Telluride Mushroom Festival: Schedule & More!

22 Jul Telluride Mushroom Festival: Schedule & More!

The Telluride Mushroom Festival (TMF)  is back for the 43rd year in a row. In just a few weeks from now, the Town of Telluride will be taken over by amanita hat-wearing, mold- and spore-worshipping mycelium fanatics.

Go here for the 2023 official Telluride Mushroom Festival schedule.

Sorry, the 2023 Telluride Mushroom Festival is sold out. And there is no waiting list. But there are day passes and free events for the general public.

Go here for more on the history of the Telluride Mushroom Festival. (Scroll back to 2009.)

On August 16th mycophiles and mycologists from around the globe will sacrifice their ‘”normal day-to-day lives” to make the annual trek all the way to Telluride’s San Juan Mountains. Upwards of 1,000 fungi-obsessed folks will descend on the town of Telluride parading through town in ornate mushroom costumes, foraging in nearby forests and connecting with fellow friends of the funga kingdom.

When asked about this year’s theme, “Resilience,” Executive Director of Telluride Mushroom Festival, Britt Bunyard, shared:

“Fungi are absolutely crucial to the planet’s health and resilience to pests and climate change etc. Indeed, this was much of the theme of a book I published (by Princeton University Press) last year. Most people only know a couple things about fungi – they rot and they make fruiting bodies. Turns out the vast majority do NOT rot things, nor do they make mushrooms. The majority are biotrophs and crucial symbionts to plants and other soil organisms. They create our soil, give our trees life allow for our ecosystem to speak the language of the mycelial network.”

Festival pass holders will have the opportunity to experience a variety of workshops, lectures, dinners, films and expert-guided forays throughout the fest. The world-famous Mushroom Parade will begin Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m on Main St. in downtown Telluride. As always, there will be day passes available for purchase at the Festival Registration desk in Elk’s Park from August 16-20 and select free events for the public to attend.

“This year, we are excited for the addition of intentional and spiritual elements throughout the weekend. Daily yoga classes, meditative alchemical mushroom sound bath, a community ‘safe space’ anchored by licensed therapists operating during fest hours, and the first-ever shroomfest re-integration circle hosted by Art Goodtimes.” added Britt.

The recent eruption of widespread public interest in the funga kingdom ranges from the decriminalization of psilocybin to the use of legal psilocybin in medical centers, as well as the cultivation and widespread communication about psilocybin and other plant entheogen.

Attendee come together at TMF to celebrate a vast array of plant medicines. In light of such themes and global interest, the Telluride Mushroom Festival is honored to host speakers like Dr. Andrew Weil, Sean T. Mcallister, Julie Daoust and Giuliana Furci. These experts will take festival guests on a deep dive into the latest findings into what could be the next evolution in healing the minds and bodies of millions who suffer mentally and physically due to unaddressed issues in our modern-day culture.

FUNGI FUN CAMP, a collaboration with Ah Haa – for the kids! Thursday 8/17 & Friday 8/18
9:00am – 4:00pm
REGISTRATION FEE: $100.00
AGES 7-12
Curiosity Shop & Possibilities Classroom

Spend the morning with Mushroom Festival’s youth educational instructor, learning about all types of fungi featuring Giuliana Furci’s curriculum. Followed by an afternoon of fantastic fungi arts! In this camp, students will walk away with tons of Mycology knowledge, and create their very own mushroom puppet to be featured in the festival’s parade!

Sign up here.

Chris Adams, courtesy, TMF.

DRAWING MUSHROOMS W/ CHRIS ADAMS
COMBINING SCIENTIFIC OBSERVATION
WITH POP CULTURE REFERENCE
TELLURIDE MUSHROOM FESTIVAL COLLABORATION
Tuesday 8/15
5:30pm – 7:30pm

REGISTRATION FEE: $50.00
AGES 7-12
Curiosity Shop

Spend two hours with artist, Chris Adams (the creative behind Corvidopolis, The Mushroom Tarot and Sporelust!), discussing and practicing basic techniques of drawing mushrooms and other inspirational beings from the natural world.

Chris will describe his basic processes of drawing from photographic reference and from the real world, work with the class on some fun experimentations with common media and talk about and show examples of how he thinks about combining personal creative inspiration with accurate observation.

Disclaimer: we may draw things other than mushrooms for educational purposes, or because newts, ferns and slugs are also fun to draw. All materials provided.

Sign up for Drawing Workshop here.

Laura Czzaplicki, courtesy TMF.

MYCO REMEDIATION w/ LAUREN CZAPLICKI
Wednesday 8/16
9:00am – 12:00pm

REGISTRATION FEE: $105
Curiosity Shop

Start thinking like a “fungi or fun-gal” and explore all things myco-remediation through an interactive mix of lectures, facilitated discussions, and fun group activities. You will walk away with a nifty guidebook too!

This workshop will equip you with new perspectives and knowledge about how to tailor myco-remediation applications to site and pollutant characteristics!

Everyone is welcome – beginner friendly!

Sign up for workshop here.