Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal: Wild Mushroom Fair 2026, Los Angeles

Saturday, February 14, 2026

Wild Mushroom Fair 2026, Los Angeles

WHAT HAPPENED?

Mushroom heads for all: snug headwear for fans

The Arboretum sold out for everyone who failed to plan. It staggers entrance times, so while it was possible to get a ticket, one would miss most of the fair. The event was packed, the largest in years. Sun broke through the heavily chemtrail sprayed skies. Now the crisscross lines start with perfect X's, which would not happen in nature nor in ordinary flight paths overcrowded LA County. In any case, what was clear was soon covered over in an artificial and no doubt toxin mist. But the sun managed to break through at times. The Fair opened at 9:00 am, the Mushroom Hunt began at 10 with Olga from Smugtown, and it was followed by a fabulous Brando with a culinary demonstration that fed everyone -- hundreds of mushroom fans -- crowding the seating area. It was standing room only after a while, as the samples table was full of gawkers and vendors were hard at work keeping up with demand: medicinal tinctures, popular red-and-white mushroom hats (French berets), grow bags, dried delicacies, books, guide, posters, clothing, jewelry, and services. This is the only event that ever provided samples such as a choice of savory soup, sauteed morrells, black trumpets, or all three. There was a vegan food booth in the back with a line out the door. Then came the first speaker, Mycologist Else, talking about spores, which exists in the billions and trillions. "Spores are not seeds," she emphasized. Each needs a mate since one can create a small mat of tubule structures but must then meet with a partner spore to continue onto the mycelia phase. Mycelia is what keeps forest together, the Woodwide Web, breaking down matter and communicating between individual plants. (See Paul Stamets' Mycelium Running). A "mushroom" is the fruiting body of underground mycelia, what we see popping up from the ground or growing on trees. To study mushrooms and fungi soon becomes the study of trees and ecosystems. Our natural world would not be what it is without fungi.

EVENT DETAILS

LA Mycological Society (lamushrooms.org)

Where, oh where, do the wild things grow? We're determined to find out!

On Sunday, February 15, 2026, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, we're trekking over to Arcadia in the San Gabriel Valley, next to Pasadena, to the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden.

LA Arboretum & Botanic Garden
301 North Baldwin Avenue
Arcadia, Los Angeles, California

How could an entheogen bring out the divine?

It's time for the 42nd Los Angeles Mycological Society (LAMS) Wild Mushroom Fair. This event is FREE (with the price of admission to the Arboretum). RSVP:

Wild Mushroom Fair Schedule

9:00 am - Wild Mushroom Fair opens
10:00-11:00 am - Mushroom Walk with Olga Tzogas
11:00 am - 12:00 pm (noon) - Culinary mushrooms of California cooking demo with Brando Farr
1:00-2:30 pm - Fascinating mushroom spores keynote address by Else Vellinga
2:30-3:00 pm - Art and photo contest winners announced
3:00-4:00 pm - Feces, corpses, and the business of fungal decay talk by Sam Shoemaker
4:00 pm - Fair closes

TICKETS: Admission to the Wild Mushroom Fair is FREE with admission to The Arboretum. Tickets are available online. Act now because time slots may sell out as they have before. Check ticket availability here: Hours and Admission (The Arboretum).

Admission to The Arboretum: $18 for adults, $14 for seniors (62 and over), $14 for students with school ID, $8 for children (ages 3-12), and children 2 and under $0 (free). Arboretum members: free. Parking is free. More info about LAMS events is available at lamushrooms.org/events.

DIRECTIONS: The Los Angeles Arboretum in Arcadia: lamushrooms.org/locations