We were lucky to catch up with Ariel Levin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ariel, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

The biggest risk I have taken in recent years would be making the decision to drop out of college to pursue an entrepreneurial career.

It was January 2018, and I had just made an incredibly spontaneous decision to move to Miami for college to get a degree in Nutrition & Dietetics.
When I graduated high school, I took a gap year because I was lost with no direction or or any idea on what I wanted to do with my life.

The gap year lead to nowhere, so I took the conventional path and settled on going to college.
This path only lasted one semester before I made the decision to drop out entirely for the least conventional path I could have possible came up with.

I had just uprooted my life to attend college, and not even five months late I quit everything in order to pursue my “crazy, irrational, unreasonable” idea of hosting vegan festivals instead.

This was a conversation that didn’t go over too well with my family, because it seemed like this was going to be another excuse to put off school and attempt another failed venture. Ultimately, I was given their blessing under the condition that I would return to college in the Fall.

I fully committed to the unknown, because I had no experience or guidebook on how to host an event.
Over the next five months, I would prepare for the day that would change my life forever: VEGAN BLOCK PARTY.

The risk was worth the reward when thousands of people showed up, which was a clear sign that others saw my vision and wanted to support a cause that was for the greater good.
I had been vegan for over five years at the time, and it was reassuring knowing that my pursuit was in alignment with my morals, values, and lifestyle.

Since that decision in 2018, I haven’t looked back (and never returned to college). Five years later, VEGAN BLOCK PARTY has grown into the largest series of plant based food, drink, and lifestyle festivals in Florida. The risk I was willing to take proved to be a testimony on the rewards that await when you follow your heart and intuition.

Ariel, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Nice to meet you – my name is Ariel Levin, and I am the Founder and CEO of VEGAN BLOCK PARTY. We host the biggest plant based food, drink, and lifestyle festivals in South Florida and beyond!

I grew up in Orlando as an avid equestrian athlete, and moved to Wellington (Palm Beach County) back in 2012, where I fully thought I would become a professional in the equine world.
I went vegan right before my 16th birthday, when I realized that my love for animals exceeded any desire I had to eat them.

Going vegan transformed my life, and impacted my interests as I aged into adulthood.
Although I thought I wanted to be a full time equestrian, that career path ultimate didn’t work out, and I ended up going to college feeling lost.

After my first semester, a spring break trip to attend a vegan festival in California ultimately sparked an idea to host my own iteration of a plant based party right here in South Florida.
VEGAN BLOCK PARTY was born, and hosting vegan festivals has been my career ever since.

When I am not plotting my next festival, I am typically riding my road bike or Peloton. I love strength training, being out in nature, spending time with animals, traveling, and cooking.

I think what sets me aside from most people is the fact that my career path is in direct alignment with my lifestyle to the point where I don’t see it as “work”. I view the time and energy put into hosting VEGAN BLOCK PARTY as a moral obligation, as I want to showcase veganism in a modern, fun, exciting way that welcomes everyone with no judgement.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

The best way to support any small business is first and foremost with your dollar. Small, local businesses are founded by risk takers and creatives who are in need of support.

In today’s society, monetary exchange is crucial to keep businesses alive and thriving.
If you have the ability to support the community versus funding massive multi-billion dollar corporations, please consider doing so.

As someone who hosts festivals that gather 70+ local vendors, we see firsthand the hardwork and dedication that each and every single business owner puts into their craft.
Whether it is making amazing vegan food, or growing local crops, or making handcrafted jewelry – your dollar does wonders for the people that need it most in order to stay afloat and thriving.

If you don’t always have the financial means to make meaningful purchases, consider leaving small businesses reviews on major social platforms and help spread the word about their services.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Although this journey seems like it was overwhelmingly positive, there have been some incredibly low points that make me question whether a conventional, safe career path would have been a better choice.

An example would be when I had spent ten months planning a festival that was the first major event back after the pandemic.
I dedicated all my time, effort, and energy into planning what would be the biggest vegan event that ever hit South Florida.

When festival day arrived, everything crumbled due to circumstances beyond our control.
I watched all of the work from the better part of that entire year completely fall apart, damaging my reputation with vendors, sponsors, and the community as a whole.

Following that failed event, I took seven months away thinking that my life was ruined and everything I had worked for slipped through my fingers. When I found the motivation to try again, I was terrified of another misstep and decided to pivot.

We ended up hosing four smaller scale festivals in 2022, which ended up growing into four events that were bigger and better than the failed one ever was.
The community gave us another chance, and showed up in waves. We rebuilt our reputation, relationships, and friendships with those who had watched us fail, and ultimately grew into what is now VEGAN BLOCK PARTY.

It took a major failure to reevaluate, and the conclusion I have since come to is that there is actually no such thing as failing. You can learn from your mistakes and continue pivoting and growing, or you can let them consume you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://veganblockparty.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/veganblockparty
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/veganblockparty
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/C8BFLGm-qkA?si=gkVPYXmMNYRAHiFp