About this Event
Tickets will be available at the door (cash or eventbrite)
Sunday, December 6, 2026, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
When the first rains tease up the chanterelles and porcini, fungus lovers head to the Fungus Fair: A Celebration of Wild Mushrooms.
The December 2026 MSSF 54rd Fungus Fair will display fungi collected in various locations in California. Annual collections have been made by MSSF since 1972. This historical information is a potentially important contribution to science as climate change affects our local ecosystems.
- Creative and hands-on mushroom activities for people of all ages. Dyes, Clay, Sunprints, felting mushrooms, zine workshop Plus microscopy, koji making, medicinal mushroom tincture, and ID workshops!
- Naturalistic displays of more than 300 species of locally collected fungi
- Identification table - bring your specimens to find out the species!
- Educational tables on varied subjects such as medicinal mushrooms, myco-remediation, cultivation, ecology, psychedelic fungi, dyes from fungi, toxicology, edible mushrooms, and more...
- Microscopes and spore prints
- Vendors with fun mushroom products
- Mingle and meet other mushroom loving people.
- Come and try delicious mushroom dishes from Far West Fungi
- The Fair provides information on the uses and abuses of fungi, with displays and exhibits on ecology, toxicology, and cultivation. Campsite gourmands learn how to serve up the safe and scrumptious species through identification tutorials, and sales of books, teas, snacks, and fresh edibles.
Library
🕑: 12:15 PM - 01:45 PM
Death Will Surely Follow: Poisonous Chemistry That Makes Mushrooms Fascinating
Host: Cat Adams
🕑: 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM
The Mycology of Central and South America
Host: Alan Rockefeller
🕑: 03:45 PM - 05:00 PM
"Fungal Fruits of the Forest" Edible & Medicinal Mushrooms of the Ca. N Coast
Host: Daniel Winkler
🕑: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
TBD
Host: Thea Chesney
Room 44
🕑: 01:30 PM - 03:00 PM
Mel Gillman - Mushroom Zine and Comic Drawing Workshop
Info: FREE! Come create your own mushroom themed Zine with Mel Gillman!
Worshops - Rms 45 & 6
🕑: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Mushroom Drawing w/ John Muir Laws - Room 45
Info: ADD-ON TICKET REQUIRED FOR WORKSHOP. ($15) Learn the basics of drawing mushrooms from the side, above, and below. Then, learn to sculpt this basic design to draw the varieties of species you find in the woods. Bring a notebook or journal, a pencil, or your favorite drawing supplies. Paper and pencils will be available if you do not have them.
🕑: 12:30 PM - 02:00 PM
Beginning Mushroom ID w/ JR Blair - Room 45
Info: ADD-ON TICKET REQUIRED FOR WORKSHOP ($15) A PowerPoint presentation will introduce the fundamentals of ID. Participants will then practice using dichotomous keys to identify certain mushrooms that will be available at the Fair. If you have a book with a dichotomous key, bring it with you to the class.
🕑: 11:00 AM - 03:30 PM
Microscopy Workshop- Room 6
Info: ADD-ON TICKET REQUIRED FOR WORKSHOP ($20). In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn how to maximize the potential of their equipment, whether it's a cell phone, DSLR, or mirrorless camera. He will guide attendees through the fundamental principles of composition, lighting, and macro photography specifically tailored toward fungi.
🕑: 02:30 PM - 04:30 PM
The magical world of fermenting koji, an ancient fungi w/ Eleana Hsu - Room 45
Info: ADD-ON TICKET REQUIRED FOR WORKSHOP ($45). In the first half, we will first learn what koji is, how to make it, and its historical significance in food preservation. The second half of class is dedicated to a hands-on-workshop. We will all roll up our sleeves and ferment a miso made with koji, Rancho Gordo beans, and a seasonal mushroom. Everyone will take home a 6 oz jar of the seasonal miso that will continue to ferment over time.
🕑: 01:30 PM - 04:30 PM
Simple Medicinal Mushroom Preparations - Room 6
Host: Olga Tsongas
Craft Zone
🕑: 10:00 AM - 05:00 PM
ALL DAY FUN IN THE CRAFT ZONE
Info: FREE! Make mushroom-themed cards, ornaments, rain sticks, collages, hats, clay and felted sculptures, sun-prints and more…
Unleash your inner mushroom fanatic there!
🕑: 11:00 AM - 01:00 PM
Clay Creations w/ Liz Vermillion - FREE!
🕑: 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Mushroom Cyanotypes w/ Karen Rusiniak- FREE!
🕑: 01:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Mushroom Mini Canvases on Easels with Holly Bazeley - FREE!
🕑: 02:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Felted Mushroom Decoration w/ David Gardella - FREE!
Outside in the Quad
🕑: 10:00 AM - 05:00 PM
All day in the quad - Vendors
🕑: 10:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Demonstrations and information about Mushroom Cultivation
🕑: 11:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Far West Fungi - Soup, Cookies, and other comestibles...
Event venue & nearby stays
El Camino High School, 1320 Mission Rd, South San Francisco, United States
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