Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras — officially the Morgan Hill Mushroom Festival — is the biggest weekend of the year for downtown. May 23–24, 2026. Here's the full plan.

The basics Two full days, 200+ vendor booths, live music, a big kids' area, mushroom-forward food, and more varieties of mushroom than you knew existed. The festival is run by local nonprofits and the community comes out in force.

What to eat The mushroom-themed dishes are the point. Mushroom tamales, mushroom burgers, pasta with wild mushrooms, portobello "steaks," mushroom pizza. The chef demos on the main stage are worth catching — real chefs doing real cooking, not paid endorsements.

Drinks Local wineries pour at the wine pavilion. Local breweries pour at the beer garden. Sangria flows. Bring ID. Non-alcoholic options are plentiful — this is a family festival first.

Kid activities Rides, face painting, craft booths, a petting zoo. The kids' zone is shaded, which matters if Saturday hits 90 degrees (it happens). Bring sunscreen.

Parking and shuttles Parking in downtown Morgan Hill fills up by 10 AM on Saturday. The festival runs shuttles from satellite lots — check the festival site for locations closer to the date. Our honest advice: park on the east side of town, ride a bike or walk in along the Butterfield path. You'll save 30 minutes of circling.

Our picks - Go Saturday morning. Cooler, calmer, better parking, more vendor inventory. - Bring cash. Some vendors still prefer it. - Eat the tamales. We've had the tamales every year. They never miss. - Wear real shoes. The festival grounds are uneven in spots and the shaded turf areas get soft.

Why it matters The Mushroom Mardi Gras is the one weekend each year when every part of Morgan Hill — new residents, old residents, farming families, downtown business owners — shows up together. It's the closest thing this town has to a shared holiday.

For more local events, see our Friday Night Music Series guide and our Guide to Downtown Morgan Hill.

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Media plan: Festival photos from Visit Morgan Hill press library (credit Visit Morgan Hill).

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