Mushroom Mardi Gras Festival

Festival in Morgan Hill, California

37°7′35″N 121°38′59″W / 37.12639°N 121.64972°W / 37.12639; -121.64972CountryUnited StatesYears active43InauguratedOctober 18, 1980 (1980-10-18)FounderBradley Ross SpencerMost recentMay 26, 2024 (2024-05-26)ActivityMushroom dishesOrganized byMorgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras, Inc.Filing status501(c)(3)SponsorsLocal mushroom farmsWebsitemhmmg.org/home

The Mushroom Mardi Gras Festival (rebranded as Morgan Hill Mushroom Festival for 2024)^[1]^[2] is an annual festival held in the downtown area of Morgan Hill, California.^[a] It is hosted by the nonprofit organization Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras, Inc.^[5] The festival was established in 1980 by Brad Spencer,^[4] and several sponsors supply mushrooms to create mushroom-themed dishes.

History

Locals of Morgan Hill referred to the city as "the Mushroom Capital of the World" before Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.^[6]

Founder and fire chief Bradley Ross Spencer (July 6, 1942 – July 2, 2015^[7]) first conceptualized the festival when he wanted to raise money for his local fire department, the Morgan Hill Fire Department.^[8] On October 18, 1980, the first festival was held, attracting 30,000 visitors.^[4]

In 2014, 80,000 people attended the Mushroom Mardi Gras Festival, setting a new record.^[4] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival was cancelled in 2020^[9] and 2021.^[10] In 2023, it was postponed after numerous safety concerns were raised regarding the Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting.^[11] As of 2024^[update], the festival raises money for scholarships for high schoolers within the Morgan Hill Unified School District.^[12]

Activities

Customers may visit booths preparing dishes made from mushrooms. Other activities include arts-and-crafts, museums, live music, and scholarship award ceremonies.^[13] Wine tasting was added to the festival in 2016.^[9]^[13]

The festival is usually hosted in May.^[9]^[13]

Notes

^ Since 2005, it has been held at Morgan Hill's downtown area.^[3]^[4]

References

^ "Breaking news: Mushroom Festival 2023 is coming back this spring with big changes". Morgan Hill Life. January 29, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
^ "Morgan Hill Mushroom Festival Postponed". NBC Bay Area. April 5, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
^ Cheek, Marty (February 9, 2023). "Morgan Hill Mushroom Festival can inspire Gilroy residents to not give up on the Garlic Festival". Gilroy Life. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Cheek, Marty (May 26, 2014). "Record 80,000 attend Mushroom Mardi Gras". Morgan Hill Life. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
^ "Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras". Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
^ "How Mushrooms Put Us on the Map". Morgan Hill Historical Society. January 4, 2021. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
^ "Bradley Ross Spencer July 6, 1942 - July 2, 2015". Gilroy Dispatch. July 7, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
^ Sharma, U.R. (2005). Images of America: Morgan Hill. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 125. ISBN 9780738529776.
^ ^a ^b ^c Cheek, Marty (April 28, 2022). "Entertainment: Mushroom Mardi Gras will entertain with great food, music, vendors". Morgan Hill Life. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
^ "Mushroom Mardi Gras canceled for 2021". The Morgan Hill Times. February 3, 2021. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
^ Hase, Grace (April 7, 2023). "Morgan Hill Mushroom Festival canceled after security company pulled out". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
^ Airoldi, Robert (January 24, 2024). "Breaking news: Mushroom Festival 2024 announced". Morgan Hill Life. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Bay Area LIFE: Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras is fun for whole family!". ABC 7 News. May 15, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2023.