Celebrate Mocktoberfest! A Meat-free 16-Day Event!

Ah! October! You leaf-changing month, you. We love breaking out the boots and scarves and big puffy sweaters and tossing a football around in the cool, crunchy grass. Oh, wait, that’s not us … that’s the Kennedys.

In addition to football and the Fall harvest … apples, and cider and pumpkin carving, October is famous for Oktoberfest, the 200-year-old German holiday that traditionally features men in lederhosen, overflowing mugs of beer, kielbasa and other meaty dishes. Many, many, meaty dishes. It’s clearly not a vegan holiday.

But it can be.

In fact, this news article points to Munich, Bavaria and the introduction of vegan tents at this year’s festivities. Interestingly, Munich was also recently noted as one of the most vegan-friendly cities in the world. Who knows? Future Oktoberfests could actually be centered around vegan dishes, whole foods, and vegetables (of course, all still being washed down with beer … can’t deny the beer).

From the ABC News report:

“As the event becomes more international, people with special dietary requirements and different culinary tastes are becoming the norm,” says Wolfgang Nickl of Munich’s city council, which is responsible for organizing Oktoberfest.

It’s not only foreign visitors who struggle with the meat-heavy menu, though. Vegetarianism and veganism are on the rise in Germany. About 800,000 of the country’s 7 million vegetarians forego all animal products, according to the Association of German Vegetarians (VEBU). “Whether it’s environmentalism, climate protection or health concerns, there is a growing awareness among Germans when it comes to the vegetarian agenda,” says VEBU spokeswoman Stephanie Stragies.

With so many mock meats now available and so many more coming on the market, there is no reason that Oktoberfest can’t become a 100% meatless event. When this happens, think about how happy all those cows, pigs, and chickens will be. They’ll want a beer.

Go vegan.

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Adorable pig photo © SanctuaryOne.