Vegan Oktoberfest

Overall I had a good time, but let's get right down to this: there was good, there was bad, and there was downright ugly at this one.

***The Good***

Check-in was a breeze. The event was spacious- with the stage, beer vendors, and the food tents/trucks all in separate sections.

There was also plenty of seating and a fair amount of shade. This was a major plus to me, because the LA Vegan Beer & Food Festival that I went to earlier this year had little of either.

The bathroom situation was also a decent setup and even at the end of the event the lines weren't that bad. Lots of T-shirt vendors, but I was hoping for more selection of actual products, like the other festival had.

The cover band was also upbeat and energetic. They were a good addition to the event, playing all the hits from various genres.

I also got to try the fantastic Campfire Stout from HighWater Brewing and a ginger beer that will be going in my next moscow mule :)

***The Bad***

Knowing that the beer part of the event for General Admission was only from 1-4:30, when we arrived it became pretty clear that the smartest thing to do was to hit the beer first. Glad we did, because there really wasn't as many beer vendors as expected at an Oktoberfest and it felt like about a fifth of them turned out to be cider.

I'm not convinced the idea behind the 3 tickets for 3 full pours was actually a good idea, given the limited quantities of beer that were actually at this event. By 2pm - yes thats 1 hr into beer time for general admission - some of the beer vendors started to run out of at least one tap! One vendor told us he only actually brought a single keg of one of his beers. Did the vendors not get an accurate idea from the organizers on how many people had actually bought tickets?!? Or did the organizers not make sure that their vendors were actually prepared for an event of this size?

A lot of people I spoke to in line and at the community tables were holding handfuls of tickets like we were, having only tasted a couple of samples and watching the beer run out. This is in complete contrast to the LA Vegan Beer & Food Festival, that had prepared beer vendors with plenty of beer for the large crowd and gave out smaller tasting glasses that kept the lines moving. People at that event were happier because they actually got to try a decent amount of beer for their money. This one just didn't deliver for the price.

***The Ugly***

You guessed it. The food lines. This was borderline disaster. We tried to divide and conquer, with each of us hitting a different food truck but it turned into a hot mess with one of our friends chilling with a pretzel waiting for the rest of us for what felt like forever.

First I stood in line for the curry tacos. Looking back on my texts to friends, they ran out of tacos at 2:30pm (the event had three more hours to go). Yet another unprepared vendor.

Moved to the second line, for the philly cheese steaks. This line was a complete and utter sh** show. Apparently the lines of two food vendors that were placed way too close together had merged into complete confusion. Turns out this was quite the problem at this event. After standing in line 50 minutes just to order, then waiting 20 more minutes to pickup food that apparently wasn't going to be ready for another 30 minutes, I gave up and asked for a refund.
Luckily by this time my friends had scored some decent hot dogs, a pupusa, and a tamale for us to share (thanks guys for taking pity on me).

In observation of these types of beer and food festivals, it really helps the lines when you have vendors that maintain a cash line separate from a card line. Also, the food vendors here were WAY too close together, which causes the line chaos, and in turn just pisses people off. This is my first event seeing angry vegans :(

We decided to peace out at the 4:30 beer cut-off and go get a real dinner since the food lines were even more out of control (as expected) when the one cider stand that actually had anything left to pour cut off.

All in all I see potential in a better event next year if the organizers learn from these mistakes and make some adjustments. I'm a fan of vegan festivals and will continue to support them, but this one makes me wonder if it's VIP or skip it next year.

LOCATION. The location is great because it's spacious, open and there is parking in surrounding streets. I highly encourage driving around for 5-10 minutes, rather than paying 10 bucks, to find a free spot. My friend lives close by so I was able to park there and walk, but even if he wasn't there I would have no problem just "shopping" for a spot. Regarding the actual studio area, the vendors are all spread out so not one spot feels *too* crowded. The VIP section this year was a terrific addition and worth the extra few bucks. There were no lines upstairs and I even got a free little acai bowl. Having access to the real bathrooms, rather than the porta-potties, was a great plus.

VALUE. I bought the VIP ticket for $58 (including service fees) right when they went on sale. That meant I had access to (as mentioned above) the separate upstairs VIP area and an extra hour of beer. To me, the extra hour and the separate area were worth it. I actually only got there 10 minutes before 1 since my group was running late, but I felt like that was even a long time to get to run around the beer vendors before more people came in. The VIP area, aside from having extra vendors and acai bowls, also had a nice balcony that overlooked the entire premises. Finally, I came into this event with 3 tickets for full pours and ended my night with 4. Not sure how I did that, but suffice it to say that all the vendors are all very generous when serving "tastes."

