On Sept. 24, 2011, more than 6,000 visitors joined us at the DC VegFest, making this event—the largest vegetarian celebration in the nation’s capital— even bigger than last year’s festival!

Crowds gathered well before the event’s start time of 11 a.m. forming long lines in hopes of snagging one of the 500 free DC VegFest 2011 commemorative bags loaded with free product samples -- within 10 minutes, all 500 bags were gone! And with the event just underway, festival-goers quickly turned their attention to more than 75 exhibitors -- including 20 restaurants dishing out delicious food -- spread out all over the University Yard at George Washington Univ. The massive tent where presentations were hosted was packed throughout the day, often with standing room only. The book-signing lines for Wayne Pacelle, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and Isa Chandra Moskowitz wrapped around the corner with excited fans waiting for a photo-op. And thanks to a fantastic group of American Sign Language interpreters, all of the speakers were able to reach an even broader audience.

Check out all of our photos from the 2011 DC VegFest -- and we'll keep adding more as volunteers and festival-goers keep sharing them with us!

DC VegFest 2011 was tremendous success thanks to all the support from our generous sponsors, wonderful exhibitors, amazing volunteers, and, of course, the thousands of attendees who came out to discover and celebrate the many benefits of vegetarian eating. Tell us how the DC VegFest inspired you -- or your friends and family.

Want to hear what are other people saying? Check out all of the reviews that are pouring in, including the Washington Post, DC Event Junkie, Brightest Young Things,  Everyday Revelry, and The Hatchet.