This talk will provide the very latest insights into the use of mycoremediation - the use of mushrooms to clean and filter water - in a rapidly growing project being undertaken by Flete Field Lab CIC. Alice Sophia Pefanis and Honor Wolf are jointly offering this talk. They bring together expertise in mycology, fungal ecology, ecosystem restoration, and community engagement to support research, education, and practical environmental action. 

Tickets £5 from Hay Castle Website

Ever wondered where our knowledge of fungi came from? Dr Nathan Smith, FLS, senior mycologist for the National Museum of Wales, explores the histories of fungi and the people that study them. Expect stories of drinking, betrayal, and a fair bit of mushroom-eating. There may even be a song or two!

Tickets £12 through Hay Castle website

After last year’s sell-out talk, we’re delighted to welcome Ali Mac — AKA The FUNgi Guy — back to Fungi Town for another fungi-filled adventure, delivered in his own wonderfully inimitable style.  Expect games, puppets, questionable props and plenty of audience participation. In Ali’s world, learning about fungi is anything but a chore.

Tickets £12/£6 through Hay Castle website

Discover why your garden might be hiding more fungal life than you think. RHS expert and author Dr Jassy Drakulic asks whether typical gardening habits are silently suppressing an ecosystem that is already there. Drawing on recent field evidence, Jassy reveals what is really going on beneath our feet, and why it matters for tackling problems like Honey Fungus.

Come away with practical, low-effort changes for your own garden: what to leave alone, what to avoid, and how to invite fungi in as allies rather than threats. No mycology degree required, just curiosity about the hidden half of your garden.

Tickets £12 through Hay Castle website

Join Professor Lynne Boddy from Cardiff University for a masterclass introduction to the amazing hidden kingdom of fungi - a kingdom with more species than plants and vertebrates combined. Working unseen, fungi are essential to Earth’s terrestrial ecosystems, and without them we could not survive. 

Lynne is a prominent scientist, prolific author and ardent communicator of the mysteries and importance of fungi.

Tickets £15 through Hay Castle website

Lion's Mane, Reishi, Cordyceps, Turkey Tail: medicinal mushrooms are everywhere and promising miraculous results, but what does the evidence actually say?  This beginner-friendly talk unpicks the evidence from the hype, explores the modern and traditional uses of medicinal fungi, and looks at how to identify good products. 

A fascinating discussion between Kit Ondaatje Rolls, Hania Opienski and Oli Genn-Bash.

Tickets £12 from Hay Castle website

Fungi have often been overlooked in conservation, as they are hard to see, hard to study and frequently underappreciated. However, there is a growing realisation that these unsung heroes need conserving too. In this talk, Cardiff University ecologist and lecturer Dr Sarah Christofides will introduce you to the fungal stars of a major new conservation effort and explain how you can get involved in helping to preserve them.

Tickets £12 from Hay Castle website

In this conversation, Professor Andy Letcher of Exeter University will discuss the cultural history of the magic mushroom, with a focus on the UK. There is renewed interest in the potential of psychedelics to address a number of stubborn mental illnesses, as well as a burgeoning psychedelic underground, driven especially by people travelling to the Amazon to consume ayahuasca in healing ceremonies. In this talk Andy will challenge many of the myths that have arisen around magic mushrooms, answering questions such as: were the builders of Stonehenge tripping and was Santa Claus originally a mushroom munching shaman?

Tickets £12 from Hay Castle website

Lee Davies is the collection manager for the largest, oldest, and most scientifically important collection of dried fungi in the world. 

Kew Fungarium holds over 1.25 million specimens from all seven continents, representing roughly 60% of known global fungal diversity.

In this talk he will discuss his life and the remarkable fungi he has met, from his work at Kew to expeditions in Madagascar.

Tickets £12 from Hay Castle website

Join Rich Wright, a conservation mycologist with over 20 years' experience in fungal ecology, rare species translocation and cultivation, for a talk on rethinking decay in Britain's oaks. Having held posts at Kew, Cardiff University and Plantlife, Rich brings deep scientific and field knowledge to heart-rot, a process often misunderstood despite its huge value for woodland biodiversity. The talk draws on years spent among ancient oaks and their fungi, exploring what decay can teach us about the living world, and ourselves.

Tickets £12 from Hay Castle website

Hear Marlow Renton of Wild Food UK describe and introduce wild edible fungi and answer your burning mushroom questions!

Cook On The Wild Side!He will then demonstrate some amazing mushroom recipes from the Wild Food UK Forager’s Cookbook.

Free entry at The Globe at Hay