SERVICE. The beer vendors, security guards and girls dancing around in Vegan Oktoberfest dresses are all friendly and happy to celebrate the day! My one hesitation on this is that I know I should have won the Oktoberfest costume contest, based on the round of applause that I got, yet it was given to another lady. Last year I lost the yodeling contest...but that's because I was a TERRIBLE yodler. And I mean terrible. But I didn't think it was fair that I didn't win the costume contest this year, I even had people coming up to me confused as to why the prize was given to the other woman. She did a cartwheel in front of the whole group and showed her lady parts...ahh! Oh well, next time!

FOOD. I meant to try more food this year, but I ran out of time. I had a spicy veggie dog, apple fritter and macaroons. The veggie dog was delicious and I loved my other treats. Someone in my group bought a tamale, which I got to try, and that was also delicious.

DRINKS. As usual, the beer and cider selection was great. However, I especially appreciated that there was at least one non-alcoholic beverage. My sister and dad don't drink so I was happy that they were able to go to the Kombucha Dog tent for a refreshment. However, I didn't like that all pours abruptly started at 4:30. I understand that this was written on the tickets and on the website but this is simply not something that is top of mind when in the midst of enjoying beer, friends, music and food. At the very least, the band or an MC should have made an announcement about the time. But, an even better step would be to include signs so that it's not so abrupt.

MUSIC. The bands were so fun! We got to hear traditional Oktoberfest tunes and some modern music. I thought it was a nice mix!

TIP. If you can, wear german dirndls and lederhosen. Since we're obviously not in Germany, it's understandable to not have that in your closet...but trust me when I say it makes the event even more fun! My grandma made me mine, but you can find something cheap for 50 bucks. If you're not into that, most costume stores have cute Oktoberfest suspenders you can slap on (even if you're a girl) and those are less than 10 bucks. There's just something great about drinking beer in official/semi-offical(ish) German tracht. Don't wear the cheapy Oktoberfest dresses...those just look so bad and you don't want anyone getting a peak of your booty while you're dancing (not cute)!

OVERALL. For years I have attended Oktoberfests close to the LA county area (e.g. Alpine Village) and this is by far my favorite. I love that we finally have one that is much more central, in LA proper. I love, even more, the fact that I can actually enjoy the food! Highly recommend!

I think I lucked out with my experience at Vegan Oktoberfest because:
- I got a kickass discount buying my tix on groupon
- the weather was overcast and cool so we wouldn't have to be outdoors in the direct sunlight
- it wasn't as crowded or cramped as I expected it to be and the layout was pretty widespread and dispersed at Los Angeles Center Studios
- lines were short for the most part with the exception of 101 Cider House or the last hour for all breweries
- the unlimited sample pours were so generous that I didn't feel the need to use all three of my full sized beer tickets
- towards the end of the day, many food vendors discounted their prices

We attended day two of this 2-day event. Tasted drinks from Lagunitas Brewing Co., Angel City Brewery, Wandering Aengus Anthem Ciders, 101 Cider House, and Eel River Brewing Co. But the only drinks I truly enjoyed were the Pumpkin Cider and the Pineapple Cider from Ace Ciders.

Now let's talk about the REAL reason I attended Vegan Oktoberfest: To gain a bunch of weight eating lots and lots of vegan food!!! I mean, how often do I get to attend a food event where every single option is vegan friendly??? Although I just weighed myself and as it turns out, I didn't gain very much weight. So I guess I kinda failed on the fat challenge ;P

Here's a list of foods and vendors that I stuffed my face with:
- Crispy Not Dog (chipotle flavor) from Make Vegan food truck http://bit.ly/1L3BzXz
- samples of the Gardein Chik'n Sliders from Follow Your Heart http://bit.ly/1j2dnxa
- Vegan Cheese plate from Blöde Kuh which features Obazda (paprika beer cheese), Caraway Cashew Cheese Wedge, and Kräuterquark (an Herbie Vore cream cheese) which also came with potato salad, and rye and wheat bread http://bit.ly/1VAnYRO

Major props to Blöde Kuh for cutting the price in half during the last hour of the event :) http://bit.ly/1MVx9EM

Side note: My friend won a mini jar of Chipotle Veganaise from Follow Your Heart. I'd be lying if I didn't say that I'm a little jelly. http://bit.ly/1Ni0dtb

Here's a list of foods I bought to take home for later consumption:
- MBP (mango, berry, peach) Cobbler from Cobblermania http://bit.ly/1VCvxlu
- Berliner Jelly Donut from The Ridiculous Baking Co. http://bit.ly/1L3BJy3
- Two cashew cheese flavors (Smoked Buddha Gouda and Golden Road Pub Cheese) from Nary Dairy http://bit.ly/1GtKn6V
- Fried "Chicken", Vegan Bacon Mac n Cheese, and Cole Slaw from Clean South http://bit.ly/1VCvM02

