Veganism in 2025: Key Events, Campaigns, and Trends

As we step into 2025, the vegan movement continues to grow. Across the world, advocates are coming together to challenge the broken systems, inspire change, and champion the rights of our fellow animals. Whether it’s through festivals, advocacy, or legislation, 2025 is already shaping up to be a year of progress and action.

In this article, we’ll explore the major events, campaigns, and trends set to shape veganism and the animal freedom movement over the next 12 months. Let’s dive into what lies ahead!

Campaigns For Your Calendar

As in previous years, some campaigns are firmly fixed to specific dates. This creates momentum, focus, and anticipation. Some of the key dates for your calendar include:

·         Veganuary 2025

Veganuary is back in full swing, encouraging people worldwide to adopt a vegan lifestyle throughout January. The 2025 campaign is perhaps the boldest one so far; titled “WEIRD?”, a series of jarring, provocative ads highlight how strange many non-vegan food practices are when we stop to think about them (e.g. drinking secretions produced to nourish a baby cow).

People from more than 228 countries now participate in Veganuary. Around 28% of participants say they opted to stay vegan after taking part. You can find out more at veganuary.com

·         World Wildlife Day

World Wildlife Day is a global event, held every year on 3rd March, to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s free-living animals and plants. 2025’s theme is “Wildlife Conservation Finance”.

With more than one million species now estimated to be threatened with extinction, organisers say that finance for wildlife conservation is imperative. The campaign also wants to raise awareness that biodiversity loss is an increasing threat to human health and livelihoods.

·         World Aquatic Animal Day

World Aquatic Animal Day is celebrated on 3^rd April every year. Various organisations mark this dedicated day with their own campaigns to shine a spotlight on the challenges animals who live in or near water face across the globe.

The Vegetarian Society is urging people to keep aquatic animals off their plates, using “flavours of the sea” such as seaweed, Old Bay Seasoning, braised tofu, banana blossom, and vegan “fish” sauce as tasty alternatives.

·         World Day for Animals in Laboratories (WDAL) 2025

This international event takes place on 24^th April every year and focuses on ending the suffering of animals in laboratories. Activities may include protests, educational events, and outreach campaigns to raise awareness about animal testing. The campaign also highlights advanced scientific research and testing techniques that don’t use our animal kin.

World Day for Animals in Laboratories was instituted by the UK’s National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) in 1979 and has been a focal point for ending animal testing and developing alternatives for more than 40 years.

In 1985, NAVS erected a statue of a dog in Battersea Park to commemorate the millions of individual animals who have been murdered or subjected to immense suffering in laboratories. You can read the story behind the statue here.

The 1992 WDAL march in London remains the biggest anti-vivisection march in history with approximately 23,000 people in attendance. The march contributed to Boots closing its laboratories in 1994, representing a huge victory for the animal freedom movement at that time.

Taking part in WDAL events is a powerful way to advocate for change. Information about this year’s WDLA can be found on Facebook. A march is planned for Saturday 26^th April outside of MBR Acres, an industrial facility that breeds dogs for use in scientific, medical, and veterinary research in the UK; approximately 2,000 Beagle puppies are born here every year.

Indeed, MBR Acres will come under the spotlight from 1^st December 2025, when 12 Animal Rising supporters will go on trial for rescuing 20 Beagle puppies from the MBR Acres breeding facility in December 2022. All 12 activists have pleaded not guilty to charges of burglary. Instead, they hope that the court case “puts animal testing on trial” by highlighting to the public the cruelty and often short lives Beagles experience as research test subjects (you can read some of this evidence in the Animal Rising post linked to above).

The Animal Rising rescuers requested to be tried at Crown Court in front of a jury of their peers to bring the truth about animal testing into public view. This could prove to be a ground-breaking case.

·         United Kingdom Week for the Animals

This week-long event (running from 25^th June to 3^rd July in 2025) includes various activities across the UK, such as educational programmes, rescue centre volunteer events, and fundraisers, all aimed at promoting animal freedom and rights.

The event website has yet to be updated for 2025 but can be found here: https://www.ukanimals.org/

·         World Farmed Animals Day

World Farmed Animals Day (also known as “World Day for Farmed Animals) takes place on 2^nd October every year, a date chosen in honour of Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday. The day aims to “raise awareness and educate people about the deplorable conditions of farmed animals in factory farming”. It places particular emphasis on recognising and honouring animal sentience, as well as highlighting the catastrophic impact of factory farming on the planet and climate.

·         World Animal Day (October 4, 2025)

World Animal Day is a global event that falls on 4^th October dedicated to raising the status of our fellow animals. Events and fundraising focus on welfare campaigns and celebrating animal protection milestones. Grants sponsored by Naturewatch Foundation are available to not for profit, non-governmental animal welfare organisations that can show their work is having a significant, lasting impact.

