Thousands of people enjoyed clear, sunny skies and warm temperatures as they danced, ate, shopped and celebrated May 24-25 at the Morgan Hill Mushroom Festival.
The Memorial Day weekend event—a fundraiser for local high school students and nonprofits—took place in and around the grounds of the Morgan Hill Community & Cultural Center in the city’s downtown.
The festival—which annually celebrates one of South County’s most productive agricultural commodities—brought dozens of food vendors, arts and crafts merchants, kids’ activities and live performers to Morgan Hill. Bands performed on two stages all day Saturday and Sunday, and local celebrity chefs offered live cooking demonstrations to indoor audiences.
A Mushroom Educational Display and Exhibit sponsored by the Western Mushroom Growers Association was located in the CCC’s Rose Garden. Volunteers poured beer and wine—most from local producers—for patrons into the festival’s late afternoons.
About 13,000 people attended throughout this year’s two-day festival—about the same as last year’s attendance, according to Dan Keith, President of the Morgan Hill Mushroom Festival Board of Directors.
“It went extremely well,” Keith said of the 2025 Mushroom Festival. “I’m getting a lot of positive feedback.”
MHMF board members and volunteers led the festival’s annual scholarship award presentation on May 24 on the CCC amphitheater stage. Keith said this year’s presentation included $35,000 worth of scholarships to local high school seniors who plan to attend college.
This year’s scholarships are funded by proceeds from the 2024 festival, and organizers hope to be able to award at least the same amount next year, Keith said.
The MHMF, which has been running since 1980, serves primarily as a fundraiser for high school senior scholarships and local nonprofit organizations. The festival also awarded about $40,000 to local nonprofits in 2024.
Festival organizers emphasize the community aspect of the event, with more than 300 volunteers helping to run the festivities. Local nonprofits staff the festival, selling tickets and working beer and wine stations. High school students assist with setup, while the football team handles loading and unloading.
Can’t believe people went to the Morgan Hill mushroom festival at those prices. They must be all rich which I’m not. It’s ashamed to charge $20 to get in the door plus the Fuji pie is another 30 and that’s for one person outrageous.
Probable the worst festival in the bay area. And the fact that they charge 20bucks to get in and 12 bucks for a beer and have the worse selection of booths in all of the bay area is an absolute joke. Go see festivals in Santa Clara and C
ampbell to get an idea on how great festivals are supposed to be ran. Stick to your day job.