The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission.
A vegan Fyre Fest? Vegandale visitors leave New York event ‘cranky and miserable’
‘I don’t think they had the manpower to face the waves of vegans that were trying to crash those gates,’ visitor says
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Vegandale visitors were left ‘cranky and miserable’ after the festival struggled to keep up with tickets and resources.
The popular traveling food and music event, which is expected to attract 100,000 people across North American cities this year, sparked widespread backlash from thousands of attendees who showed up at Citi Field in Queens on Saturday.
Attendees had paid from $15 for general admission to $90 for V.I.P. access, eager to sample some vegan delicacies and listen to New York rapper GloRilla’s set. However, the festival was woefully underprepared for the crowds.
“We were starving and cranky and miserable,” Queens graphic designer Rocco Marrongelli told the New York Times. “I don’t think they had the manpower to face the waves of vegans that were trying to crash those gates.”
Marrongelli had waited in line for over an hour before giving up and going home, much like many who had hoped to get in but were instead met with a lengthy ticketing process caused by too few metal detectors and festival organizers forgoing crowd control.
Those who had gotten struggled to find drinking water and shade amid the 84-degree weather, not to mention bathroom resources had run so low organizers had run out of toilet paper.
Many took to social media, with some X users likening Vegandale to the Fyre Festival, the 2017 luxury music festival infamous for stranding thousands of people on an island with nothing but disaster relief tents and mediocre food.
Meanwhile, Reddit posters encouraged attendees to report the event to City Hall. Despite the grumbling from some attendees, there were also positive posts about the event.
Vegandale, however, acknowledged that the setup could have been a lot better.
“We faced a few logistical challenges, which are part of working with a new venue,” said Jenna Lindsay, Vegandale’s vice president of communications and entertainment. She added that the team was aware they had to work out some kinks. “It was our first year at Citi Field, but the overall experience was really positive.”
This isn’t the first time the festival has drawn criticism. At last year’s New York event, the vegan community took issue with the headliner being Rick Ross, a rapper who owns several locations of the chicken restaurant chain Wingstop. Meanwhile, at the Chicago Vegandale in June of this year, a fight broke out during a Saweetie concert, causing what was reportedly a stampede.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments