By Victoria Stevans

On Saturday, August 5, the third annual Pittsburgh VegFest is bringing animal lovers, foodies, and Pittsburgh music fans together in Allegheny Commons Park East to celebrate the city’s diverse and active animal advocacy efforts.

The outdoor festival runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is hosted by Justice for Animals, a non-profit animal rights organization, and will have free admission. The first 250 guests to arrive will also receive a free, jam-packed goodie bag.

Pittsburgh VegFest’s main event will be its selection of the city’s delicious and diverse vegan, gluten free, and vegetarian food. As a result of the event’s top-notch picks last year CityPaper awarded VegFest the title “2016’s Best Food Festival.”

This year the festival will feature food from Double Wide Grill, Onion Maiden, Blue Sparrow Food Truck, White Rabbit Cafe and Patisserie Franktuary, Gluten Free Goat, and many more of Pittsburgh’s restaurants, food trucks, and bakeries.

Over 80 vendors will be present at the event, ranging from non-profit animal welfare organizations, to small businesses and wellness specialists.

Attendees will be able to enjoy a wide selection of merchandise – including vegan cheeses, cosmetics, and clothes – as well as sources of information on animal rights, veganism, and more.

There will also be musical performances by six Pittsburgh bands and solo performers, such as Working Breed, Sikes and the New Violence, and Lexa Terrestrial.

Several informational speakers, including the Refresh Collective Community Group, will also take the stage.

In addition, the event will feature raffles, kid friendly activities, and yoga demonstrations to provide Northsiders of all ages with non-stop entertainment.

Pittsburgh’s VegFest is sponsored by Whole Foods Market, Smoothie King, East End Food Co-op, WYEP/WESA, Port Authority, and Vegfund.

All information courtesy of www.pittsburghvegfest.org.