Essex’s Vegan Festival is to roll into Colchester’s Charter Hall this weekend, with over 80 different stalls expected to welcome visitors to the event.

Doors will open for visitors at 10.30am on Saturday morning, with tickets costing £4 per person.

VIP tickets cost £15, and Under 16s are eligible for free entry.

The day will consist of numerous activities extending beyond food samples – interactive workshops, yoga, children’s activities, and cookery demos are all on offer throughout, with the event finishing at 4.30pm.

The event is being organised by Victoria Bryceson, who decided to go vegan at the age of 9 years old back in 1995.

Talking in the run-up to the event, she said that the event will be important in emphasising to people that going vegan is not as daunting as some people fear.

She said: “A lot of people don’t know what to eat or worry that going vegan will be too expensive.

“It’s the perfect place to come and ask questions and show people that it isn’t as expensive as people might think.”

When asked about how many non-vegans are expected to show up to the festival, Ms Bryceson said that there is normally a half and half split of vegans and non-vegans, meaning it is a good chance to speak to people unsure about whether they can give up meat and dairy.

“We absolutely want non-vegans to come along and we’re expecting about 1500 people in total to come along throughout the day.

“Normally about 50 per cent of the visitors are vegan and the other 50 per cent are non-vegan – and they might be brought along by a friend or a relative to find out more about it.

“Veganism is not new but it is getting in the news much more, so people are becoming more educated about it – people are thinking they should try it to help their health and are open to giving it a go.”

Those interested in the event can buy tickets at https://www.tickettailor.com/events/veganfestival/483207