The Big Sur Foragers Festival is set to return to California’s central coast from January 22 to 25, 2026, promising four days in which mushroom lovers, hikers, chefs and winemakers converge beneath the redwoods for one of the region’s most distinctive culinary and nature events.

With organizers highlighting an exceptionally strong mushroom season and tickets already selling briskly, the 2026 edition is shaping up as a must-attend gathering for travelers who want their food experiences rooted in the landscape that produces them.

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A Four-Day Celebration of Mushrooms and the Monterey Coast

Centered around Big Sur Lodge in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and venues along Highway 1, the Big Sur Foragers Festival has grown from a niche fundraiser into a marquee winter event that showcases the culinary and ecological riches of the coast.

The 2026 festival will run from Thursday through Sunday, January 22 to 25, a prime window in the Central Coast mushroom calendar.

Organizers say this year’s timing is especially fortuitous. After a pattern of early-season rains and cool temperatures, foraging experts are reporting one of the strongest mushroom flushes in years across the Santa Lucia Mountains and coastal canyons.

That abundance is expected to translate directly to the plate, as chefs and winemakers build menus and pairings around what the forest is providing in real time.

Over four days, the festival will mix fundraising dinners, community restaurant events, a headline tasting known as the Fungus Face Off, and guided mushroom foraging excursions.

While each element can be experienced on its own, many visitors are planning full long-weekend itineraries that combine outdoor exploration with indulgent food and wine, all while supporting local healthcare.

Fungus Face Off: The Headline Tasting Returns

The centerpiece of the 2026 program is the Big Sur Foragers Festival Fungus Face Off, scheduled for Saturday, January 24, from noon to 3 p.m. at Big Sur Lodge. Billed as a “culinary celebration for a cause,” the tasting brings together more than 10 chefs alongside roughly 20 Central Coast wineries and beverage producers for a mushroom-focused afternoon under the redwoods.

Attendance at the Fungus Face Off is capped at 200 guests, a deliberate choice meant to keep lines manageable and conversations with chefs and winemakers possible. Tickets are priced at 125 dollars per person before fees, with organizers noting that only a limited number remain available through advance purchase. The event is restricted to those 21 and older.

Participating restaurants and culinary partners expected for 2026 include Big Sur mainstays such as Fernwood, Big Sur Lodge, The Pocket, Julia’s Vegetarian and Terry’s Restaurant + Lounge, as well as luxury properties like Post Ranch. On the beverage side, regional labels including Wrath, Morgan, El Vaquero, Flywheel, Scheid and Joyce Wine Company are slated to pour, joined by smaller producers and craft operations from around Monterey County.

Media outlet Edible Monterey Bay will again serve as a key partner and part of the judging panel, while local radio personality Jeff White of KRML is set to return as emcee. Guests can expect chef-driven mushroom bites, creative vegetarian and meat dishes, thoughtfully chosen wine pairings and a silent auction featuring local experiences and products, with proceeds funneled back into community health services.

Guided Wild Foraging Walk & Talk Hikes

For many, the most memorable moments of the Big Sur Foragers Festival unfold on the trail. The 2026 Wild Foraging Walk and Talk hikes are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, January 24 and 25, beginning from Big Sur Lodge inside Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Each day will feature two separate hikes, with groups limited to roughly 30 participants per outing, for a total of four small-group excursions across the weekend.

Tickets for the hikes are priced at 75 dollars per person, and organizers emphasize that they are nonrefundable and in demand. Hikers are asked to meet at the lodge at around 9:30 a.m., weather and road conditions permitting, for an introductory session that includes a display of local wild mushrooms. From there, groups fan out along forested trails under the guidance of seasoned mycologists and foraging specialists.

The 2026 lineup of hike leaders includes mushroom experts Mark Gillespie, Anthony Gerbino, Todd Spanier and Dr. Phil Carpenter. On-site educator Lisa Haas, assisted by Maryia Crabbe, will anchor the mushroom identification displays and discussions, focusing on how to distinguish edible species from toxic lookalikes, how to understand habitat and seasonality, and how fungi fit into the broader forest ecosystem.

