Hundreds join world's largest National Animal Rights Day event in Bournemouth

Nearly 600 people gathered in Bournemouth on Sunday for what organisers say was the largest National Animal Rights Day event held anywhere in the world for the third consecutive year.

The annual event, which forms part of the global National Animal Rights Day movement, saw 230 people take part in a silent memorial procession through the town centre before joining a day-long Life Festival celebrating compassionate living, veganism and animal protection.

Participants assembled at Bournemouth Pier Approach before processing silently through the Lower Gardens, The Square and Commercial Road to The Triangle, where speeches, music and the formal Declaration of Animal Rights took place.

Organisers Sasha Jolliffe Yasawi and Chris Jolliffe said the event continues to grow in both size and significance, attracting people from across the UK and beyond.

"We were honoured to welcome almost 600 people throughout the day, including 230 participants in the silent memorial procession," they said.

"Bournemouth Animal Rights Day forms part of National Animal Rights Day, a global movement organised by Our Planet. Theirs Too., now in its 16th year. Events take place in more than 50 countries on the first Sunday of June, with around 10 taking place across the UK this year. Bournemouth has now hosted the largest National Animal Rights Day event in the world for three consecutive years."

The centrepiece of the event was the silent procession, described by organisers as a symbolic funeral march for animals who lose their lives through farming, experimentation, entertainment, fashion and other forms of exploitation.

"The procession is intentionally silent," Sasha and Chris explained. "It is a funeral procession for the countless non-human animals who lose their lives every day through systems of exploitation. The silence creates space for reflection and invites people to see the world through the eyes of the victims. Many participants told us it was one of the most moving parts of the day."

Following the procession, hundreds gathered at The Triangle for speeches and performances from campaigners, musicians and animal welfare advocates. Speakers included entrepreneur and activist Heather Mills, Viva! founder Juliet Gellatley, Animal Welfare Party leader Vanessa Hudson, Vegfest founder Tim Barford and Green councillor Chris Rigby.

Opening the afternoon programme, Sasha Jolliffe Yasawi thanked volunteers, traders, speakers, performers and attendees before delivering the Declaration of Animal Rights.

Addressing the crowd, he said: "To all the vegans here, thank you for living your values and helping build a kinder world. And to those who are not vegan? Welcome.

"You are welcome here with respect and dignity, the same respect and dignity that we believe animals seek for themselves.

"Thank you for your stories, your conversations, your questions, your curiosity, and your willingness to be here."

He urged attendees to bring "their whole self" to the movement and encouraged them to sign the Declaration of Animal Rights not only with their name but also with personal messages, drawings and memories that were later placed on a memorial bench alongside handmade origami animals created for the event.

Alongside the memorial elements, organisers sought to showcase practical alternatives through the Life Festival, which featured 26 ethical and plant-based traders offering food, clothing, jewellery, cosmetics and lifestyle products.

"The Life Festival offers a vision of what a more compassionate future could look like," Sasha and Chris said.

"This year we welcomed 26 ethical plant-based traders offering food, clothing, jewellery, cosmetics, and other products, showing that enjoyment, community, and compassion can thrive together."

The event also received praise from Dorset Police officers working on the day.

"Several police officers told us they had never experienced anything quite like the event," the organisers said. "They described it as peaceful, welcoming, inclusive, and thought-provoking. That combination of remembrance and celebration is what makes the day so powerful."

National Animal Rights Day events were held in more than 50 countries worldwide over the weekend, with Bournemouth once again emerging as the movement's largest gathering.

For organisers, however, the event is about more than numbers.

"At its heart, veganism is not a diet," they said. "It is a movement that challenges the exploitation of animals and asks us to extend respect, dignity, and consideration to all sentient beings.

"The event brings together vegans and non-vegans alike to reflect on our relationship with other animals and to imagine a society where compassion is no longer the exception, but the norm."