Festival leaves out pig roast after simple message from concerned attendee

Organizers of a Halifax, Nova Scotia festival have decided to omit a prospective pig roast after an aspiring attendee asked them to do so nicely, if implicitly.

Vegan for the animals Marcie Nixon was met with what she says were “surprising” results after she contacted the organizers of the East Coast Cider Festival via Facebook last week.

“I’ve actually wanted to attend this event since it first came out but the pig roast was the only thing stopping me,” she told Living Vegan.

“I messaged Curated Halifax last year asking if there would be a roast, to which they replied yes, and I planned to message them each year going forward.”

But now, it seems she won’t have to. The organizers, who are also behind Curated Magazine Halifax, appeared happy to address her concerns. After Nixon explained that the presence of a whole roasting animal would bother her, she received a quick reply.

“Then we won’t have one,” wrote Alexander Henden, the executive producer of the event.

“Wow, really?” Nixon replied.

“Yep.”

Just like that. Imagine if it were always this easy. Looks like that old squeaky wheel adage has some substance to it after all, and Henden’s side of the story supports that.

“To be perfectly honest, we were just about decided on whether we were going to have a pig roast or not at the East Coast Cider Festival when Marcie made her inquiry,” he told Living Vegan.

“It was easy, at that stage, to make a quick decision.”

“We make these events for our customers first and foremost,” he added.

“We recognize that they are a diverse group and try to be as inclusive as possible without compromising on quality.”

It appears both involved parties hold true to the reputation of Canadians. In fact, Nixon wrote to Henden twice to thank him for his flexibility, noting the positive feedback she’s gotten from other vegans and vegetarians.

Good ol’ fashioned east coast courtesy aside, Henden told Living Vegan that those seeking more vegan-friendly events should also turn to their wallets.

According to the organizer, if the vegan and vegetarian options at the festival are popular enough, it could lead to an all-veg event in the future. Now, we’re talking.

Header image source: Goran Bogicevic/Shutterstock.com

Body image sources: Facebook and Marcie Nixon