The walks are structured as educational experiences rather than harvest-focused outings. Participants are encouraged to take photos, notes and memories rather than baskets of mushrooms, reflecting both the festival’s conservation values and state park regulations. For travelers, it is an unusually immersive way to learn about Big Sur’s lesser-known residents, from chanterelles and porcini to more obscure species thriving in the damp winter understory.

Community Dinners, Partner Events and Local Flavor

In addition to marquee ticketed events, the Big Sur Foragers Festival spreads across the wider Monterey Peninsula through community supporting dinners and partner programming. On Thursday and Friday, January 22 and 23, local restaurants will host special evenings built around foraged and seasonal ingredients, with a portion of proceeds designated for the Big Sur Health Center.

Specific lineups for these community events are typically finalized closer to the festival, but past editions have seen properties from Carmel to Big Sur craft multi-course mushroom menus, wine-pairing dinners and casual specials. The format allows chefs to experiment with hyperlocal ingredients while giving visitors a wider range of price points and atmospheres, from rustic roadhouses to fine-dining rooms overlooking the Pacific.

Festival partners have also historically included luxury properties such as Post Ranch Inn, which has hosted limited-seating fungus-focused tasting menus and foraging-themed property tours with its culinary team. While details for 2026 satellite events are still emerging, organizers say they expect a similar blend of intimate, high-end experiences alongside accessible community gatherings.

For travelers planning a dedicated festival trip, this ecosystem of side events effectively turns the greater Big Sur and Monterey area into a temporary corridor of mushroom-centric dining. Lodges, inns and restaurants along Highway 1 often build weekend packages around the festival, combining accommodations with event tickets or culinary add-ons.

A Fundraiser Rooted in Rural Healthcare

Behind the chef appearances and mushroom hunts lies a distinctly local cause. Since its inception, the Big Sur Foragers Festival has functioned primarily as a fundraiser for the Big Sur Health Center, a nonprofit clinic that provides essential medical services to residents, workers and visitors along the remote coast.

Proceeds from ticket sales, auctions and partner events help sustain the health center’s operations in a region where geography, limited infrastructure and seasonal tourism can complicate access to care. Organizers emphasize that every festival ticket supports not just a weekend of festivities, but year-round services ranging from primary care to urgent treatment for locals and travelers.

For the health center, the festival has grown into one of its signature annual fundraisers, leveraging the popularity of mushroom foraging and culinary tourism to keep critical services available in a sparsely populated stretch of the California coastline. For attendees, that connection can lend added meaning to each glass poured and dish sampled over the course of the long weekend.

The charitable mission also helps attract volunteers, sponsors and in-kind donors, from wineries contributing cases for the Fungus Face Off to local businesses offering stays and experiences for the silent auction. The resulting web of support underscores how tightly knit the Big Sur community remains, even as the area draws an international audience of visitors.

Planning a Visit: Tickets, Conditions and Travel Logistics

With the 2026 festival taking place during Big Sur’s winter rainy season, organizers and local tourism officials urge would-be visitors to plan ahead, both in terms of ticket purchases and travel logistics. Tickets for the Fungus Face Off and the Wild Foraging Walk and Talk hikes are being sold through advance platforms, with price ranges currently running from about 75 dollars for hikes to around 135 dollars all-in for the tasting event once processing fees are included.

As of mid-January 2026, some events are already reported as “going fast” or down to “few tickets left,” particularly the hikes and the Saturday tasting at Big Sur Lodge. The festival advises securing tickets before finalizing travel arrangements, especially for those coming from outside the region who want to participate in specific activities.

Because both the hikes and some dinners are subject to weather and road conditions, winter storms can play a determining role. Highway 1 has historically seen closures and one-way controls following heavy rainfall or landslides, and park trail access can shift on short notice. Visitors are advised to monitor regional transportation and state park updates in the days leading up to the festival and to build flexibility into driving schedules.

