I can hardly believe it’s already that time again: the 2026 Portland Fermentation Festival is next week! (This year has really flown by.) This is one of my favorite annual festivals—there’s always good things to see, eat, and yes—smell at Stinkfest. Here’s what you (and I) need to know.
Fermented Foods Are Good For You, and They Taste Great
It has been known for many years that eating fermented foods is good for gut health. They have been known to help counter inflammation and can have a positive effect on GLP-1 activation in the body. Chef David Zilber asserts that humans would not have survived, thrived, and progressed as a species without fermentation.
But you know, you can forget all that and simply enjoy fermented foods for the flavor and tang: yogurt, kefir, wine, beer, kombucha, miso, tempeh, sauerkraut and more. It’s all good.
Accessing the 2026 Portland Fermentation Festival: The Basics
The Portland Fermentation Festival is on Thursday, October 22, 2026 from 6pm to 9pm at the Ecotrust building at 721 NW 9th Avenue, where it’s been held for many years. The festival is now in its 15th year.
Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 day of, but it often sells out before the actual festival, so get your tickets now. You can buy them here. Kids 12 and younger get in free.
New This Year: BYOF
This year there is a new station called Bring Your Own Ferment (BYOF). It features small-batch ferments—it could be lacto-fermented salsa, some fruity water kefir, pickles, kraut. And the hope is that you will make them and bring in a bottle or jar or other container of your ferment to share. You’ll also have a chance to try some of these shared ferments (cups, tongs, and labels provided).
It’s also an opportunity to meet other local fermenters, talk shop and nerd out about this fun, creative activity that is fermentation.
They also encourage you to bring copies of your recipe, as well as share any fermentation tips up your sleeve, along with any discoveries you made along the way. Sharing mistakes and the lessons learned from them is cathartic, so feel free to do that, too. Your skill level with fermentation is not a concern—all are welcome to participate!
Returning Faves
These are returning for the 2026 Portland Fermentation Festival:
- Starter Barter & Adoption Center. Bring a starter, leave with a starter. That means kombucha SCOBYs, water kefir grains, milk kefir grains, vinegar mothers, sourdough starters, and ginger bugs (I’ve also heard about turmeric bugs). A great way to quickly dive into fermenting something new at home.
- Bacterial Petting Zoo. “Get up close and personal with SCOBYs, cultures, fermentation mothers, and other fascinating microorganisms that make fermented foods possible.”
- Fermentation Demonstrations. There will be three demos:
- 6:30pm with Claudia Lucero (AKA Urban Cheesecraft): She’ll show you how to make cheese with ingredients from the supermarket.
- 7:30pm with Che Louise (AKA Fermenter Mentor): She’ll show you how to make a beet and red cabbage sauerkraut.
- 8:30pm with Sarah Pesout (AKA The Fermentista): She’ll show you how to make a lacto-fermented salsa.
- The Tasting Room. This is such a fun and interesting part of the festival, where you get to taste a bunch of things that are fermented—kimchi, miso, natto, cheese, kombucha, bread, and more—and purchase items that really float your boat.
2026 Portland Fermentation Fest: the Team
Big thanks to Liz Crain, Heidi Nestler, and Claudia Lucero for their hard work putting this festival on year after year. Learn more about Liz, festival co-founder; Heidi, founder of Wanpaku Natto); and Claudia, founder of Urban Cheesecraft.
See you at the festival!
2026 Portland Fermentation Festival
Thursday, October 22, 2026
6pm to 9pm
Ecotrust Building, 721 NW 9th Avenue, Portland
Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Buy tickets here.
Portland Fermentation Festival website | Instagram | Facebook
Meg Cotner
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