The Mushroom Festival

There was another listing for the mushroom festival so I just copied and pasted what I said there.
Its fun the first time you go. Take a tour of a mushroom house. But really, how much mushroom themed items would you want to buy or put in your yard? It reminds me of a church carnival, but slightly mushroom themed. All the restaurants have seating outside while the main street is closed to vehicles. But they also charge quite a bit for their mushroom specials. The biggest issue I had was they try to sell you a bracelet like you needed it for admission but it really was not required. If you stood in line they would gladly sell you a bracelet and not tell you that you could walk the street for free, and it was only required for certain events. It is nice to see some support for the mushroom famers who are constantly being complained to by all the fancy rich people who move into the area about the smell of mushroom soil and why they can’t make it smell like potpourri. And I think if I was a child at this festival I would be bored. I guess just living in the area the idea of mushrooms being special and «exotic» doesn’t mean that much to me.

Well folks the summer days are winding down and this is my last hooray. I am such a fan of this festival. Arrive early 9:30ish look for parking on roads further then the paying parking suggests, don’t even think about trying not to pay the 2 bucks to get in because they have every area and roads covered. They will not let you go through until 10:00am. This is a day filled with something for all ages. Rides for kids, crafts, food for the foodies, music, raffles, mushroom and cooking demonstrations, clothing shops for the ladies, a mini kind of mall that sells sandwiches, fresh seafood, pizza etc. They have an antique car show as well. This festival is very large and if it’s a nice day be prepared for shoulder to shoulder people. Now for lunch they have quite a few restaurants that are wonderful! The restaurants have an area squared off in front their establishments to offer some of what’s the best of the best they offer. However my favorite place to eat is called the Half Moon, they offer Bison burgers and other different meat burgers, crab nachos, seafood and other dishes you wouldn’t find at your average restaurant. On top of the Half Moon there is an open air bar and small dining area~ just a little tip for couples looking to steal a little time away from the crowds and catch a beer-​wine– buzz! I love this little bar!!! Ok my last suggestion~ There is a place called M. Cutone Mushroom, Co., INC. They do not participate in the festival (not sure why?) here you will find the best prices for mushrooms and it’s not far from the festival. I highly recommend stopping here for fresh quality mushrooms of every variety at great prices. This festival will not disappoint anyone but be prepared for a lot of people…

The Mushroom Festival was a hoot, but really, only ¹⁄₃ of the fest had any sort of mushroom offerings.
But, a hoot is a hoot! Right?
In the very mushroom-​oriented portion of the fest, I learned so much about how these little dudes are grown: the process is so much more that what a non-​mushroom enthusiast would assume (and, admittedly, they made an enthusiast out of me). The learning portion took place under a big tent where they had a step-​by-​step walking tour with little stations demonstrating the growing process. It was truly interesting! I was so inspired that I purchased my own mushroom log to try my hand at it (although nothing happened… I think it was a dud. That’s what I get for buying it off of some guy at the farmers market).
Of course, while we were at the fest, we ate a lot of mushrooms: mushroom soup, mushroom egg rolls, mushroom mac ‘n cheese… we wanted to try the mushroom ice cream but we were at capacity at that point.
I’d definitely go back, especially for the chance to affordably load up on mushrooms for soup-​making.

I love this festival. Its a true street fair meets dedicated festival to mushrooms. Even if you don’t eat /​like mushrooms it doesn’t matter. There are tons of food vendors and booths of artisians, plus corporate sponsors giving out goodies. Always the weekend after Labor Day, Kennet Square does it right.

I came in from the east and easily found $ 5 parking right off of the Kennett Square exit on Route 1. It came with an accompanying shuttle bus. I was mostly excited about the parking because it meant I didn’t have to hunt for a parking spot (Manayunk-​style). $ 2 to get in was really reasonable, too. In general, the mushroom festival is very kid-​friendly– and the exhibits about mushroom growing were really informative for adults, too. I do wish I could have gone on a farm tour, but on Saturday, I think they sold out of tickets around noon. :(
Kid-​friendly aside, the mushroom festival is a mix of a farmer’s market and a street fair, with an emphasis on the street fair. Tons of vendors, both from the main street and not, were selling too many things for me to count (bought some organic honey). It seriously went on forever. I wish that there had been more mushrooms for sale– there were only a few stations (and cash only, too?! That was a surprise).
The food vendors were incredible and I really wish I had brought more cash, because there was so much stuff to buy! I was really excited to see so many mushroom-​themed things. There were tons of samples and I tried some truly wonderful organic cheese. My friend had the pumpkin-​mushroom ice cream, which tasted mostly like pumpkin, but it was still good. I had some oyster mushroom fritters with feta and hot sauce and I absolutely gobbled them up. So yummy! The «official» mushroom soup served was hot and full of mushrooms, but I was more happy to find a place away from the crowds and sun for a few minutes (and donate to a good cause).
One thing I was very surprised about was how crowded it was. Very, very full of people. It would be great to see the festival expand into a second weekend (both to give me more time to visit and so the crowds are smaller).

For a $ 2 entry fee, you get to browse the entire length of the road (it never ends) flanked by stands, booths, and tables of vendors, all pay as you go. The appearances, the performances, all paid events. There WAS a mushroom exhibit where they explained the different stages of mushroom growing, and they let you pick a button mushroom and eat it. I took 3.
For someone who considers herself the Anti-​Consumer, this was a nightmare, but a telling contest in retail resistance. I won.
Double win because the Science Diet Pet Food tent was giving their entire booty away at the end, and I got 2 weeks worth of cat food for free; that made up my entrance fee and then some. My suggestion for the future? More free mushrooms.

