Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st May 2009 @ The Amphitheatre, Bristol
Featuring Performances From: Zion Train, Horace Andy, Dub Asante, Macka B, The Blockheads, Dub From Atlantis

The Bristol Vegan Fayre was jammin’! It took place on the Bristol’s waterfront, cradled by the amphitheatre. It was more than just about being vegan; it had music, stalls, performances, circus acts, entertainment for the kids, cookery demos, talks, bars and top Bristol fun! With the sun blazing in the heat wave, this year proved to be a great place to soak up some vibes and ‘chillax’ with spectacular entertainment.

Bristol is well known for its love of reggae but there aren’t many places to go and hear it. This year’s Vegan Fayre was oozing with big reggae names. Top acts such as Zion Train, Horace Andy, Dub Asante and Macka B took to the stage. They brought hundreds of people to the festival, shaking their locks from side to side and bopping up and down. Punk legends, The Blockheads jumped onto the mainstage on Saturday to a sea of fans. My favourite performance was Dub From Atlantis on the Acoustic Stage, with their live instruments being played beautifully and the music was enchanting.

I was surprised with food, it didn’t seem any different than usual but it was vegan; I expected my chocolate soya shake to taste like crap, but it was damn good! Thank you Shake King! There was a large white marquee, which was filled with all things vegan and I ran around the place like Homer Simpson, eating up all the free samples; however, two days of eating spicy vegan food soon wreaked havoc on my digestive system and the forbidden meat seemed even more tempting. I couldn’t help but smile when two people walked by in T-shirts, one with the words “I like meat” and the other with “I quite like meat also” on them. I was surprised they weren’t lynched on the spot or at least confronted in some way.

Overall, it was a great weekend. It broadened my mind a little, I got to see Horace Andy in all his golden glory and tasted the best Bombay potato I have ever had. All I beg for the organisers next year is that they either move to a grassier area (like the downs), get some Astro Turf or perhaps to put hay down, because sitting on hard concrete is just torture. Oh, and also some Brother’s Pear Cider would have gone down a treat too!

www.bristol.veganfayre.co.uk

Freya Morris
Photos by Freya Morris