MycoFest 12 Is Heading Into the Appalachians and It's the Most Ambitious One Yet

Eleven years in, MycoFest has earned its reputation as the largest consistently attended multi-day mushroom festival in the United States. For 2026, organizer William Padilla-Brown and the MycoSymbiotics team are taking it somewhere new: Four Quarters Interfaith Sanctuary, nestled deep in the forests of the Appalachian mountains in Artemas, Pennsylvania.

MycoFest 12 runs Friday July 31 through Sunday August 2, 2026, and based on what has been announced, this iteration is the most expansive the festival has ever been. Premium camping, the broadest foraging program in the event's history, and a setting that puts attendees directly inside one of the most biodiverse woodland ecosystems on the East Coast.

What MycoFest Actually Is

For anyone unfamiliar, MycoFest is not a conference with mushroom branding. It's a full-immersion gathering built around hands-on learning, guided forays, skill-sharing, music, art, and community. Since William Padilla-Brown founded it through MycoSymbiotics in 2015, it has deliberately moved away from the lecture-theatre format that most mycology events default to.

MycoFest continues to evolve beyond traditional lecture-style conferences. Instead, the focus is on hands-on learning, interactive workshops, guided forays, and skill-sharing experiences led by some of the most knowledgeable educators in mycology, permaculture, and ecological stewardship.

That philosophy is what separates it from a standard industry event. You're not sitting in rows watching slides. You're in the field, in the kitchen, at the fire, learning from people who have spent years building practical expertise in fungi and ecology.

William Padilla-Brown is a multidisciplinary citizen scientist practicing social science, mycology, phycology, molecular biology, and additive manufacturing. He has published the first English-language books on cultivating the cordyceps mushroom and his work has been featured in Fantastic Fungi and VICE.

The 2026 Upgrades Worth Knowing About

MycoFest 12 is being positioned as the most immersive version of the event to date, with three specific upgrades over previous years.

Expanded foraging access. With expanded woodland access and structured guided forays, attendees will explore diverse ecosystems while learning fungal identification, ecology, and field techniques. The Four Quarters Sanctuary site gives the organizers more terrain to work with than many previous locations, which directly translates to more species, more varied ecosystems, and richer foray experiences.

Premium camping. Previous MycoFests have offered camping, but 2026 introduces a premium tier designed to make the multi-day stay genuinely comfortable rather than just functional. For a three-day event in a forest sanctuary, that matters.

Species documentation. Each year, MycoFest documents 100+ mushroom species on-site, making it one of the most exciting field experiences for foragers in North America. The Appalachian forests in late July and early August are prime fruiting season for a wide range of species, and the Four Quarters site should deliver on that front.

ShroomSpy foraging tools and field guides

What's on the Program

The workshop and session lineup for 2026 is still being finalized, but based on the structure of previous MycoFests and what has been announced, topics will span:

• Mushroom cultivation and substrate techniques
• Wild food preparation and cooking demonstrations
• Permaculture design and regenerative land stewardship
• Fungal ecology and species identification
• Rewilding and ancestral skills including fire-making, natural building, and fermentation

When the sun goes down, MycoFest transforms into a vibrant gathering of music, art, and community around the fire. The evening program is a genuine part of the event rather than an afterthought, which is part of why attendees keep coming back year after year.

The vendor village features mushroom-inspired foods, cultivation tools, herbal products, art, and innovative mycology gear from passionate vendors and creators. If you're looking to expand your cultivation setup or pick up something you haven't been able to source locally, the vendor floor at MycoFest tends to be one of the better places to do it.

For anyone sourcing grow kits and cultivation supplies through ShroomSpy, the workshops on substrate techniques and species-specific cultivation are worth building your schedule around.

ShroomSpy cultivation supplies and grow kits

Tickets and Getting There

Tickets are available now via Humanitix at events.humanitix.com. The event runs Friday July 31 (doors 10 AM) through Sunday August 2 (closes 4 PM EDT). Four Quarters Interfaith Sanctuary is located at 190 Walker Lane, Artemas, PA 17211.

Given that MycoFest sells out and the 2026 venue upgrade is likely to drive higher demand than usual, early booking is the sensible move.

Ready to take your mycology journey to the next level?

Browse our full range of mushroom products at ShroomSpy.com/mushrooms/products and find everything you need to grow, forage, and thrive.

FAQ

What is MycoFest 12?

MycoFest 12 is the 12th annual mushroom and arts festival organized by MycoSymbiotics. It runs July 31 to August 2, 2026 at Four Quarters Interfaith Sanctuary in Artemas, Pennsylvania. It is the largest consistently attended multi-day mushroom festival in the United States.

Who organizes MycoFest?

MycoFest is founded and run by William Padilla-Brown through his organization MycoSymbiotics, a citizen science research group based in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania. Padilla-Brown is a multidisciplinary mycologist, author of the first English-language books on cordyceps cultivation, and has been featured in Fantastic Fungi and VICE.

What can I expect at MycoFest 12?

Three days of guided forays, hands-on workshops covering cultivation, wild food preparation, permaculture, fungal ecology, and rewilding skills. Evening programming includes live music, art, and community gatherings. There is also a vendor village and premium camping on-site.

How many mushroom species are documented at MycoFest?

Over 100 species are typically documented on-site each year, making it one of the richest field experiences for foragers in North America.

Where can I buy tickets for MycoFest 12?

Tickets are available via Humanitix at events.humanitix.com/mycofest-12. The event has sold out in previous years, so early purchase is recommended.