About three months ago, I came across a post about the Portland Vegan Beer and Vegan Festival. Because I haven’t been running, food is on my mind! I have been finding other ways to fill my time. I would never have thought about going to the festival if I were still training.
Fast forward to September I hit the road to Portland.
Pedro jumped at the chance when I invited him along for the ride. After spending the night in Spokane, we reached Portland on Friday afternoon. The drive was lovely and scenic. We marvelled at the wind farms along I-84 (also known as the Veterans Memorial Highway) and the Columbia Gorge Area.
Our Airbnb was within walking distance of the festival’s venue in a neighbourhood called Brooklyn. Neither one of us wanted to be in the car again until it was absolutely necessary.
The festival started officially at 1 p.m. but we bought the VIP tickets so we could get in at noon. We across the newly opened Tilikum Crossing bridge (Bridge of the People) to reach the festival at Zidell Yards. After looking at the pictures on the website and the Facebook page for months, we were excited to finally be here.
An obligatory “we are here” picture in front of the sign. I handed my phone to one of the parking attendants. Thankfully it turned out. A man on the bridge offered to take our picture but he kept getting his finger in the shot. I was worried he was going to drop my iPhone in the water so I told him the picture was great.
Pedro immediately grabbed a piece of coloured chalk to mark his presence. Loved the Canadian flag. I asked him to write my name because my handwriting is so awful. By the end of the day, the board was completely covered.
I brought my flags to decorate our spot. We were set up right in front of the stage. My only regret was not spending more time here. But I did hear some great live bands!
This is a picture of Tilikum Crossing from Zidell Yards. Beautiful, right? The bridge is open to cyclists (who have their own lanes), transit and pedestrians. Portland has a lot of bridges. We either walked or drove over every one.
Sorry I didn’t take too many photos (and this one is quite dark). But you get the idea, right? Food stands lined one side of the grounds while the craft beer was on the side closet to the Willamette River. There were roughly 30 restaurants and food trucks. A kombucha tent was holding court in the middle. Vendors also sold clothing, snacks and ceramics. We either sat on hay bales or stood.
We were given a 4 ounce beer glass with our entry. I’m pretty sure we sampled every single beer. I didn’t taste any cinder because I am not a fan. Now that I think about it the smaller glass was the perfect size. One man was marking on his arm the number of beers that he drank. By the way he walked it looked like he had a lot.
We talked to a lot of people. In the line up we met a couple from Vancouver who drove up to the festival too. There was a group from Edmonton too. Funny how Canadians always seemed to find one another. One of the vendors asked me why there were so many Canadians here.
I love festivals. This one did not disappoint. I only wish it were a two-day affair or even longer in the day. Time flew by!
I fell in love with kombucha at the festival. By the end of our trip, I was completely obsessed with getting my daily fix. There’s so many different kinds. I really liked ginger and citrus flavours.
THE FOOD
I can’t say enough about how tasty the food was at the festival. It wasn’t at all healthy but it was damn good. So much variety and choice. We wanted EVERYTHING. But we had to pace ourselves. I think we ate more than we drank!
Our plan was to order separate dishes so we could share. It worked out pretty good. Pedro was very accomodating to my onion dilemna (they make me deathly ill) so he ensured our dishes were onion free. We took note of the restaurants so we could visit the next day. I didn’t take pictures of everything but here I offer a sampling.
Nachos
Pulled “pork” which I think were soy curls
1. Beet burgers 2. Pizza
1. I am not sure what the snacks are on the left. 2. Noodles
1. Frozen soft ice cream and raw cheese cake. 2. Beans and rice
Kombucha!
All good stuff! I didn’t even catch a buzz from the beer. I was so full! I don’t think I have eaten so much in such a short time frame. (The festival wrapped up at 7 p.m.) Gosh it was so much fun! It was refreshing to be around so many herbivores! I didn’t want to leave Portland. Love, love that city!
Find out more here: Vegan Beer and Food Festival and Portland