As summer approaches in the Northern Hemisphere, mycopreneurs, researchers, citizen scientists and enthusiasts around the world are preparing for one of nature's most anticipated annual spectacles: mushroom season. Triggered by seasonal rains and shifting temperatures, the fruiting bodies of vast underground mycelial networks emerge from forests, fields, mountainsides, and meadows, transforming landscapes into temporary kingdoms of mushrooms.

Depending on where you find yourself this season, you may encounter everything from little-known local species to world-famous culinary delicacies. Scientists estimate that as many as five million fungal species exist on Earth, yet only a fraction have been formally identified and described. That combination of mystery, abundance, and discovery helps explain why mushroom festivals have become one of the fastest-growing categories of nature-focused events worldwide.

Today we’re taking a tour of the upcoming international mushroom festival and conference circuit — from grassroots DIY style festivals in the woods to prestigious academic conferences at high-end hotels, the fungi festival and conference circuit has something for everyone. Let’s dive in:

The first-ever Portland Fungi Festival is set to take place at the iconic Los Hongos Cafe in the Richmond neighborhood of Southeast Portland. This event is being produced by veteran mushroom event producers Myceliumatters, the team behind the Texas Mushroom Conference, El Paso Plant & Fungi Festival, Africa Rising Mushroom Festival, and many others in the works.

I dropped in with Los Hongos Cafe owner and festival co-producer David Poplin to learn more about whats in store for the July 17-18 event in Portland:

“We are a functional mushroom cafe that focuses on education and community events. We created a space where currency is not the only transaction, striving to be that third space for people. At Los Hongos we believe education should be accessible for all regardless of income so we decided to put on a mushroom festival that includes music, comedy, educational lectures and artisanal vendors to compete with the overpriced Mycological Society of America conference occurring in Portland that same week. At the festival, our full menu will be available including mushroom infused coffee, elixirs, kava and gourmet blue oyster mushroom tacos/ food options.”

And speaking of comedy…I’ll be performing a stand up set for the opening party on July 17 alongside Robert Johnson of Mycroboost

Next up on the mushroom festival summer circuit, we have:

Now it’s 12th year, this festival is a major cultural touch point for the DIY independent mycology and arts community.

From festival founder William Padilla-Brown:

“MycoFest is a place where everyone can gather leaders and beginners all meet together to learn from each other. We have experts that take people out into the woods to explore Pennsylvania’s environment. We generally find over 200 unique specimens of mushrooms every year live art, live music, camping and family, friendly activities. This event was founded to promote ecological literacy in the northeast and mid Atlantic and continues to do so 12 years later.”

10 days after Mycofest wraps, the longest running mushroom festival in the United States kicks off in the bucolic mountain resort town of Telluride, Colorado.

This year's festival theme, "Rewild," reflects a growing interest in restoring ecosystems and rebuilding relationships between humans and the natural world.

The concept of rewilding traditionally refers to returning plants and animals to landscapes where they once thrived. Increasingly, fungi are becoming part of that conversation.

The theme is particularly fitting for Telluride, where attendees spend as much time outdoors as they do in lecture halls. For many visitors, the forests surrounding the town become a classroom where ecology comes alive through direct experience.

From festival co-founder Art Goodtimes and TMF Director Britt Bunyard:

(Editor’s Note: Keep your ears peeled for a forthcoming Mycopreneur Podcast episode with these two)

The inaugural World Mushroom Forum is an online event spearheaded by Oli Genn-Bash and me to create an accessible, global and multidisciplinary framework for communication and collaboration among fungi entrepreneurs, researchers, advocates and enthusiasts.

"I’ve spoken to countless people in the mushroom industry and watched it evolve over the years, with fascinating research and exciting innovation becoming more present every day” says Co-Founder Oli Genn-Bash.

“The World Mushroom Forum is an opportunity to bring together some of these conversations and myceliate with like-minded fungi folk to explore how the future of this industry will take shape.”

(Note: We will be releasing the next wave of speakers, community & media partners, and sponsors tomorrow, Friday, June 26. If you’ve applied to be a part of this and don’t see yourself on the graphic above, circle back tomorrow)

The inaugural Western New York Fungi Festival will take place at Campground Adventures near Hinsdale, New York, bringing together foragers, cultivators, educators, musicians, healers, and mushroom enthusiasts for a weekend designed to celebrate all things fungi.

Founded by local mushroom advocates Andrew and Lana, the festival represents something more ambitious than a typical mushroom event. Their goal is to create a gathering that blends education, recreation, wellness, art, and community into a uniquely Western New York experience.

The festival will take place at Campground Adventures, a unique ‘glamping’ property next to a river and with plenty of foraging spots nearby.

The venue offers a blend of outdoor recreation and modern comfort. Visitors can camp on-site or stay in themed glamping cabins and trailers. A creek running through the property provides opportunities for swimming and kayaking, while modern bathhouses, showers, and other amenities make the experience accessible for newcomers who may not be seasoned campers.

From festival founders Andrew and Lana (who are regular attendees at the weekly Mycopreneur Incubator!)

"We really wanted to create something that was different from other local festivals. It's going to be this really great combination of people from different backgrounds and different skills.

"It's camping," Andrew says, "but it's definitely not roughing it."

