It doesn’t make me happy to write this, but London Vegan Beer Fest 2026 has been cancelled.
This is not a decision that was made easily. It has been agonised over and every possible option to try and make the event happen was explored, but in the end it became clear that continuing was no longer financially possible.
Putting on large scale independent events in 2026 is incredibly challenging. Rising costs, increasing financial pressures, and a rapidly changing events landscape have made projects like this much more difficult than they once were. Sadly, London Vegan Beer Fest became one of those projects.
I know this news will disappoint a lot of people and I feel like I have let many of you down. I know people had bought tickets, made plans, and were looking forward to spending the day celebrating vegan beer, food, and community together. I am especially saddened because I had been thinking of London Vegan Beer Fest as my own farewell party before I relocate to Australia in a few months after more than 16 years of Fat Gay Vegan.
To everyone who bought a ticket, applied to trade, agreed to sponsor, supported the event, or simply shared the excitement, thank you. Your enthusiasm meant the world to me. Everyone who purchased a ticket has now been refunded and traders who paid deposits have also had those payments returned.
While this particular chapter has come to an unexpected end, it certainly does not mean I am disappearing without a trace.
As I prepare to leave the UK, I want to spend these final months doing exactly what I have been lucky enough to do for the past decade and a half. I want to support independent vegan businesses and collaborate with some of my favourite chefs, restaurants, and venues. I want to create memorable experiences for the community that has given me so much over the years. Most of all, I want the opportunity to say goodbye to many of the incredible people I have met through Fat Gay Vegan.
I’m planning a series of smaller events, supper clubs, and collaborations over the coming months. It feels like an appropriately personal way to celebrate everything this community has meant to me.
The first of these is the long awaited return of Queer Vegan Disco. This much loved night was a regular fixture before the pandemic and I couldn’t be happier to bring it back alongside DJ Phil Marriott and the wonderful team at Karamel. Everyone is welcome and I genuinely hope to see as many of you there as possible.
Every event I organise between now and my departure will be listed on the Events page here on Fat Gay Vegan, so please keep checking back.
Thank you for sticking with me through the highs and the lows. This isn’t the ending I imagined for London Vegan Beer Fest, but I hope you’ll join me over the coming months as we create some new memories together.
I hope to see you soon.
Click here to see all my upcoming events and book tickets. You can also join my FGV email newsletter online here.
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