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| - February 25, 2017, marked the 2nd Annual PHX Vegan Food Fest. This year, I bought VIP tickets. Luckily, I scored them for $25 (during an early bird special), which was 1/2 off of the normal $50 price tag. The biggest perks to going VIP are the dedicated parking lot and the early entry. The early entry alone is what kept this from being a 1-star experience for me.
ENTRY:
We arrived at @ 9:15am. There were no signs to indicate which lot was the VIP lot and which line was the VIP line. I parked in what I assumed should be the correct lot. Then we walked towards where others were already forming a line. After being in that line for 30 minutes, I saw someone bringing a cash drawer and realized it was NOT the VIP line. Apparently, we passed the VIP line on our way to this line but since there was no signage (and no one in line) we didn't know. Now, instead of being first in line, we were about 50th! *insert angry face*
Entry was to be open to VIPs at 10am, and open for GA at 11am. As it got closer to 10am, I kept thinking, "Why aren't they checking credentials early so we can actually enter at 10am?!" Being that I knew how crowded it would be (VIP sold out, & eventually GA did too), I wanted to take advantage of that full hour, B.C. (before crowds)! We loss @ 15 minutes in the line. BUT because the GA entry lines moved thrice as slow, we actually had a little more time before the masses descended.
FOOD:
Early bird doesn't always get the worm. Apparently, we were too early for several booths, who weren't ready to serve for one reason or another. Cafe Lalibela said they had to wait for the food inspector. Why wasn't the inspector there earlier??
Simon's Hot Dogs was ready, so we started there with a Colombian Hot Dog and vegan alfajores. Delicious, as always. Udupi's Gobi Manchurian & Potato Masala Dosai were perfect. Ike's Sandwiches came through with an abundance of samples of their Pilgrim: vegan turkey, cranberry sauce, sriracha, & vegan "dirty" sauce on Dutch Crunch bread. Southern Fried Vegan returned with their overpriced and overrated food (but, yes, I still bought that $15 bowl with ONE measly piece of a fried "chicken" strip.) Urban Beans' Jackfruit slider was amazing and only $5 for a large portion.
Green made their vegan fest debut this year with 2 Curly Fry options (a curry flavor & an atomic spicy flavor) for $5. ALL, as in 100% of the sales went to the Humane Society! How generous!
By the time we made our way back to Cafe Lalibela, they were already out of everything. They were only giving away samples at the fest; they did not offer any items for sale.
After round 1 of eating then walking around, we were ready for round. But by 2pm (festival ended at 5pm), most places had sold out of everything or most things. For this reason, we missed out on Positively Frosted Cupcakes, Mi Vegana Madre, that Lunchbox food truck, and many more.
DESSERTS:
My sweet tooth was satiated thanks to Pineapple Dole Whip (Affogato truck), Vanilla Bean sorbet (LuLu's Sorbets), Snow Cones/Shaved Ice and Caramel/Kettle Corn (from newcomer, Kettle Corn Wagon), Keylime Cheesecake (Heather's Foods), and free cookies from Green.
WATER:
More vendors sold bottled water this year, and the event organizers' water supply remained well-stocked. We received 2 drink tokens with our VIP purchase and used both for water.
VEG FEST TIPS (for festival organizers & goers):
Because we got in early, and because I strategized (always hit up the Dole Whip truck and Southern Fried Vegan first, b/c their lines are ALWAYS the longest), we didn't have to wait in any long lines. Our longest wait may have been @ 5 minutes in the LuLu's Sorbet line.
We also didn't have any issues with seating (again, due to VIP early entry). We got all the food we wanted to eat, then sat down and enjoyed the food and the live bands.
Most vendors sold full sized portions, as opposed to festival portions. It's best to go with a friend and split meals. This allows you to save money while saving room in your belly to try more things.
VIP is the best way to go, but it is NOT worth the $50 regular price. It WAS worth the $25 sale price. (I'll post a picture of the VIP swag bag and what was inside.) Follow them on social media for sale announcements.
The festival needs to be free with a VIP option.
It's done and it's successful in bigger cities, so... Although someone was bragging (author of WTF Food) on their social media about how the festival organizers put her up in a fancy room, so maybe this is where the bulk of the money is being spent?
The festival needs a bigger host space, but needs to keep the free parking. They also need a better check-in process so that the entry time is the time that people are actually entering.
Overall, I had a good time, thanks to the VIP ticket, but there is much improvement to be made.
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