Pilzfestspiele 2025: Vienna’s Mycological Biennial Returns with Expanded Focus on Science, Culture and the Fungi Economy
- Marc Violo
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
As fungi edge their way into mainstream science, innovation and culture, Vienna is positioning itself at the heart of this movement. The second edition of Pilzfestspiele, the city’s biennial fungi festival, is back this October with over 100 speakers and artists, 19 venues, and an expanded programme that highlights fungi’s growing role in research, art, entrepreneurship, and ecological thinking.
A City-Wide Celebration of Fungi in All Forms
From 6 to 12 October 2025, Vienna will become the global capital of fungal sciences. Organised by MyPilz GmbH, Pilzfestspiele 2025 brings together a week-long programme of lectures, exhibitions, workshops, performances and public events designed to showcase fungi’s place in science, innovation, education, and society.
This year’s edition includes new formats like the Fungi Economy Day, dedicated to business and biotech, alongside returning crowd favourites such as the Funga Foto Fest, Funga Film Fest, and the immersive Schleimpilz Fest, which spotlights slime moulds and their curious ecological behaviour.
Highlights of the 2025 Programme
Fungi Economy Day (Tag der Pilzwirtschaft): Held at the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, this new event marks the first national gathering focused on the commercial and industrial potential of fungi. Experts such as Lene Lange, Maurizio Montalti (Mogu), Susanne Gløersen (The Future is Fungi Award), and Marc Violo, founder of MycoStories, will discuss the role of fungal technologies in circular economy models, agri-biotech, sanitation, and alternative materials. Emerging startups like EcoMycel and MycoFutures will also present their innovations.
Science Mainstage (Auditorium): On Sunday 12 October, the University of Vienna’s Audimax will host a full-day symposium featuring leading fungal researchers and activists. Topics span mycology, ecology, microbiome science and conservation biology, with speakers including Giuliana Furci, Miranda Hart, Mark Anthony, and Joseph Strauss.
Funga Foto Fest: Hosted at Galerie Ostlicht, this will be Austria’s largest macro fungal photography exhibition to date, featuring over 100 images and videos from global artists. The show blends visual art with scientific storytelling to reveal hidden fungal architectures and life cycles.
Funga Film Fest: A tribute to visual pioneers Stephen Axford and Catherine Marciniak, this curated screening programme highlights the role of fungi in cinematography and documentary storytelling.
Workshops and Citizen Science: Participants can join field forays, slime mould tracking, DIY DNA barcoding, or medicinal mushroom courses. Education is a central pillar, with schools, hobbyists, and professionals invited to explore accessible tools for fungal learning.
Funga Market: From mycelium-based materials to fermented foods, the Markthalle Markterei will become a temporary marketplace for fungi-derived goods. Producers from across Austria will offer tastings, samples, and insights into fungi-based production.
Art and Culture Space: The Viktoria space for artistic research will host fungal installations, storytelling performances, and live workshops by creators working at the intersection of nature, society and speculative design.
A Platform for Fungi-Led Innovation
Austria is already home to pioneering fungal enterprises. Thomas Neuburger’s work on fungal cultivation for carbon-reducing food production, Niko Bogianzidis’s sanitation innovations with öKlo, and Stephanie Lipp’s myco-leather experiments illustrate how fungi are reshaping food systems, waste management, and materials science.
The festival also features creative entries like Jack Neville’s Kickstarter-backed board game, which brings mycology into homes and schools through play.
The Austrian Ministry for Agriculture and Regions will present a new study on the national fungi economy, based on interviews with domestic and international players, providing a policy-backed snapshot of the sector’s potential.
A Growing International Ecosystem
With confirmed speakers including Giuliana Furci, Cosmo Sheldrake, Peter McCoy, Alison Pouliot, Marc Violo, and many others, the event offers a cross-disciplinary look at fungi from molecular biology to indigenous knowledge, music, biofabrication, and systems design.
Venues range from the Natural History Museum to the MuseumsQuartier, Haydn Cinema, University of Vienna, and smaller creative studios around the city. The full schedule is available at pilzfestspiele.at/timetable.
Whether you’re a researcher, entrepreneur, educator, or just fungi-curious, Pilzfestspiele 2025 invites you to explore how fungi are reshaping our world.
