Highlights from LA’s Hottest Vegan Summer Party

We love a good vegan party. In fact, a plant-based soirée is one of the reasons why we showcase fairytale vegan weddings every year. However, you only get married once (hopefully), but birthdays are an annual event. With this is mind, we scored an invite to one of Los Angeles’ largest vegan birthday parties for an exclusive look into one of the city’s most anticipated social events. The event (AshBash17) was curated by birthday boy Asher Brown, owner of Pollution Studios, a stage and rental equipment facility in downtown LA. The party was an overwhelming success, but we’ve since realized that we don’t need a production studio or vegan sponsors to have a good time because what made the event was the people. Here are a few others things we discovered about the party … and what we might incorporate into our next birthday bash.

The background
Brown prefers to focus on vegan brands and animal nonprofits to align his activism with his work. He has been vegan for more than 10 years and has built a strong network of vegan artists, producers, influencers, and celebrities. So what does one do with a three-stage studio, a standout production team, and hundreds of vegan friends? Throw epic vegan parties! Brown has hosted three major events at Pollution for the past nine years (his birthday party, Vegan Thanksgiving, and a Spring Fling). Besides the obvious draw of a good time, Brown hosts these elaborate parties to unite and strengthen the vegan community. His gatherings draw people from a host of professions, such as writers, music producers, chefs, artists, influencers, and celebrities (Alex Karpovsky from Girls was in attendance). Brown’s goal is to create the perfect setting for vegans to connect and collaborate, while also setting a positive example for the non-vegans attendees who experience the great food, high energy, cool people, and good vibes. By the end of the night, (the party ended at 4:30am) Ashbash17 drew approximately 500 guests and four dogs, who mingled amicably among the humans and enjoyed their fair share of attention.

The entertainment
Besides the dynamic company, AshBash17 also offered endless entertainment options to keep attendees engaged and energized. Guests could explore three stages and the parking lot, which featured different activities. The outdoor portion was the most laid-back. Guests entered, greeted the birthday boy, and mingled while enjoying vegan tacos and a bonfire with an interactive s’mores station. Within the studio, people let loose. There was a bounce house, a photo booth with ridiculous props, a DJ and dance floor, and an obstacle course bounce house complete with a giant chalk scoreboard. Furthermore, the floors were covered with various inflatable toys left over from a recent music video. Roller skates were also provided for guests to cruise around the lot.

The food
To our initial disappointment, there was no cake. However, the vegan tacos, s’mores station, kombucha cocktails, and various accidentally vegan snacks more than made up for its absence. Plant Food for People—one of Los Angeles’ most popular vegan taco trucks—served spicy jackfruit tacos, stuffed Mexican tortas, and loaded nacho boats all night. On the sweeter side, the Justin’s and Dandies s’mores station offered a medley of sugary options for the ultimate vegan s’mores. The vegan chefs in attendance combined Justin’s peanut butter cups, torched Dandies marshmallows, graham crackers, and both dark and caramel-filled squares of Endangered Species Chocolate. In addition, red licorice, Oreo cookies, pretzels, and lollipops were available for a quick bite between obstacle course races.

Tanya Flink is a certified Master Personal Trainer based in Orange County, CA and host of The Vegan Potluck podcast.