Shoutout to Cobblermania and Nary Dairy for holding onto my purchases until the end of the event. So convenient to pick it up when I was ready to leave. Cobblermania included a $2 coupon and Nary Dairy threw in some extra cashew cheeses when I went to pick up my purchase. Scored me some Sriracha Kimcheese and Freaky Feta. They even gave me some pretzel sticks. This was Nary Dairy's last event before stopping production. So sad to hear that but I'm glad I finally got to check them out. Those cashew cheeses are GOOD!!! http://bit.ly/1OUCcIV

Even though I didn't partake in Donut Friend awesomeness, my friend totally got her Bacon 182 on http://bit.ly/1Mca3XH.

As for entertainment, it wouldn't be Oktoberfest without the Chicken Dance. However I was more entertained by this oompah band cover of The Proclaimers. http://bit.ly/1YoCJUI

BTW, the Happy Cow mascot tried to get fresh with me! All in good fun I'm sure but it totally caught me off guard o_O

Overall, I had fun! I didn't spring for the VIP tix (early entry) but considering all that I experienced, I don't think I really needed it. Not sure if I'm willing to pay full price for a ticket (they run $45 - $55 or $20 for non-alcohol tix) but if I caught another discount deal, I'd totally be on that. Prost! http://bit.ly/1Mc6Wz8

We arrived at 12:45pm to a line with about 40-50 people ahead of us. Right at 1:00pm we were let in and handed our Steins and drink tickets. We headed to the Angel City brew tent and tried their style of Oktoberfest! SCORE! This quality beer ruined the rest of the beers for me. The only other beer I enjoyed this much at the event was Angel City IPA. ACE Cider served a delicious Berry beverage but the line for that was a bit much. Maybe 20-30 minutes? With 3 1/2 hours before they cut off alcohol, I can see how people complain about the lines and times.

The food was hit or miss.

MISS

Mama's Chile Relleno at $5 was an absolute bust. The garlic fries served in the truck on the far left were decent but for $5 they were a newborn child's portion at best. Very thin and crispy, but pin AF.

HIT

The hot dog truck had a brutal line but for $8-$10 a pop these soy dogs delivered a reasonable value with an awesome flavor. Opting to keep it German style with we ordered the one with kraut and mustard. Stellar. For dessert we hit the line for Donut Friend. A pumpkin donut sandwich with caramel ice cream will set you back $8 but it was absolutely packed with flavor and the ice cream was just as savory and creamy as the dairy versions. Before we left we tried the Follow Your Heart Grilled cheese samples: SCORE. I think I like this vegan cheese better than Daiya. So damn delicious and if you didn't know you'd think it was regular cheese.

VENUE:

LA Center Studios is a terrific choice for Vegan Oktoberfest as there is plenty of room for everyone to have a good time without that overcrowded feeling. It does get a bit crowded in the food area. Honestly next time I will try to eat a lot more before I arrive. The food available is a nice snack but doesn't appear to be something you can make a meal out of.

THE PEOPLE:

Aside from some southern guy drunkenly protesting his right to hunt to a vegan woman, the crowd is filled with lovely people. Had lots of nice chats with many vegans, vegetarians, and meat eaters, all here to enjoy a few beers and taste some cruelty free food options while dancing to a band that provided decent 80's covers.

I will totally come back next year. My girl and I had a great time.

This was my second time at the vegan fest. I love all the different food options, from snacks, to main dishes to desserts. The beer selection is perfect. The vendors offer a good selection of t shirts, totes, stickers, hats, pin etc and at good prices. This last time I bought three t shirts for $75.00.

This weather was good, it gets a little hot in food area because there are no tree's. There is also a stage and good band. Most of the people went to Oktoberfest outfits which I loved.

My fiancé went with me this time, he is not a vegan or vegetarian but he loved the food.


Definitely going make it a tradition to go each year.

This was my second year attending this event, and I gotta say it just fell a little short of my expectations. Maybe I was just 'hangry' most of the time lol.
Got in line at 1250 and at 1, they immediately let people in. So quick and organized, I loved it. Checked in with yelp and got an awesome cozy and fan which came in handy throughout the day. Did a quick pour and went over to the food trucks. Gotta say, was a little disappointed with the variety.. i felt like last year there were much more choices.

Unrelated to the event, had a hot dog from Dogtown. Unfortunately, we misread the tiny written description that said the portobello melt was literally only portobellos. Had a couple onions and a strip or two of pepper. Completely disappointed with that.

