"Good Food, Good Music, and Good Vibes for Everyone" at the Long Beach Vegan Food and Musi

Photo by Kylie Kashimoto, Long Beach Vegan Food and Music Festival, June 4, 2016.

For the first time, hundreds of people of all ages gathered under the gleaming sun and light breeze at Rainbow Lagoon on Saturday afternoon for the Long Beach Vegan Food and Music Festival, as they waited in lengthy lines for animal-friendly eats and retail products.

A maze, made of dozens of white vendor tents and local food trucks, covered the open, grassy area next to a picturesque lake, where families, friends, and couples took leisurely strolls, and children played. People lounged out in the sun and under the shady trees on blankets and beach chairs while they enjoyed good company, good food, and good music.

The grills were sizzling. Cooking utensils were clinking. Vendors, perspiring in the summer heat, were yelling out orders.

"ONE QUINOA BEEF CORN BOWL AND LEMONADE!"

Vegan alternatives for cultural food around the globe came together for the event. The food spectrum ranged from American classics, such as, southern comfort food by the bright green Southern Fried Vegan food truck and pizza, to Thai, Indian, Greek, and Mexican by Casa De Brisa. Local vegan bakeries advertised their brownies and cupcakes in clear mini cake stands, as smoothie shop vendors swiftly prepared fresh fruits, nuts, and juices for their customers.

Vendors extended their arms to virtually every passerby to give out free samples of their products: organic lotions, sorbet, energy drinks, and coconut water, to name a few.

In the midst of all the food and the marketplace, art had a special place in the festival. Boys and girls walked out of tents with irreplaceable smiles painted on their faces. Some with their faces painted as butterflies and goofy monsters. Girls exited a tent with beautiful, complex braids in their hair. Some, even adults, walked out of a tent with intricate henna tattoos.

VegKids, an organization for vegetarian kids, hosted fun activities, and arts and crafts for children to promote creativity and inspiration.

Advocates from the Solidarity House of the South/Casa Solidaria del Sur, which is a community that stands for social justice, feminism, decolonization, and solidarity, and presents their beliefs through art, passed out collaborative comic books, which each had a unique issue as its theme. (Source: http://losangelesresist.org/about/)

Tunes of various genres and local artists lingered in the fresh air from the stage, with the city's skyline as its backdrop. Electronic DJ Jack Pharaoh played throughout the event, while rock n' roll bands, Americana Super Radio, Gamblers Mark, and Denmantau made appearances for selected amounts of time. Indie-tropical soul band, Feli and the Lemonshakers, and an 80's and 90's tribute band, Knyght Ryders, also performed.

Youthful, tanned girls danced freely to the music with their hair and skirts whirling in the wind. A small crowd joined the girls in song and dance. Fathers lifted their children up to their shoulders and bounced to the rhythm of the music.

The Long Beach Vegan Food and Music Festival strives to start a new summer tradition by bringing people together to celebrate their love for animals and music, and enjoying vegan fare and live music by talented local artists, all while channeling their inner creativity through art exhibitions and workshops.

"Since I recently transitioned to being vegan, it feels really nice to be around a community that really appreciates animals and healthy living, and knows how to have fun with it at the same time," said Jacqueline Pham, as she held an all vegan mac and cheese bowl with collard greens, and barbecue "chickun", and a chipotle soy burger with sweet potato chips.