Grass Wood fungi (c) Graham Standring
Fungi Fest
Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October at Potteric Carr nature reserve, Doncaster
A spore-tacular time awaits!
Mad for mycelium? Join us on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th October 2026 for a weekend of fungi-tastic activities at Fungi Fest!
Admission tickets are £6 for adults. Children and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust members go free.
This is your ticket entry to the reserve where you’ll be able to visit our information station and chat with Fungi experts, browse our Mushroom Market, enjoy kids crafts and activities and enjoy lots of spore-tastic activities over the weekend! Check out the Plan your trip page for more information.
Join the mushroom magic and be toadstool-y enchanted - book your ticket today! If you prefer you can also buy your ticket on the day.
But that’s not all! For even more Fungi Fun we've lined up a fantastic selection of guided walks and varied workshops. These activities need to be booked separately to your general admission (Fungi Festival Ticket) and are at an additional cost. To avoid missing out we suggest you book in advance.
Want to learn about more before you go? Then go and see our webpage full of everything you need to know about fungi!
Fly agaric (c) Guy Edwards
Plan your Fungi Fest visit
Plan your trip
📷 Andrew Darnton
Fungi Fact File
Learn moreFascinating fungi
Mycelium is marvellous for many reasons, but here are our top five fungi facts!
Amethyst deceiver (c) Carol Hall
The fungal kingdom is vital to life
Yet, more than 90% of the estimated 3.8 million fungi in the world are currently unknown to science.
They help trees talk to each other
Hidden underground, there’s a vast network that breaks down plant matter and dung, releasing essential nutrients back into the ground. This helps form a “wood wide web,” linking trees and allowing them to communicate with each other.
They can glow in the dark
It may sound odd, but some mushrooms are bioluminescent. This is thanks to luciferins, the same compounds that make fireflies light up at night and some sea creatures glow. This remarkable skill – known as foxfire – is used to attract insects.
They’re more like us than plants
A fungus is distinct from both plants and animals, as it exists in its own 'fungi kingdom.' Genetically, however, fungi are more akin to animals than to plants. Just like humans, they absorb oxygen and emit carbon dioxide, contributing to global warming in the process! Unlike plants, fungi don’t rely on sunlight for reproduction; they obtain their nutrients from other organisms, similar to how animals do.
Fungi-fabulous cleaners
Without the decomposing activities of saprotrophic fungi, we would disappear under a mountain of unrotted dead leaves and logs!
Display your photos at Fungi Fest
Have you taken spore-tacular photos of fungi around Yorkshire? We'd love to see them and if you're happy to share, we will display them on a rolling slideshow, on the screen in the Visitor Centre across the weekend.
Submit photos in the comments of the pinned post on Potteric Carr's Facebook page. Click the button below.
(c) Ross Hoddinott
Our events programme is made possible thanks to the players of the Postcode Lottery.