Big Sur Foragers Festival 2026

The Big Sur Foragers Festival returns Thursday–Sunday, Jan. 22–25, 2026, celebrating the region’s natural bounty while raising essential support for the Big Sur Health Center. The festival blends culinary excellence, educational walks, and community partnerships to showcase the unique flavors and resources of Big Sur.

Event Highlights

• Community Supporting Events
  • Dates: Thursday–Friday, Jan. 22–23, 2026
    Local restaurants will host special evenings, donating a percentage of proceeds to benefit the Big Sur Health Center. Details on participating restaurants will be announced soon.
• Fungus Face Off
  • Date & Time: Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, 12–3 p.m.
  • Location: Big Sur Lodge
  • Ticket Price: $125 per person
  • Attendance Limited to 200 Guests

The festival’s signature tasting event will feature more than 10 acclaimed chefs presenting foraged-inspired dishes alongside more than 20 regional wineries pouring selections that highlight the flavors of the Central Coast. Attendance is capped to ensure a warm and comfortable atmosphere for all guests.

• Wild Foraging Walk & Talks
  • Dates: Saturday–Sunday, Jan. 24–25, 2026
  • Time: 9:30 a.m. start (subject to weather and road conditions)
  • Location: Big Sur Lodge, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
  • Ticket Price: $75 per hiker (no refunds)
  • Capacity: Two hikes per day, 30 people per hike

Each walk includes a presentation and mushroom display, followed by a guided hike focused on identification, culinary uses, and ecological insights.

Supporting Community Health

All proceeds from the Foragers Festival benefit the Big Sur Health Center, whose mission is to provide accessible, affordable, and high-quality healthcare to the residents, workforce, and visitors of the Big Sur coast. By attending, guests help ensure that essential health services remain available to this rural community.

Tickets

Tickets go on sale Oct. 1, 2025, and will be available exclusively through Eventbrite.

🍄 Big Sur Foragers Festival – Fungus Face-Off

The Fungus Face-Off returns as the highlight of the Big Sur Foragers Festival—an unforgettable afternoon where top chefs, wineries, and breweries showcase their creativity with the season’s most celebrated ingredient: wild-foraged mushrooms.

This year we’re excited to welcome an incredible lineup of partners:

• Bitter Ginger

• Marthas Hopyard

• Big Sur Lodge

• Fernwood

• The Pocket

• El Vaquero Winery

• Fly Wheel Wines

• Joyce Wine Co

• Morgan Winery

• Scheid Winery

• Wrath Wines

We’re also thrilled to welcome back Edible Monterey Bay as our Media Sponsor and Judge Panel, and Jeff White of KRML returning as our Emcee.

There’s still time to join the lineup! We are actively seeking additional chef participants and winery or brewery partners to make this year’s competition even bigger and better.

And don’t miss our Silent Auction, where you’ll find unique items and experiences—all to benefit our nonprofit partners.