Moby announces launch of vegan music festival at Mercy for animals 2016 Hidden Heroes charity Gala

On Saturday evening, the stars came together for the 2016 Mercy for Animals Hidden Heroes Gala held at the beautiful Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles.

Performer Moby has been a vegan for over 30 years and a animal rights activist working with Mercy for Animals.

Moby announced he will be  starting a vegan festival with Mercy for Animals and Tony Kanal which will happen on October 23rd at the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles and all proceeds will go to the Mercy for Animals Foundation 

Activists: Moby announced he will be starting a vegan festival with Mercy for Animals and Tony Kanal which will happen on October 23rd

 Celebrities such as Tony Kanal, Russell Simmons , Kat Von D, Mark Pontius, Daisy Fuentes, Alison Eastwood, Skye P. Marshall, Daniella Monet, Michelle Forbes, Evanna Lynch, Lesley Nicol, Elaine Hendrix and Jon Ecker show their support.

Goth and Sparkles: Kat Von D and Mya had two very different contrasting styles at the event

Picture perfect: Actress Elaine Hendrix showed her support at the event for Mercy for animals

 Mercy for Animals is the world’s premiere farmed animal protection organization, and honored the work of its brave undercover investigators.

Inside of the gala, music mogul Russell Simmons, Grammy-nominated artist Moby, and celebrated reality star and entrepreneur Kat Von D all presented awards. 

Raising awareness: Russell Simons and Kat Von D presented awards

 Moby has been a vegan since his late teens and has often spoken about his decision to avoid all meat and animal products.

The star is putting his 30 years of eating greens to use and opened a vegan restaurant in Silver Lake, California, called Little Pine. 

 Explaining to Rolling Stone why he is a vegan, the long time animal love said it was simple.

Speech: Founder and executive director of Mercy For Animals Nathan Runkle made a touching speech

‘I loved (and love) animals and I don’t want to be involved in anything that leads to or contributes to their suffering. At first this led me to give up beef and chicken. Then fish (if you’ve ever spent time with fish you realize pretty quickly that they feel pain and are much happier not being hooked or speared or netted).

‘Then I thought, “I don’t want to contribute to animal suffering. But the cows and chickens in commercial dairy and egg farms are pretty miserable, so why am I still eating milk and eggs?” So in 1987 I gave up all animal products and became a vegan.

‘Simply so that I could eat and live in accordance with my beliefs that animals have their own lives, that they’re entitled to their own lives and that contributing to animal suffering is something that I don’t want to be a part of.’