Mushroom Festivals in California 2026: Fungus Fairs & Forays

When is wild mushroom season in California?

The main season runs November through March, triggered by winter rain. Fruiting usually starts a few weeks after the first soaking storms of fall, and how long it lasts depends on how wet the winter is — a dry year compresses the season, a wet one stretches it into spring:

• North Coast (Mendocino, Sonoma) — The earliest and most reliable mushroom country in the state. Redwood and pine forests here fruit from November into February: king boletes early after the first rains, then golden chanterelles, hedgehogs, and candy caps — the maple-scented local specialty that ends up in North Coast desserts.
• Central Coast (Santa Cruz, Big Sur) — Oak and redwood forests fruit from roughly December through March. Chanterelles favor the live oaks; black trumpets tend to show up mid-to-late winter, often January through March.
• Bay Area — Oak woodlands and parkland across the region fruit through the winter months. This is also death cap country — the deadliest mushrooms in California grow under the same oaks as the edible ones, which is why ID skills matter here more than anywhere.
• Mountains (Shasta, the Sierra) — A second, separate season follows the snowmelt. Morels and spring boletes fruit in May and June at elevation, and morels flush heavily in forests burned the previous year. The spring festivals in mushroom towns like McCloud are timed to it.

Mushroom festivals in California: the 2026–27 calendar

The festival calendar tracks the fungi: it opens on the Mendocino Coast in November, runs through the winter fungus fairs, and closes with the spring celebrations over Memorial Day weekend. The first half of 2026 is behind us — but the new season starts in November, and the winter fairs return after that.

Foraging safety basics

Wild mushroom foraging is genuinely rewarding and genuinely unforgiving of shortcuts. Three rules cover most of it:

• Never eat a mushroom you can't identify with certainty.California is home to the death cap and the western destroying angel — Amanita species that grow under the same oaks as popular edibles and cause most of the world's fatal mushroom poisonings. There is no general rule of thumb, no app, and no cooking method that makes an unidentified mushroom safe. When in doubt, throw it out.
• Learn from people, not just books. Mycological societies across the state — in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, and on the Mendocino Coast — run guided walks and forays all winter, and the festivals above staff ID tables with experts who will look at what you found. A season of walks with experienced foragers teaches more than any field guide alone.
• Know the rules where you're picking. Collecting is prohibited in most California state parks and in national parks. Salt Point State Park on the Sonoma coast is a well-known exception that allows a small daily limit for personal use. Many national forests allow personal collection but may require a free or paid permit depending on the forest — check with the local ranger district before you go. On private land, you need the owner's permission.

Practical field habits: carry your finds in a basket or paper bag (plastic turns them to mush), collect the whole mushroom including the base — features down there matter for ID — and keep anything you're unsure about separate from anything you plan to eat.

Frequently asked questions