The 4 th Annual Hemp, Hops & Shrooms Festival Returns to Carbondale Saturday, September 20, 2025
Date/Time
Date(s) - 09/20/2025
3:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Location
Downtown Entertainment and Events Plaza
Categories
Carbondale’s Most Unique Festival is Back!
The City of Carbondale and Carbondale Main Street are excited to welcome everyone to the 4th Annual Hemp,
Hops & Shrooms Festival , a one-of-a-kind celebration of science, food, music, and fun. In collaboration with
Southern Illinois University’s Cannabis Science Center and the Fermentation Science Institute, this festival
continues to highlight the groundbreaking research and creativity happening right here in our community.
Saturday, September 20, 2025
Downtown Entertainment & Events Plaza
3–9 PM
Free and family-friendly
Learn Something New (3–6 PM)
Curious about hemp, cannabis, mushrooms, or fermentation? SIU professors and regional experts will host
engaging presentations and demonstrations designed to teach, inspire, and entertain.
Presentations
• 3:00 PM – Terpene or Not Terpene, That is the Question – A fragrant exploration into aroma compounds with
SIU’s Fermentation Science Institute
• 4:00 PM – Optimizing Environmental Controls for Indoor Cannabis Cultivation – with Dr. Jose Leme and
SIUC research students
• 5:00 PM – Mushroom Production: For Food, Profit, and Fun – with Mike Hatfield of Flyway Family Farms
Demonstrations
• Cannabis cultivation insights with Dr. Jose Leme
• Cooking with Mushrooms and Extracts with Jessica Mushroomama
• Hemp for Fiber and Food with Karla Gage (SIUC) and Hunter Buffington (National Hemp Growers
Association)
Evening Entertainment (6–9 PM)
As the sun sets, the plaza energizes even more with Carbondale’s Off the Rails Concert Series.
• 6:00–7:20 PM – Sturg & Friends, a local rock/reggae/funk/blues/folk/Americana ensemble
• 7:30–9:00 PM – Colt Ball & The Git Down, a high-energy post-jam/funk fusion/reggae-core group from St.
Louis
Bring a chair, grab your crew, and get ready to dance under the stars. This is a BYOC (bring your own chair)
and BYOB (bring your own beverage, non-glass containers) event.
Food, Vendors, and Family Fun
Food trucks will be on site with flavors from across the region, along with local vendors offering unique finds
and handmade goods. Kids can climb the portable rock wall from SIU’s Touch of Nature.
Come be a part of the fun – Vendor & Volunteer applications are available now.
A Whole Weekend of Discovery
This festival coincides with SIU’s 6th Annual Hemp and Cannabis Symposium on Friday, September 19 at
SIU’s Gower Translational Research Center. The symposium runs from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM, with a social
mixer from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. More information and registration is available here:
https://conferenceservices.siu.edu/conferences/southern-illinois-hemp-symposium.php
“The SIU Cannabis Science Center enthusiastically supports the annual Carbondale Hemp, Hops and Shrooms
Festival, and holding this event on the Saturday immediately following the SIU Hemp / Cannabis Symposium
just makes so much sense!” said Gary Kinsel, Director of the SIU Cannabis Science Center. “We look forward
to participating again in this year’s festival and for many years to come!”
City Manager Stan Reno said, “The Hemp, Hops & Shrooms Festival has grown into one of Carbondale’s
signature events, thanks to the ongoing partnership with SIU’s Fermentation Science Institute and Cannabis
Science Center. This festival shines a spotlight on the innovation, education, and community spirit that make
Carbondale unique. We are proud to host an event that brings people together to learn, celebrate, and enjoy
some of the best of what our city has to offer.”
Don’t miss your chance to learn, taste, shop, and groove at one of Southern Illinois’ most unique festivals. See
you downtown on September 20.
For questions or more information, contact Carbondale Public Relations at 618-713-0711.
“Carbondale prides itself on providing its visitors, students, businesses and residents with a unique mix of edge and ease.
It’s a cultural town, yet free of pretense, embracing the great outdoors as readily as urban sophistication. Here, we are
open to new ideas, experiences and cultures, so you are encouraged to both express yourself and be yourself, in all ways.
That’s Carbondale…All Ways Open… for family, fun, business, new ideas and a bright tomorrow.”