The North Texas Mycological Association is proud to present “MushFest 2024”, the only Texas Mushroom Festival entirely focused on the mushrooms! This event will be centered around all aspects of mycology, including mushroom identification, cooking, and cultivation! MushFest 2024 will be held at the “Learning Gardens” in Athens, Texas, on 100 beautiful acres of private property dedicated to self-sustainable agriculture on May 17th-19th. (Exact address and instructions will be downloadable after purchase.)
https://northtexasmycology.org/…/mushroom-festival-2024
* Camping, 10+ Hours of Forays, Live Music, Mushroom Infused Gourmet Food Included
* Eight Presentations from Top Experts in Mycology!
* Lions Mane Cultivation & Microscopy Workshop
* Vendors Available
MustFest 2024 will be a Potluck & Gathering style mushroom festival where we will be setting up our kitchen in the woods to feed participants throughout the weekend and are asking attendees to please bring something to share with fellow mycophiles. Our goal is to serve mushroom infused, gourmet meals throughout the event and are requesting donations to our kitchen. If you have some mushrooms stashed away somewhere, please bring them so we can cook them up! MushFest is an all-inclusive mushroom festival, meaning that meals will be provided throughout the weekend and camping is included if you purchase the weekend pass at no additional cost.
This year, we are offering Saturday Day Passes available for those that cannot get away for the weekend, as well as kid passes and kid forays to help bolster the family experience. As a non-profit, we strive to provide the best experience possible while keeping cost of admission as low as we can. That being said, we are pouring what we generate from ticket sales back into this experience with a goal of making it one to remember for years to come!
Event Schedule
Friday, May 17th
3:00pm – Registration starts – Camping & Vendor Area Opens
4:00-5:30pm – Early Bird Foray @ Presentation Area
5:30-7:00pm – Potluck Dinner + Social Hour (Presentation Area)
7:00-8:00pm – KEYNOTE LECTURE by Dr. Amy Honan – “A Fungal Odyssey: Unveiling the Mysteries of Mushroom Movement Through Space and Time”
8:00-9:00pm – Presentation by Alan Rockefeller – “Fungi Light Show: The World of Bioluminescent and Fluorescent Mushrooms”
9:00-10:00pm – UV Foray – Outside of Presentation Area
9:00-12:00am – Social Hour + Food & Live Music (Kitchen & Presentation Area)
Saturday, May 18th
8:00-9:00am – Breakfast in the Woods (Kitchen Area)
9:00-11:30am – Morning Forays @ Presentation Area– Split into Kids Group & Adults
11:30am-1pm – Lunch in the Woods – Fried Oyster Mushroom Stir Fry
1:00-5:30pm – Afternoon Forays @ Presentation Area & Vendors Open to those Not Attending Workshops
1:00-3pm – $20 OPTIONAL ADD-ON WORKSHOP – “How to Grow Lions Mane + Build your Own Kit” – Presented by Sebastian Tabibi
3:00-5:30pm – $20 OPTIONAL ADD-ON WORKSHOP – “Introduction to Microscopy” – Presented by Dr. Amy Honan
5:30-7:00pm – Three Course Gourmet Mushroom Infused Dinner Demonstration by Spike Mikulski (Maitake Falafels, Wood Ear Tabouleh, and Black Trumpet Arancini)
7:00-8:00pm – Presentation by Dr. Denis Benjamin – “An Introduction to Mushroom Poisoning”
8:00-9:00pm – KEYNOTE LECTURE by Alan Rockefeller – “Decoding the Forest Floor: The Art of Mushroom Recognition”
9:00-10:00pm – UV Foray – Outside of Presentation Area
9:00pm-12:00am – Social Hour + Food & Live Music (Kitchen & Presentation Area)
Sunday, May 19th
8:00-9:00am – Breakfast in the Woods
9:00-11:00am – Final Foray – Split into Groups (Kids & Adults)
11:00-12:00pm – Presentation by Spike Mikulski – “An Afternoon with Amanita”
12:00-1:30pm – Lunch in the Woods
1:30-2:30pm – Presentation by Dr. Clark Ovrebo – “Introduction to Fleshy Mushrooms”
2:30-3:30pm – Specimen Walkthrough/Final Announcements
4:00pm – Event Finished – Remaining Participants Must Leave