After, I found ACE ciders which I'm in love with. Did a couple more tastings and went over to the tamale booth. I think most of us who have been to these kind of events already know the waiting game. These lines are always ridiculously long. So that didn't bother me.
Had a tamale thatvwas pretty good and the pupusas which were bomb!

Also had donuts and cupcakes which both those booths never disappoint. Had a couple of other things and beer but that's the jist of it.

My main issue was the heat! Would love to see tents or some kind of shade over the table. I feel like people wouldn't complain as much about the lines if they have some shade after standing in long lines.

For those who are upset about the last pour being at 430, they CLEARLY had it on their website and when you purchase tickets. Last year, some vendors ran out too, what can you do when your beer is rocking and have a lot more people than expected. Just go over to another booth.

I'd be more inclined to purchase the VIP if I can get in front of lines.. especially for food lol All in all, I give 4 stars because it's an awesome time with awesome peeps. You can only improve each year, so we'll see you then!

My wife and I felt like we got ripped off. The event was over at 530 but they stopped pouring drinks at 430 (they didn't mention this at all when we purchased the tickets -which I paid about $85 for). Some of the vendors stopped even earlier because they ran out of beer, keep in mind this event is about beer, the food lines were long and wait for food was even longer (we waited an hour at one vendor).

In all, I felt like this event wasn't well organized. A lot of vendors were unprepared. In the 4 1/2 hours that we were there we ate two meals and drank the equivalent of one beer. They give you 3 tickets for a full fill but like I mentioned, most places couldn't do it because they were running out of beer. Big let down. I'm gonna give this try again next year because I like the sense of community these events bring but, I hope they get their act together.

There's only one thing I can say about this event...I'll be back next year! I came w/ a few of my non-vegan co-workers and they had so much fun. We are already planning for next years event and have added more people to our group. I can't wait. It was awesome having unlimited and extremely generous pours from all the breweries. I didn't even have to use all my beer tickets. The food trucks were also a huge plus, i mean the grill cheese truck with an all vegan menu? Hell yeah. I ate so much guys i literally rolled out of there. I attended the first day and it wasn't as crowded and the lines weren't too long.

This was my first year attending the Vegan Oktoberfest and I liked it a lot. It was definitely more like, just a festival that has a few Oktoberfest things in it, but whatever... what do you expect from a festival in DTLA.?

The first thing I noticed was that the place wasn't insanely crowded, which was a huge plus for me. I've been to many festivals in the LA area, and crowd control is always a problem. This festival is pretty pricey, just to get in the door, so I'm assuming that's why some were uninterested. For a drinking ticket (unlimited beer samplings) it's was $45. For non-drinking it was $20. For VIP (unlimited beer samplings and extra 1 hour entrance before general admission) is was $65.

Second, the layout was pretty great. They had all the food trucks in one section, then the beer tents in another, then the stage off in other, and vegan vendors scattered throughout. They spaced it nicely, so people weren't so huddled together. Again... whoever was in charge of crowd control deserves a raise. And there were plenty of tables to eat at. That's another big mistake festivals often make.

Third, the food truck selection was great and they had a wide variety of food, and then of course some dogs and pretzels to "Oktoberfest" it up. There were also many cool, and we'll known vegan apparel vendors and great beers and ciders.

Overall, it was a great event. I will probably go again just because it's cool to be surrounded by like-minded people (vegans), and it's so well run.

So overall I'll give them pretty solid marks for an awesome event. There was an over abundance of food options as well as beer vendors. This was my first year going but from what I've read, they've really acted on the feedback that they received. For $45 you got admission and unlimited beer. It was pretty legit considering you got three beer tickets to get three full glasses of beer and you got unlimited "half" fills so you could taste many different beers. They had a band playing on the stage the entire time so that was fun to keep the energy going. Just a few things I hope they'll work on next year.

-Shade - seriously look at the pic I posted. There were tons of tables but none of them were in the shade. All of the natural shade is where the beer vendors were... They have tents. They don't need shade.
-$20 non-drinking admission - look I get it that you need to make money, but how come for $45 I get unlimited beer, but my designated driver has to pay $20 and gets nada?!? Add some bottled water or craft sodas or something to make the $20 worth it.
-Announce last call well in advance. It's pretty lame when you've been waiting in a line to get your last pour at an event that ends at 5pm. Then at 4:35pm a guy on a megaphone makes and announcement that beer service will end in 2 minutes... You start your stop watch concerned about your line and one minute later... That's right ONE minute later the same guy announces that beer service is closed! LAME!
-Sample Sizes - there is so much good food that it would be awesome if you required each of the vendors to offer a sample size of their items (for sale of course). I wanted to try the fried chicken and he buffalo chicken wings but didn't really need a full order of both.

Other than those suggestions I'd say it's a solid event and I'm glad we went! Look forward to checking it out next year.