Denver Magic Mushrooms Festival Canceled

The Denver Shroom Fest is no more, according to its organizer.

Advertised as "Denver’s first psychedelic mushrooms festival" during its inaugural run last June, the Denver Shroom Fest was one the earliest public-facing events to boldly promote Colorado's new psychedelic laws, which include the decriminalization of displaying and sharing (but not selling) psilocybin mushrooms.

"The real purpose of this is to make an accessible, fun event for everybody. I don't see a reason that we would need to hide behind calling it something that it's not. I want this just to be a mushroom festival," co-founder Jonathan Cherkoss told Westword last year. "With it being a community-focused event, a lot of people are really invested in the success of this program."

Held at ReelWorks in the RiNo district, the first Shroom Fest showcased psilocybin mushroom and mushroom-related vendors, as well as food trucks, exhibition spaces and music. Consumption of mushrooms was not allowed onsite, according to Cherkoss, and the event took place without law enforcement intervention.
This year's Shroom Fest was set to take place on Sunday, June 15, again at ReelWorks, but Cherkoss announced on Instagram earlier this week that Shroom Fest was canceled "due to unforeseen circumstances and some bad luck."

Anyone who bought a ticket to Shroom Fest would be refunded by the end of the week, he said, adding that another mushroom event could be on the way.

"We have had a huge outpouring of support and interest this year and it is absolutely gutting to have to do this," Cherkoss continued. "Keep a lookout for the next great mushroom event coming soon."

However, that new event probably won't be Shroom Fest 2.0. In a statement to Westword, Cherkoss did not elaborate on why it was canceled, and he was less than committed to its future.

"Denver Shroom Fest was a huge success, and it was amazing to work with the entire Colorado mushroom community. Sometimes, things just don't work out," Cherkoss says. "While Denver Shroom Fest may not get a sequel, keep an eye out for other psychedelic events in the future."

Colorado's personal use space for psilocybin began in late 2022 after voters approved the groundbreaking statewide initiative decriminalizing psilocybin mushrooms, DMT, ibogaine and mescaline, while also legalizing the medical use of psilocybin.

However, the licensed industry is just getting off the ground. After enacting new regulations,the Colorado Department of Revenue recently began accepting applications for licensed mushroom growers, healing centers and advertising. Denver City Council approved a similar set of local licensing regulations earlier this month.