The Capitol Bacon Festival and DC VegFest will not only take place on the same day (this Saturday), but coincidentally, in the same place. The two very opposite events are located only half a block from each other near Nationals Park—close enough that those sampling seitan will no doubt get a whiff of pig.

Organizers for both camps say the proximity wasn’t intentional. Compassion Over Killing executive director Erica Meier, whose nonprofit organizes the annual vegan festival, says she only learned about the bacon bonanza yesterday. “We certainly welcome anyone attending that event to also stop by the DC VegFest,” she says. She points out that they will have their own veggie “bacon” in addition to meat-free sausages, dairy-free ice cream, and more.

Meanwhile, Capitol Bacon Festival will be serving up bacon-and-cheddar-filled hot dogs, grilled bacon tacos, candied bacon, and much more. Organizer Evan Weinstein says he likewise only just found out about the nearby VegFestDC within the past week. This is the very first Capitol Bacon Festival, although Weinstein also hosted a bacon fest in Baltimore this spring. 

“We’ve gotten some push-back from some activists on social media,” Weinstein says, although it was unrelated to Compassion Over Killing. For example, one person posted a video of pigs being tortured on the event’s Facebook page. But Weinstein assures: “Our bacon supplier is one of the highest regarded for the treatment of animals.” And even though he is hosting a bacon event, Weinstein says he does eat quite a bit of vegan food.

“I really hope there’s not fights and brawls between the bacon lovers and the animal lovers,” Weinstein says.

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