The 4th annual Northeast Washington Mushroom Festival is a family-friendly event celebrating and exploring the world of fungi! This festival features a mushroom foray hunt and contests, mushroom and fungi identification table, presentations by mycologists, demonstrations, children's activities, live music, art and costume contests and lots of vendors and culinary mushrooms for sale!
CONTEST ENTRY FEES:
The Mushroom Foray Contest entry fees are both $15 per adult and $10 per child if you register online before 5/1/26 or $20 per adult and $15 per child at the time of the event on 5/2/26. There are no fees to enter the Myco Art and Myco Costume Contests. All contest participants need to enter at the registration booth.
CONTESTS:
Anyone (whether in a contest or not) can bring previously harvested mushrooms from near or afar to put on the identification table but they are not added into the contest. We want to see and discuss as many types of fungi as possible.
There are 3 competitions for the Mushroom Foray Contest. Contestants arrive at 9:00am to register and receive a safety briefing and maps before leaving for the foray at 10:00am. Participants return to the park by 2:00pm to identify, weigh and judge your mushrooms for the contests.
Mushroom Art Contest is open to all ages and is open for judging from 3:00 – 3:15pm. No entry fee. Bring your mushroom art, drawing, photograph, painting, project, etc. Our judges will choose 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners.
Mushroom Costume Contest is open to all ages and is open for judging from 3:15 – 3:30pm. No entry fee. Dress up as your favorite fungi or mushroom themed character and our judges will choose 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners.
SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES ON 5/2/2026:
7:30am - 9:00am – Vendor Load-in
9:00am - 9:30am - Check-in and Register for Foray Contest
9:45am - Mushroom Foray Contest Briefing & Map Hand-out
10:00am – Mushroom Foray Hunting Begins and Vending and Festival opens to the public
10:30am – 1:30pm – Mycology Presentations, Demonstrations and Children’s Activities*
Mushroom Foray contestants must return before 2pm to submit mushrooms into contest
2:00 – 3:30pm - Mushroom Identification Table and Discussion
3:00 – 3:30pm – Myco Art and Myco Costume Judging by stage
4:00pm - Contest and Raffle Winners Announced at stage
4:30 – 5:30pm – Mycology Presentation
5:30 – 7:00pm – Live Music and Open Mic
Presentations and workshops offered by:
Jason Smith
Jason is a well versed mycologist and mushroom enthusiast living in Bonners Ferry, ID.
He is assisting the Mushroom Foraging Contest at the festival and with the Mushroom Identification tables. He is offering a class on "Fungi, Mycelium and Mushrooms" for free on stage during the festival.
Erin Nelson
Erin is the owner of Deer Park Pro Gardening and formally Spokane Mushrooms.
Erin is offering "Wonders of Mushrooms" presentation on stage at the festival and also a private paid workshop on oyster mushroom cultivation where you can bring home your own mushroom growing kit!
Molly Quade
Molly is a graduate student at WSU, researching the use of fungi in honey bee Integrated Pest Management, focusing on developing fungal strains for Varroa mite management and examining additional hosts for these fungi. Molly is offering a free presentation on stage for "Metarhizium: Selecting Fungal Strains to Improve Honey Bee Health"
Jami Rose Lord will also be offering live painting art and will auction it in the afternoon!
Please bring your own chairs/blankets, water bottles, umbrellas, and mushrooms. Vendors, please consider a donation for the raffle to raise funds for future events. Drugs and alcohol prohibited.
This event is hosted by the Inland Northwest Permaculture Guild (INPG) and the Northeast Washington Permaculture Guild (NEWPG) in partnership with FungiPermastead, Fungilion, and the Children of Earth Coalition (COEC)and Boundary Conditions. For questions, email Kelly at childrenofearth@outlook.com.
More information is available at www.InlandNorthwestPermaculture.com
Eventbrite registration link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-annual-northeast-washington-mushroom-festival-registration-1980040592714
