1. There is glamour in being a vegan

Former Playboy model Victoria Eisermann, from Billingshurst, is co-founder of the K-9 Angels dog rescue charity. She will be one of the festival’s special guests. She was voted Europe’s sexiest vegetarian in 2007 by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

2. You can be a super athlete with a strict vegan diet

A trio of vegan bodybuilders, Alex Mitchell, Pete Ryan and Maz Marriott, will be hosting fitness talks and challenge sessions as they smash myths of meat being needed for muscle. World champion boxer David Haye, professional strongman Patrik Baboumian and wrestler Daniel Bryan, have all subscribed to a strict vegan diet.

3. Being vegan does not mean the end of your sweet tooth

Just because you are vegan does not mean you have to give up chocolate. A selection of stalls at Vegfest will be offering up vegan-friendly chocolate. Ellie Bedford, author of vegan children’s cookbook How to Eat a Rainbow, will be on hand to teach people how to make raw chocolate brownies.

4. You don’t have to be a hippie to be a vegan

Flower children are not the only people who are vegans, as one metalhead proves. Andrew O’Neil is a self-professed metal fan, comedian, amateur occultist and musician and is also a heterosexual transvestite – he wears female clothes and fancies girls. He is also “definitely not a goth”.

5. Learn what you can do with hemp

Vegfest’s Hemp Expo will teach you a multitude of uses for this variety of cannabis plant. The expo will feature BohoHemp, a chic boutique selling fashionable urban hemp-based clothing. Hemp-LimeConstruct will show how we can build houses using hempcrete.

6. Vegans can still drink alcohol

Some alcohol is produced using animal products such as fish bladder, egg whites, casein or gelatin. But there is still plenty of choice tipples for vegans with stalls such as Merrydown, Harbourne Vineyard, the Bristol Cider Barn and the Pitfield Brewery.

7. Learn about extreme endurance

Wim Hof, the holder of 21 Guinness World Records for his astounding endurance skills, will be making his first ever live UK appearance at Vegfest. Mr Hof has run a marathon above the Arctic circle in shorts, hung on one finger at an altitude of 2,000 metres, and officially swam under ice for 66 metres.

8. Being vegan is not all serious

A crop of vegan comedians will be taking to the stage at the UK’s first Vegan Comedy Festival as part of Vegfest. With a barrel of laughs on the table, any narrowminded stereotypes of hard-headed righteousness are out the window

9. Cheese is not completely off the menu

Despite having to rule out dairy at Vegfest you can learn about vegan cheese substitutes. Vegusto will be bringing their No-Moo cheeses to the new product show case at the festival.

10. BBQs are still on the menu

Meat-free burgers, along with meat-free sausages which are 100% vegan safe, will be on show at Vegfest. Dee’s Wholefoods will be offering up perfect summer beach chow without the meaty overheads.