Lodging in the Big Sur corridor is limited and often booked months in advance for major events, so travelers who cannot secure rooms in the immediate area may look to Carmel, Pacific Grove or Monterey as bases, driving in for individual events. In all cases, festival organizers recommend allowing extra transit time on curving coastal roads and organizing designated drivers or transportation plans for those attending wine-focused experiences.

Why 2026 Is Drawing Nature Lovers and Foodies Alike

While mushroom foraging has long had a dedicated following in Northern and Central California, the convergence of an unusually strong mushroom season, a maturing festival program and growing interest in sustainable, place-based food experiences is giving the 2026 Big Sur Foragers Festival added resonance.

For nature enthusiasts, the guided hikes and educational talks offer rare access to experts in the field, as well as permissioned entry points into sensitive environments where independent foraging can be both confusing and risky. Learning to see the forest floor as a living, interconnected network of fungi, soil and trees can fundamentally reframe how visitors experience Big Sur’s famed landscapes.

For food lovers, the festival promises a laboratory of flavors that are difficult to replicate outside of the region and season. Chefs working with just-harvested porcini, chanterelles and other local species can build dishes that highlight texture and nuance, while winemakers lean into the earthy, savory notes of their own bottlings to create thoughtful pairings.

Layered over this is the appeal of a cooler, quieter Big Sur. January lacks the crowds of summer and early fall, but for those willing to embrace variable conditions, it may offer some of the clearest skies, most dramatic surf and richest forest aromas of the year. Against that backdrop, the Big Sur Foragers Festival functions not only as an event, but as an invitation to experience the coast in a slower, more attentive way.

FAQ

Q1. When is the Big Sur Foragers Festival 2026 taking place?
The 2026 Big Sur Foragers Festival is scheduled for Thursday through Sunday, January 22 to 25, 2026.

Q2. Where is the festival held?
Most core events, including the Fungus Face Off and Wild Foraging Walk and Talk hikes, are based at Big Sur Lodge in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, with additional partner events at restaurants and venues along the Big Sur and Monterey coast.

Q3. What is the Fungus Face Off and how much are tickets?
The Fungus Face Off is the festival’s headline tasting event on Saturday, January 24, 2026, featuring mushroom-focused dishes from more than 10 chefs and pours from about 20 wineries. Tickets are 125 dollars per person before fees, with attendance limited to roughly 200 guests.

Q4. What are the Wild Foraging Walk and Talk hikes like?
The hikes are guided, small-group mushroom walks led by experienced mycologists and educators. They begin with an identification talk and mushroom display at Big Sur Lodge, then move onto park trails for field observation. Tickets cost 75 dollars per hiker, and group sizes are capped at about 30 people per hike.

Q5. Do I need prior foraging experience to take part?
No experience is required. The hikes and talks are designed for beginners as well as enthusiasts, focusing on safety, identification basics, ecology and respectful behavior in sensitive habitats.

Q6. Is the festival suitable for families and children?
Some elements, such as the outdoor hikes and educational displays, are family-friendly, but the Fungus Face Off is a 21-and-over event. Families should review age guidelines for each program and plan accordingly.

Q7. How does the festival support the Big Sur Health Center?
Proceeds from ticket sales, auctions and partner restaurant events are directed to the Big Sur Health Center, a nonprofit clinic that funds ongoing medical services for residents, workers and visitors throughout the Big Sur region.

Q8. What should I pack or wear for the hikes?
Participants are advised to dress in layers suitable for cool, damp winter conditions, with waterproof or sturdy hiking shoes, a rain jacket, and a small day pack with water and snacks. A notebook or phone for photos and notes can be useful for identification learning.

Q9. How early should I book tickets and accommodations?
Given the limited capacity of both events and lodging along Highway 1, travelers are encouraged to secure tickets and accommodations as early as possible. As of January 2026, several festival components are already reporting low remaining availability.

Q10. Can I forage and take mushrooms home during the festival?
The guided hikes are primarily educational, and collection rules are shaped by state park regulations and conservation concerns. In many cases participants will be asked to observe and learn rather than harvest, so visitors should follow instructions from guides and respect local rules regarding removal of natural materials.