To prepare for the upcoming summer mushroom festival season, we recommend tapping in with Full Canopy Genetics to kickstart or level up your own personal mushroom research journey

Shroom Sabha is India’s first and largest mushroom festival, and the caliber of people they bring together from all corners of India and beyond for this event is truly remarkable. I was a keynote speaker at the first edition of Shroom Sabha in 2023 and it was life-changing for me.

From the organizers:

“Shroom Sabha is a gathering of minds, spirits, and spores — a space for people drawn to fungi and the many worlds they connect.

India’s first mushroom festival began as a celebration of the seen and unseen: the mushrooms that fruit after rain, the mycelial networks beneath our feet, the decomposers that return life to soil, the healers, teachers, fermenters, and strange companions that shape our ecologies, cultures, kitchens, medicines, and imaginations.

Fungi are among the most important and least understood forms of life on Earth. They build soil, recycle nutrients, support forests, ferment food, produce medicines, and sustain countless forms of life. They challenge our ideas of individuality, cooperation, intelligence, and what it means to live together. Yet despite their profound influence on the world around us, they often remain overlooked.

For four days, foragers, artists, scientists, cultivators, cooks, musicians, farmers, and mushroom lovers come together through forest walks, workshops, conversations, food, art, music, and shared curiosity.

Shroom Sabha is the fruiting body of a movement that has been germinating quietly: a call to notice fungi, learn from them, celebrate them, and imagine more connected ways of being in the world.”

(PS I wrote about the first edition of Shroom Sabha for High Times a few years ago) —

All Things Fungi festival is the premiere UK mushroom event. I was fortunate to be one of the invited speakers for their second edition in 2024. The organizers, atmosphere, programming, and fungi are second to none in terms of a complete package for festival goers.

From the organizers:

All Things Fungi Festival: art meets science, community reconnects with nature. This inclusive, eco-conscious space will explore fungi central to ecosystem health and sustainable solutions through workshops, art, and shared experiences.

Whether you're a mushroom lover, a nature wanderer, or just looking for a weekend under the trees, you're warmly invited. Our festival is a celebration of the weird and wonderful world of fungi, yes, but also of art, science, community, curiosity, and wellness. We encourage nature connection and sharing the joy of simply being outdoors.

We celebrate the creative spirit of fungi through artistic expression, innovative programming, and imaginative installations. The festival is a canvas for creativity, inviting participants to explore the boundless realms of both nature and human ingenuity.

Each day will start with a variety of wellness events, from yoga to breath work. After a day packed full of wholesome activities, we'll relax with live music and entertainment by the fire or at the secret woodland stage, or go and explore the fluorescent forest with UV torches. Look for bats, listen for owls or simply appreciate the dark skies. Whether you're new to fungi or an experienced mycologist there will be something for everyone.  

In Europe reading this newsletter? Make sure to tap in with Mycogenius, third-party tested and fully traceable functional mushroom extracts. You can also have them provide superlative quality extracts for your mushroom brand anywhere in the world through their bulk provider service at Functionalmushrooms.eu

The IMMC is for serious mushroom academics and business people — I was a guest at the last iteration of this biennial conference in Bari, Italy in 2024 and had a good enough showing to get invited as a keynote speaker for this year’s conference in the castle town of Braganca, Portugal.

I’ll be speaking on ‘Cultural Heritage and Biocultural Conservation of Mushrooms’ at the conference, citing the work of a number of people in the Mycopreneur network.

This is the type of event where attendees can connect directly with decision makers in the international mushroom industry and research space, and based on my experience at the previous conference, there’s a lot of valuable connections to be made and niche fungi industry knowledge to be gained in a compact time frame.

This one’s going to be a banger. I’m the emcee for the week and we’ve got a rockstar roster of contributors and high-flying programming soon to be announced. Some of the same people involved in producing other events listed here are also putting on the first Ojai Mushroom Summit, and the festivities are contained within a broader Ojai festival where the main street of the bohemian southern California ranch town enclave is closed down. From summit founder Omar:

“At its heart, the Ojai Mushroom Summit is about relationships- our relation to the land, with each other, and with the living systems that sustain us. We believe education, curiosity, and community are essential ingredients for creating a healthier and more connected future.” — Omar from Ojai Mushroom Summit 

Today's mushroom festival circuit spans a remarkable spectrum. At one end are grassroots gatherings centered on community foraging, outdoor education, and a shared appreciation for the fungal world. At the other are highly produced destination events featuring luxury accommodations, curated experiences, and immersive programming. Regardless of scale or budget, there is something for nearly everyone.

While mycology workshops, expert lectures, and keynote presentations remain central attractions, modern mushroom festivals increasingly offer much more. Visitors can find arts and crafts, culinary demonstrations, comedy shows, live music, dancing, wellness experiences, wild mushroom forays, and opportunities to connect with a growing global community fascinated by fungi.

I’m sure I missed some mushroom events, so feel free to respond to this email and let me know what else should be on my radar this summer. There’s a mushroom event happening pretty much every weekend between now and December, so I capped this with the Ojai Mushroom Summit in October to net get too long-winded. I’ll be at most of these events in-person, so please do say hi if you can make it out to one (or all!)

Today Jun 25, 3 pm eastern time U.S. / 12 pm pacific time

(*The incubator is always at 3 pm et / 12 pm pt unless explicitly stated due to co-host availability. Every week people try to log on when we’re wrapping up. I change time zones a lot and Zoom / Calendars can be funky to sync, so just bank on the Incubator always being at 3 pm et / 1 pm pt no matter what the link says)

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