We are sliding into the last week of July….. don’t think about it, don’t think about it. Lots of Summer is still ahead!

This week’s edition is packed: Friday’s Zen & Zest summer mixer, Saturday’s Saigon Lotus lunch-and-piano stroll, and a lakeside potluck-plus-nature-walk to close out the weekend.

There’s fresh news too—Vegandale early-bird prices end today, IL FORNELLO’s Lauren Toyota prix-fixe menu wraps up, and on the product side, Eat Just’s mung-bean “Just One” protein powder has landed at Whole Foods Yorkville, while Revo Foods’ 3-D-printed octopus and Renault’s leather-free pledge hint at where plant-based innovation is heading.

Dive in for the full details, ticket links, and a look ahead to August’s Vegan Night Market.

🎉 Birthday Shoutouts 🎉

This week, we're celebrating some amazing members of our vegan community! Wishing you all a joyful, plant-powered birthday filled with love, compassion, and vegan cake. 🍰🌱

Birthdays This Week:

• 🥳 Clare O'Brien – July 29

💚 Thanks for being part of our community — enjoy your special day!

Week of July 24 - 30:

News:

• Vegandale’s early-bird tickets jump in price on Thursday, July 24, so lock them in now if you’re planning to hit Woodbine Park on September 6.

• The Vegan Night Market scheduled for July 24 at Balmy Beach has been postponed until late Auguest.

• IL FORNELLO Danforth wraps up its Lauren Toyota plant-based prix-fixe menu today (July 24). The $40 three-course deal features items like Caprese Salad, Pizza Funghi with tofu ricotta, and Banana Lava Cake.

Events:

• Vegan Drinks – Zen & Zest Summer Fest
  📅 Date: Friday, July 25, 2025
  🕒 Time: 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM
  📍 Location: Thien Tam Asia, 2907 Dundas St W
  A laid-back monthly mixer for anyone who enjoys good conversation over fully plant-based food and Asian-inspired cocktails or mocktails. Name tags break the ice, there’s no cover charge, and guests are encouraged to support the host restaurant by ordering dinner or a drink. Floral summer outfits optional but welcomed.

• Saigon Lotus Vegan Lunch & Piano Meetup
  📅 Date: Saturday, July 26, 2025
  🕒 Time: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
  📍 Location: Saigon Lotus, 687 Yonge St
  Join the Toronto Vegan Meetup crew for casual Vietnamese comfort food followed by a stroll to Indigo to try your hand at the in-store piano. Attendance is capped at about 20, so RSVP only if you’re sure you can make it; repeat no-shows may be restricted from future meetups.

• Art Exhibit Opening & Reception – “Missing Out” by Fabliha Ahmed
  📅 Date: Saturday, July 26, 2025
  🕒 Time: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
  📍 Location: Wishbone Animal Rights Lab, 600 Bay Street, Suites 305, 307 & 308
  Vegan painter Fabliha Ahmed flips the script on the idea that vegans are “missing out,” showcasing colourful canvases of plant-based dishes that spark conversation about abundance, ethics, and joy. Meet the artist, enjoy vegan finger foods and mocktails, and browse originals and prints for sale—proceeds support ongoing activism programming at the Lab. Note: elevator access is limited after regular office hours.

• Vegan Potluck & Nature Walk
  📅 Date: Sunday, July 27, 2025
  🕒 Time: 12:30 PM – 5:30 PM
  📍 Location: Sylvan Park, 55 Sylvan Ave, Scarborough
  Pack a fully vegan dish (plus your own plate and cutlery) for a lakeside picnic that kicks off at 1 PM sharp, then wander the scenic Doris McCarthy Trail to Gates Gully around 3 PM. Expect an easy pace, plenty of water stops, and the option to dip your toes in the lake. Rain plan moves the potluck indoors to Scarborough Village Recreation Centre.

The Toronto Vegan Restaurants Guide 2025

World Vegan News:

Eat Just unveils “Just One,” a single-ingredient mung-bean protein powder that delivers 30 g of complete protein per scoop and comes in 12-oz reusable tins. The unflavoured original—and three flavoured blends (Maple + Banana, Chocolate + Peanut Butter, Vanilla + Chai, each at 17 g)—rolled out nationwide in the US.