·         World Vegan Day and Month

World Vegan Day originated in the UK on 1^st November 1994 to celebrate 50 years of The Vegan Society. This was later extended to Vegan Week and then World Vegan Month. Starting on 1^st November, you can expect campaigns, festivals, and public outreach events globally that celebrate veganism’s benefits for all animals, the planet, and health.

·         Other Awareness Days

There are dedicated days throughout the year to raise awareness about specific species of our animal kin and the issues impacting them. Wendy Graham at Moral Fibres has published a comprehensive roundup of these dates for 2025, which may be of interest if you support an individual cause.

Conferences & Summits

There are many different ideas and approaches within the vegan and animal freedom movements. Conferences and summits bring people together to share their experiences, what’s working and what isn’t, and their vision for the future.

Some of 2025’s high-profile events will include:

·         Vegan and Animal Rights Conference (VARC) 2025

VARC 2025 brings together advocates, organisations, leaders, and changemakers to strengthen the UK’s animal freedom movement.

The conference will take place in Manchester from 28^th-30^th March 2025, and offers a packed programme of 50+ inspiring talks, workshops and panels, fresh perspectives, and opportunities for meaningful connections among over 400 passionate attendees.

You can find out more about the speakers, conference schedule, and book tickets here.

·         AVA Summits

The AVA Summit events are organised by AVA International (Animal & Vegan Advocacy), a non-profit that is dedicated to removing animals from the food system and other human uses.

The first AVA summit of 2025 is scheduled for 15^th-18^th May in Los Angeles. More than 800 advocates and activists are expected to attend; the event programme covers talks, panels, workshops, community meals, and opportunities for organisations to meet with potential funders.

AVA Summit Africa (Nairobi, 17^th-20^th July), AVA Summit Asia (September or October), and AVA Summit Latin America (December or January 2026) are also planned with the vision of increasing impact around the world.

·         UN Climate Change Conference (COP30)

The COP30 Conference is scheduled to take place from 10^th to 21^st November in Brazil. According to the Climate Diplomacy website, the main themes will include:

1. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
2. Adaptation to climate change
3. Climate finance for developing countries
4. Renewable energy technologies and low-carbon solutions
5. Preserving forests and biodiversity
6. Climate justice and the social impacts of climate change

Throughout this milestone event, there are likely to be discussions on animal agriculture’s environmental impact and the role of plant-based solutions in combating climate change. We would suggest keeping an eye on the COP30 website (linked to above) and the press for more information as it’s released.

Festivals

Vegan festivals are planned throughout the world in 2025, so much so that it’s impossible to include them all here! Still, we’ve listed a good selection of festivals below. As these events may be subject to change, always check the event website for the latest details (we’ve included links wherever available).

UK-based vegan festivals

• Stockport Vegan Festival – 9^th February
• Earth First! Winter Moot 2025 – 14^th-16^th February
• Nottinghamshire Vegan Festival 2025 – Sunday 16^th March
• Compassionate Derby 2025 – Saturday 22^nd March
• Coventry Vegan Festival – 5^th April
• Scottish Vegan Festival – 6^th April
• Northern Vegan Festival (Manchester) – 17^th April
• Yorkshire Vegan Festival (Pudsey) – 3^rd May
• Edinburgh Vegan Festival – 17^th May
• Swansea Vegan Festival – 31^st May
• Somerset Vegan Festival – 7^th June
• Scotland Vegan Festival (Paisley) – 12^th July
• Leeds Vegan Summer Festival – 9^th-10^th August
• Vegan Kids Festival – 22^nd-24^th August
• Vegan Camp Out Festival – 28^th August – 1^st September
• Bournemouth Vegan Festival – 6^th September
• Portsmouth Vegan Festival – 20^th September
• Essex Vegan Festival – 4^th October

International vegan festivals

• Vegan Street Festival Hamburg, Germany – Date TBC
• Vegan Summerfest, Pittsburgh, USA – 10^th-14^th July
• Veggie Fest Chicago – Date TBC (likely to be a two-day event in August)
• VegTO Fest Toronto, Canada – Date TBC (likely to be a two-day event in September)

Ongoing Campaigns & Advocacy

Vegan advocates and activists are working on a huge variety of campaigns throughout the year, many of which aren’t tied to specific dates or events. In 2025, we predict a growth in:

·         End Animal Agriculture Campaigns

This is likely to include global and regional advocacy for the reduction of factory farming, which may be coordinated around major agricultural trade fairs and exhibitions. Such campaigns include END.IT from Compassion in World Farming, and End Factory Farming Before It Ends Us from Viva!

