyle brands. Every corner offered a new discovery, which included burgers sizzling on the grill without a trace of meat, ice cream whipped up with coconut and oat milk, and even vendors debuting new plant-powered products you couldn’t find anywhere else.
Festivalgoers also found joy beyond the vegan plates. Professional pickleball player Troy Akin hosted the festival’s first-ever pickleball tournament, adding a splash of competitive fun and awarding cash prizes to the top players. The main stage kept spirits high with live performances from Bay Area favorites like StunnaMan02 (back for another year), Uromastyx, Keidra, DJ Ajani, Duy Mac Tu, and Ko Makou Ohana Aloha Hula, whose
traditional Hawaiian performances added an uplifting cultural heartbeat. A lively fashion show showcased bold, creative ensembles from festival vendors, proving vegan fashion can be as stylish as it is sustainable.
VIP ticket holders got the inside scoop at exclusive plant-based chef-led demonstrations by SunniSpeaksVegan, Vida Cantina SF, and Voodoo Vegan, who dazzled with inventive takes on classic comfort foods. These intimate tastings proved what many are discovering: virtually any dish, no matter how traditionally animal-based, can be reinvented as vegan, just as flavorful, and often more nourishing.
Meanwhile, families and kids enjoyed the lighter side of the festival, with giant games, bounce houses, and a hilarious vegan whipped cream pie-eating contest. For car enthusiasts, Rivian Motors San Francisco showed off their sleek electric trucks and SUVs with test drives available right on-site. At the same time, animal lovers flocked to meet adoptable dogs and connect with local rescue partners. The Silent Auction Market kept the giving spirit alive, with proceeds supporting California Pit Bull Rescue.
For all the fun and flavor, the Bizerkeley Vegan Food Festival never strayed from its deeper mission of reminding us that animals are friends, not food. Veganism is more than a diet; it’s a lifestyle that supports health, compassion, and the environment. And as the festival showed, it’s also a celebration. The fact that thousands came together in unity for food, music, culture, and community shows just how far the movement has come.
Kate Wolfson, president of California Pit Bull Rescue, summed it up best:
“The Bizerkeley Food Festival was amazing for us. Our booth had been busy since the start of the event, with guests hanging out with our dogs. We’re grateful to Erika for choosing our nonprofit as this year’s beneficiary.”
With five years now under its belt, Bizerkeley has cemented itself as more than just a festival; it’s a Bay Area institution and a cultural force continuing to push veganism into the mainstream. It continues to trailblaze, inspiring more people to explore plant-based eating, embrace wellness, and support a cruelty-free world.
The fifth anniversary was nothing short of magical, but the story is far from over. With Erika Hazel and her dedicated vegan dream team at the helm, the Bizerkeley Vegan Food Festival is set to keep growing, innovating, and uplifting veganism for years to come. We can’t wait to see what 2026 has in store.
For more information, visit bizerkeleyfoodfest.com
About The Bizerkeley Food Festival
The Bizerkeley Food Festival was founded in 2021 by Erika Hazel, The Bizerkeley Vegan. This curated event focuses on introducing top-tier, hand-selected vegan businesses to the
public to normalize how amazing they can be. For more information, visit bizerkeleyfoodfest.com or follow @bizerkeleyfoodfest on Instagram.
About The Bizerkeley Vegan
The Bizerkeley Vegan is the moniker of vegan entrepreneur Erika Hazel after she transitioned to the vegan lifestyle in Berkeley, California, in 2016. Urban Dictionary defines “Berzerkeley” as a slang term used to describe the beautiful, politically and socially liberal mecca that is the city of Berkeley (berserk + Berkeley). After growing up hearing the nickname for years, Erika adopted the Bizerkeley Vegan denomination because she interpreted it as ‘bizarre Berkeley,’ meaning unique, unconventional, and extraordinary, which is how the city of Berkeley makes her feel. Erika Hazel is a nationally recognized vegan businesswoman, recipe creator, magazine contributor, and philanthropist. As a vegan food expert, Erika is always discovering the best vegan cuisine to share with her family and social media followers to make the world a more vegan place, one bite at a time. The Bizerkeley Vegan is not only a popular social media influencer and food blogger, but also specializes in events, consultations, and speaking engagements. Erika‘s goal is to engage with people to help them find the best plant-based foods the world has to offer. For more information, visit bizerkeleyfoodfest.com or follow @itserikahazel on Instagram.
