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KENNETT SQUARE PA - The annual Mushroom Festival in Kennett Square PA, located 12 miles southwest of West Chester, was named Thursday (March 13, 2025) by USA Today newspaper as “one of the 10 best specialty food festivals in the United States.”
The two-day festival, now scheduled for Sept. 6-7 in the borough, began four decades ago as a way to highlight mushroom farms in the Kennett Square area. “We’re humbled and honored to be recognized,” festival President Gina Puoci says, “but what makes the designation even more special is that we were voted by the public.”
The festival was among the newspaper’s Readers’ Choice picks for 2025. It observes its 40th anniversary this year. Tickets for the festival cost $5 per person, and will be available online later this year.
A Focus on, What Else?, Mushroom Foods
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As could be expected, the festival focuses on a variety of mushroom-based or -related foods. However, it also includes mushroom-themed and kids activities, music, cooking demonstrations, contests, hundreds of vendors, its famous Fried Mushroom Eating Contest, and a mushroom growing exhibit.
The festival’s mission is to promote the mushroom, educate consumers about the health benefits of mushrooms, and to promote tourism in southern Chester County. It also supports local and regional charities. Proceeds generated by the event are distributed to local non-profit organizations through a grants program.
Since its start, the festival has “contributed nearly $1.4 million to support local initiatives,” according to Festival Coordinator Gale Ferranto of Buona Foods. “From education to healthcare, environmental conservation to arts and culture, the Festival fuels the engines of progress in Kennett Square and beyond.”
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Photos provided to Pottstown Foodie by The Mushroom Festival