Worcester VegFest was so crowded last year that organizers went out and found a larger venue for this year's festival, which will be April 15 at Worcester Technical High School.

“We decided to find a new location that allows us to grow, year after year,” Drew Wilson, the president and founder of VegWorcester, the group that organizes the VegFest, said. “Worcester Tech High is a perfect fit. We have space for more vendors, a bigger room for the presenters and we are excited to be able to accommodate more attendees.”

For the third annual VegFest, Wilson is expecting about 3,000 people, but it could be more — and maybe many more. He has been surprised before.

“The first year we were expecting 500 and were blown away when 2,000 people showed up,” he said. “Last year we were more prepared for the crowd, and we were thrilled to have over 3,000 people attend.”

The event, which is free, features internationally known proponents of a plant-based diet, including Kathy Freston, author of “Veganist” and “The Lean,” and biochemist T. Colin Campbell, author of “The China Study” and focus of the documentary “Forks Over Knives.”

We asked Wilson a few questions about Worcester VegFest. Here are his answers:

QIs the event only for vegetarians?

AVegFest is for everyone. Whether you're a die-hard carnivore or a lifelong vegan, you will find something you love at this festival. Everybody loves food, and eating more vegan food is good for everyone.

QWill there be food samples?

AAbsolutely. We are encouraging each of our food vendors to provide free samples.

You can sample veg pepper steak or vegan mac & cheese from Belmont Vegetarian, unchicken drumsticks from one of the two Loving Hut restaurants in Worcester, or taste some frozen yogurt and ice cream from the Like No Udder food truck.

QWhat some of the other highlights this year?

AWe will have over 60 exhibitors, free samples from dozens of companies and over a dozen food vendors. There will be a variety of animal rights groups present. Kathy Freston and Dr. T. Colin Campbell are our big name presenters. I am personally excited to have Nathan Runkle, founder of Mercy for Animals, giving a presentation on his work. MFA regularly makes headlines with their undercover investigations of factory farms. There will also be a moon bounce.

QWhy did you start VegFest?

AWorcester is one of the most vegetarian-friendly cities in America. There are several all-vegetarian restaurants in the Worcester area, our monthly fundraiser-buffet at Loving Hut is always packed, and each year there are more and more people choosing a vegetarian diet in Central Mass. We started the VegFest in 2010 because we wanted to show off how vegan-friendly Worcester is. We are also showing the people of Worcester that it is so easy to switch to a vegan diet and find amazing food.