Renault says every model it sells will be entirely leather-free by the end of 2025, replacing animal hides with recycled textiles already featured in its new 5 E-Tech Electric, Symbioz and Rafale vehicles—a move welcomed by PETA as another sign that mainstream brands are embracing cruelty-free interiors.

Austrian food-tech start-up Revo Foods has permanently relaunched “THE KRAKEN,” its 3-D-printed vegan octopus tentacle made from mycoprotein and micro-algae omega-3, after the limited first batch sold out in under 48 hours.

In the Near Future:

*(more info will come closer to the dates)

• Toronto Black Vegan Festival
  📅 Date: Sunday, August 3, 2025
  🕒 Time: 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM
  📍 Location: STACKT Market, 28 Bathurst Street
  🎟️ Admission: Free

  Organized by Black Vegans of Toronto, this annual festival is a celebration of plant-based living through a Black cultural lens. The event features a diverse lineup of Black-owned vegan food vendors, offering dishes inspired by African and Caribbean traditions. Attendees can also explore a variety of plant-based products, including skincare, wellness items, and fresh produce from Black farmers. The festival aims to promote health, sustainability, and community empowerment within the Black community.

• A Fundraiser for Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary: MONKEY MAGIC
  📅 Date: Saturday, August 16, 2025
  🕒 Time: 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM
  📍 Location: GLB Brewpub, 11 Lower Jarvis St. Units 5-8
  🎟️ Tickets: $110 – includes two 11oz pours of beer, vegan and vegetarian hors d’oeuvres, live music by Big Night Out, and access to a monkey art auction (It is unclear how to buy tickets though…)

  GLB Brewpub is hosting a special fundraiser in support of Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary, home to 23 rescued primates including the artistic Pockets Warhol. Guests can expect fresh beer, plant-based bites, live tunes, and the chance to bid on original monkey-made art. All proceeds go toward sanctuary care and operations.

• Conscious Coffee Party (Round 2)
  📅 Date: Sunday, August 17, 2025
  🕒 Time: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
  📍 Location: Centre for Social Innovation – Spadina, 192 Spadina Ave.
  🎟️ Tickets: Starting at $15 via Luma

  A laid-back Sunday meetup where you can sip free coffee and tea, sample vegan bites from local vendors, dance to a live DJ set, and swap low-waste, plant-based living tips—plus door-prize draws and other freebies for those who bring their own cup. meetup.com

• Vegan Night Market

  📅 Date: Thursday, August 21, 2025

  🕒 Time: 6:00 PM – 9:30 PM

  📍 Location: Balmy Beach

  A free, open-air night market on the lakefront featuring plant-based street food, local artisans, live music, and complimentary sunset yoga and sound-bath sessions—perfect for an end-of-summer evening by the water.

• Vegandale Toronto 2025
  📅 Date: Saturday, September 6, 2025
  📍 Location: Woodbine Park
  🎟️ Tickets available: Here ($$ increase after today)
  Vegandale returns to Toronto for another full day of food, music, art, and ethical consumerism—all 100% vegan. While specific vendors and performers have yet to be announced, past events have featured global plant-based brands, bold branding, and an unapologetically vegan atmosphere.

• VegTO Fest 2025
  📅 Date: Saturday, September 20, 2025 (11:00 AM – 7:00 PM) & Sunday, September 21, 2025 (11:00 AM – 6:00 PM)
  📍 Location: Nathan Phillips Square.
  🎟️ Free admission
  🌱 VegTO Fest announced it will return for its 40th anniversary with the theme Eat. Innovate. Transform. Expect two full days of plant-based food vendors, guest speakers, and community-driven experiences focused on the future of sustainable and compassionate living. More details to come closer to the date.

• Animal Law & Advocacy Conference 2025
  📅 Date: Friday to Sunday, September 26–28, 2025
  🕒 Time: Full-day programming; Friday includes a student conference and evening reception
  📍 Location: Toronto Metropolitan University
  🎟️ Tickets: Available at alaconference.ca
  The 7th annual Animal Law & Advocacy Conference, hosted by Animal Justice, returns to Toronto this fall with three days of sessions, networking, and plant-based catering. Formerly known as the Canadian Animal Law Conference, the event has broadened its focus to include advocates and community leaders beyond the legal profession. Programming kicks off Friday with a dedicated student day and a welcome reception, followed by two days of workshops and panels featuring Canadian and international experts in animal law and advocacy. Early bird tickets are now available online.
  

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