Kennett Square is the mushroom-​growing capital of the world, producing about a million pounds of mushroom each week, and it is just a pleasant one-​hour drive out of the city. The Mushroom Festival was mostly very well-​organized. I had a little trouble finding parking at first but a volunteer was extremely kind to me and got me on my way to the ample off-​site parking, where all-​day parking cost $ 5. There was a free parking shuttle that ran back and forth constantly so there was never a long wait for it. The ride was only about five minutes long.
The festival was very crowded, more so than I had known to expect, although it makes sense because it was a gorgeously clear and sunny weekend. There were many different vendors selling fresh mushrooms, jewelry, soaps, clothing, you name it.
Talula’s Table had a stand and I enjoyed their mushroom risotto (although this needed a little salt) and mushroom mac-​and-​cheese (this was perfect). Another stand (I forget the name!) had shiitake tempura that were perfectly crispy, juicy, and meaty.
A taco stand was selling fresh cut mango seasoned with lime juice, salt, and chili. Great for the warm weather, and it was nice to eat something a bit on the lighter side.
I enjoyed checking out the Mushroom Exhibit where growers from the area patiently explained all the stages of growing mushrooms. They were knowledgeable and friendly, and were happy to answer my questions about the process. I thought this was very cool, especially I realized I’d known almost nothing about what it takes for those delicious mushrooms to wind up on my dinner plate.
My friend and I tried to get on the farm tour where for $ 5 they take you on a tour of a working Mushroom Farm. No dice! Although the tours were advertised as running from noon to 3, by 2:15 they were already completely sold out. So next year I will know to definitely come early.
All in all, I think this made for a very nice weekend afternoon.

Lots of mushrooms. I parked for $ 5 and caught a shuttle bus to entrance. I had cream of mushroom soup (delicious), smoky mushroom bisque (OK), mushroom Risotto (bland), crab stuffed portabello (alot of filling) ‚.a chicken pita (good), cheese curds (yummy)
It was just way way too busy!!! You couldn’t walk anywhere without being pushed. If it wasn’t so busy, I would of enjoyed it much more.

A-​OK just about describes this festival. My friend and I were around Kennett Sq to see Longwood Gardens. When we started to drive into town the following day, we noticed signs for a Mushroom Festival. WHAT!!! There was no debate on where we were going next.
We drove to town and found parking fairly easily. We walked to the festival with wide eyes and great expectations of seeing, smelling and tasting everything mushrooms. After all, it’s a mushroom festival!
As we started to walk around, disappointment set in. Yes, there were mushroom-​related items but it seemed like more of the exception than the norm. It was just a regular old street fest. Being both from NY, we’re quite used to street festivals where random places pedal their gear. There were some local places but also your usual street fair commercial enterprise places. There were three mushroom booths, plus the mushroom tent with demonstrations on how mushrooms grow. There were a few vendors selling mushroom-​centric food and even someone selling mushroom ice cream, which we did not get to try due to the line. There were also a few vendors/​artisans selling their mushroom-​centric garden supplies, gnomes and art. I definitely wish there had been more of that.
For a festival centered around mushrooms, it failed to take advantage of its local mushroom heritage. A fun morning with a good crowd but overall a letdown.

Just went. I must say there was a nice tasting of mushroom soups (Kennett Square Inn was fantastic), but 90% of the vendors had nothing to do with mushrooms, so I’m a bit disappointed. Overpriced shoes, clothes, scarves, and then tents for… insurance companies, even Walgreens had a tent (seriously?)… The designated parking space is very far away from the actual place, prepare to walk for a while or be smart and park nearby.

Love this festival. I love mushrooms! There are so many vendors and things to do and MUSHROOMS! The food and drinks are all reasonably priced, unlike all the festivals in NJ. $ 2 to get in and you get a little rubbery bracelet as your ticket to get in and a souvenir. Profits go to local charities. $ 5 parking all day and a shuttle bus to boot. Seriously? That would be $ 20 bucks to park in NJ and you’d be walking 5 blocks, if you’re lucky.
You have to try Portabellos mushroom bisque and the other fare they offer. My husband and I definitely want to return there for dinner one night.
Also, take the mushroom farm tour! Again, $ 5. and goes to charity. We even got to pick up fresh mushrooms for half the price we’d get them for in NJ.
So refreshing to go to a nice family event and not have to pay $ 5. just for a bottle of water. Will definitely return here year after year. I’m a fan!

YAY for the mushroom festival! If you missed out this past weekend and didn’t go, never fear, there’s always next year. One of my favorite festivals ever because… hello, mushrooms. As far as the eye can see! Talula’s Table has one of my favorite booths — mushroom risotto, mushroom spring rolls, mushroom soup, and this year mushroom mac & cheese, all phenomenal.
There is a bunch of mushroom food, of course (hubs tried mushroom ice cream this year), but there’s also your typical festival food (fried EVERYTHING) and other fun goodies — I discovered mozzarella-​filled arepas this year, which, well, may be the perfect food.
And there are tons of interesting vendors, all-​you-​can-​drink root beer, and of course, all the regular businesses on State St. which are always fun to browse around. And, needless to say, you can also buy all sorts of different types of mushrooms to take home.

This is the largest mushroom festival on the planet. In the idyllic town of Kennet Square, nearby Longwood Gardens and all the Brandywine attractions… Dozens of booths with mushrooms of all types, sizes, and varieties… Legal ones, that is. And a cook off to get your mushroom fix for years to come.