·         Global Plant-Based Treaty Campaigns

The focus of these campaigns is to pressure large emitters and influential governments to adopt plant-based policies in response to the climate crisis. You can find out more about one such campaign on the Plant-Based Treaty website.

·         “Ban Live Export” Initiatives

We predict that there will be continued efforts to highlight and end the live export of animals for slaughter, focusing on campaigns in Australia, New Zealand, and the EU. Compassion in World Farming runs an annual “Ban Live Export International Awareness Day” on 14^th June but is campaigning on this issue throughout the year.

·         Animal Testing Legislation Reform

Following momentum from recent EU discussions on a ban on animal testing for cosmetics, advocacy will likely push for global adoption of similar measures.

·         Rise of Cultivated Meat and Alternative Proteins

With cultivated/cultured meat (meat grown from animal-derived stem cells, often from the blood of a cow foetus) gaining regulatory approval in more countries, we can expect campaigns and events promoting these as viable solutions to animal agriculture. This may be problematic for the vegan community as cultivated meat is created from animal cells and is still a by-product of the current food system.

Some producers are working to develop alternative plant-based proteins, and we are likely to see an increase in the availability of these. Some commentators have raised concerns about plant-based proteins being ultra-processed, so we may see a shifting narrative around this and a growing emphasis on eating whole foods.

·         Fur-Free Movements

We hope that 2025 will bring continued advocacy to make more countries ban fur farming and fur imports, with a focus on North America and Asia. ACTAsia is one organisation striving to shine a light on the barbaric realities of the fur trade.

·         Ban on foie gras and an end to salmon farming

These are two of the big issues that Animal Equality UK will be taking on this year. In 2024, the organisation secured a Labour Party pledge to ban the importation of foie gras, and it also hosted a Parliamentary event attended by over a dozen MPs. Animal Equality plans to build on this momentum to secure a ban on foie gras being available in the UK.

In September 2024, North East Lincolnshire Council approved a £120million onshore salmon farm development in Cleethorpes. Animal Equality will be challenging this decision in Leeds High Court within the next few months.

·         “Meatless Mondays” Expansion

Given the way that Veganuary has moved into the public consciousness and is encouraging people to eat a more plant-based diet, we predict that the Meatless Monday will grow, integrating plant-based initiatives into schools, hospitals, community groups, workplaces, and corporate policies.

·         Ocean Conservation and Veganism

This year, there are likely to be a variety campaigns focusing on the impacts of fishing industries, tying ocean health to plant-based dietary shifts.

Key vegan topics for the year ahead

Before we finish this round-up, we thought we’d highlight some of the big topics in the vegan space for 2025.

·         Animal Rights and AI

AI presents huge opportunities and ethical challenges in every walk of life, including the animal freedom movement (you can find our most recent blog about AI and veganism here).

There are now companies selling AI systems for farms and slaughterhouse that monitor animal behaviour and identify issues such as lameness, dehydration or distress. The narrative is that this will provide “objective evidence of animal welfare assurance” and has the potential to positively transform the animal agriculture industry. This idea of automated welfare represents a dark progression from welfare labels as it will no doubt be used to reassure people that there is a humane way to farm animals for their flesh and secretions.

On the flipside, however, AI surveillance technology may help activists conduct undercover investigations and build a clear people of the suffering experience by farmed animals.

·         Corporate welfare washing

There is likely to be growing scrutiny on corporations promoting “humane” animal products (welfare washing) in 2025. Expect debates and exposés, similar to those linked to the RSPCA Assured scheme that we covered on our blog in 2024.

·         Intersectionality in veganism

A growing number of people are joining the dots between how humans treat their fellow animals and how they treat one another (see this post, for example, where positive reinforcement dog trainer Zak George discuss intersectionality in the dog training industry). Similarly, we are likely to see increased emphasis on veganism’s connection with social justice, including racial equity, feminism, and Indigenous rights.

·         Legislation for domestic companion animals

In 2024, France, Germany, and the UK made various promises to introduce legislation to improve the lives of various domestic companion animals. In 2025, it’s likely that advocates will want to build on this momentum by strengthening laws regarding “pet” welfare, such as stricter breeding regulations, tougher consequences for animal abduction, banning shock collars, and mandatory microchipping for cats.

2025 is a year of potential for veganism

As we look ahead to 2025, it’s clear that the vegan and animal freedom movements are gaining momentum in both breadth and depth. With a packed calendar of events, campaigns, and advocacy efforts (with many we may not have discovered yet), the year promises to be pivotal for advancing animal rights, promoting plant-based solutions, and addressing the intersection of veganism with pressing global issues.

Whether you’re an advocate, an ally, or simply curious about taking your first steps into the movement, there’s never been a better time to get involved.