A new four-day celebration of Fungi, Food, Art and Community comes to Karangahape Road this August
This August, Tāmaki Makaurau will sprout something entirely new with the launch of the Auckland Mushroom Festival (AMF) - a four-day, all-ages celebration of fungi in all its strange, beautiful and delicious forms.
Running from Wednesday 12 August to Saturday 15 August 2026, the festival will transform Karangahape Road into a fungi playground filled with limited-edition mushroom dishes, public art pop-ups, panel talks, free whānau activities, a community costume parade and a giant closing party.
Designed as both a playful public festival and a thoughtful cultural conversation, AMF aims to connect curiosity with place, indigenous knowledge, science, food, creativity and community.
“Interest in mushrooms just keeps growing,” says the festival team. “From the explosion of online mycology communities to the popularity of books like Fungi of Aotearoa, people are fascinated by fungi and the hidden networks beneath our feet. We wanted to create a festival that celebrates that excitement in a uniquely Tāmaki way.”
Aotearoa is home to more than 20,000 species of fungi, many found nowhere else on Earth. From glow-in-the-dark mushrooms to vividly coloured native species hidden deep within ancient forests, New Zealand has become a dream destination for fungi lovers, foragers, scientists and artists alike.
The inaugural Auckland Mushroom Festival will feature several key programme pillars across the four days, including:
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A restaurant programme featuring special mushroom-focused dishes at venues along K’Road
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Public art installations and pop-ups throughout the precinct
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Panel talks and conversations with local foragers, chefs, indigenous knowledge holders, scientists and conservationists
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Free community activities for all ages
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A community costume parade and GIANT PUFFBALL celebration on the closing Saturday night
The festival will be brought to life byTāmaki’s Fungi Appreciation Committee - a collective of creative and community-focused organisers with backgrounds spanning festivals, hospitality, design, science, programming and the arts.
The organisers see the first year of AMF as the beginning of something much bigger.
“Our inspiration comes from festivals like the Telluride Mushroom Festival in Colorado, which began as a small gathering in 1981 and now attracts thousands from around the world,” says the team. “This first festival is like the first node in a fungal network – the beginning of the mycelium. Each year we want to grow the network wider, deeper and more connected.”
With its combination of science, food culture, public art and community celebration, organisers believe AMF has the potential to become both a major local event and an internationally recognised festival experience unique to Aotearoa.
Auckland Mushroom Festival (AMF)
Dates: Wednesday 12 - Saturday 15 August 2026
Location: K’Road precinct, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
More information: Coming soon
Sign up for more information here: www.aucklandmushroomfestival.com
Follow us on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/aucklandmushroomfestival/
Contact: Charlotte Ryan, M: 021 888 372, charlotte.a.o.ryan@gmail.com
