UK Celebrates Fungus Day October 8th

In fact, October is when we really get into the groove of the mushy season. Which means that — indeed! We get to continue to celebrate our slimy, ground-dwelling chums. 

UK Fungus Day 2022

A country with a wealth of wild mushrooms, (in part due to the famously damp weather!) the United Kingdom will celebrate UK Fungus Day this Saturday, October 8th. Organized by the British Mycological Society it kicks off a chain reaction of events, walks, lectures and online activities across the country. The first UK Fungus Day was held in 2013, and as you can imagine, has grown significantly since then. This is certainly due, in part, to the continually improving public profile of the fungi kingdom. Even the Kardashians couldn’t pay for publicity this good! 

And what’s more, it’s all true. Psychedelic mushrooms are a promising treatment for many debilitating conditions from depression to eating disorders. There are mushrooms that can digest plastic and nuclear waste. There are mushrooms that can be used as sustainable building materials. There are mushrooms that are packed full of medicinal and healing properties. There are mushrooms so tasty that eating less meat becomes a treat! 

Celebrate Fungus Day Wherever You Are

So, whatever country you may be in, why not celebrate this Saturday too? Whether you go for a delicious mushroom risotto, trip out with some psychedelic truffles, or treat yourself to a set of medicinal mushroom supplements — there’s not mush-room for error!

Additionally, you could take some inspo from the wave of events the British Mycological Society are organizing for UK Fungus Day. There are even online portions of the event you can join!

Let’s dive in shall we?

Weird and Wonderful Walks

A big part of the festivities of UK Fungus Day is, of course, bracing forest-y walks. It’s the best place to spot mushrooms is in the wild, after all. And that’s what this event is all about — celebrating the fungi folk we live side by side with — who tend to be overlooked in our daily hustle and bustle. Many of the walks in the UK will be led by mycologists or local experts.

For example, at Mere Sands Nature Reserve in Lancashire the outing will be led by The North West Fungus Group and Youtuber the Fungi Guy. Mere Sands themselves tantalize with the promise of spotting shroom celebs such as Fly Agaric, earthballs (Scleroderma citrinum), and the common stinkhorn. Woohoo!

Even urban sprawls like London are getting in on the act. There are always enclaves in which mushrooms will find a way to thrive! And thrive they do at the interestingly named Pimp Hall Nature Reserve hidden just off the Kings Road (a rather hoity-toity area of London.) Their event, on Sunday the 9th of October, will include DIY mushroom cultivation classes, a guided mushroom walk and talk, a mushroom sound installation, kids arts and crafts, and snacks from Shroom Town, a  ‘one of a kind Adaptogenic coffee bar’. (We told you it was fancy!)

This is just a tiny sample of all of the events taking place this coming weekend however. You can check them all out here.

Now, it’s rather unlikely us mushroom fans scattered across the globe are going to be able to rush to merry olde England in time for this weekend. So how can we get in on the act? Why, by copying of course! It’s the sincerest form of flattery after all. 

Do It Yourself

Why not plan your own walk around your nearest wooded area? Get a gang of pals together, take a mushroom spotters guide book (or that friend who is obsessed with foraging) and glue your eyes to the forest floor. Walks like this aren’t necessarily for picking mushrooms (unless you really know your stuff), they are equally satisfying as a sort of mushroom safari. However if you do spot some chanterelles, that’s dinner sorted…

5 Minutes of Fungi

If you don’t feel like going out (maybe it’s raining, maybe you’re just too cozy) you could watch 5 Minutes of Fungi. A collection of videos, each 5 minutes long, they are fascinating little snippets from experts and enthusiasts alike. Learn about fungi and climate change from Professor Dan Bebber, or how to make a paper mache fungus artwork from Cameron Diekonigin. There is even a beginners guide to identifying fungi from the aforementioned Fungi Guy (Ali McKernan).

Online Talks and Seminars

Now here’s something we can all get to! The magic of the world-wide-mycelium-web means that you can imbibe the words of mycology experts even from the other side of the globe. And there are quite some experts lined up!

On Saturday the 8th you can join the World Fungus Day Seminar 2022 organized by the Arboricultural Association. Although pricey (at £39 a ticket, £25 for members) there is a fascinating roster of 12 speakers. These include Dr. Jonathan Plett who will present ‘Decoding the Language of Mycorrhizal Fungi’ (how plants and fungi communicate) and Dr Phan Chia Wei who will be presenting a deep dive on medicinal mushrooms with ‘Mushrooms: Treasures for Human Health’.

And that’s just scraping the surface! Luckily once you have purchased the ticket you will get access to the seminars to watch at your leisure. 

Next, on Wednesday the 13th the British Mycological Society will host Professor David Nutt, renowned neuropsychopharmacologist. At this (free!) talk, Professor Nutt will discuss the historic use of mushrooms and fungal products, including psilocybin and its growing role as a treatment for mental health conditions such as depression and addiction. 

Have a Fun-fun-fungi Day!

And, if your brain is nourished enough, why not nourish your soul too? Celebrate Fungus Day with a funky fungi psychedelic trip! Whether you plump for magic truffles, or pluck your harvest from a handy grow kit, there’s no better day for a cosmic wander in the forests of your mind.