Geocaching meets art: take part in the worldwide mushroom hunt
22-5-2026
Translation: machine translated
At the beginning of June, mushrooms spring up all over the world. Not real fruiting bodies, but small works of art in mushroom form. But watch out: You have to find them quickly so you don't miss them.
Would you take a mushroom with you if you weren't sure whether it was poisonous? At best, no. But on 13 June, you can pick anything you want - and you don't even have to show it to the mushroom inspector. The only requirement is that the mushrooms you find are art.
Source: Instagram @really_wendi
The world becomes an art exhibition
Seven years ago, the artist Daniel «Attaboy» Seifert came up with the idea of a worldwide scavenger hunt for art lovers to experience the magic of surprise. He developed the «Game of Shrooms», a kind of geocaching, with the idea that anyone and everyone in the world should be able to create, share and own art for free.
Source: Instagram @magicmakerdreamweaver
The first event in 2019 already went viral on social media. Artists around the world hid unique mushrooms for collectors to take home with them. For 24 hours, newly interpreted mushrooms sprang up in countries such as the USA, Hong Kong, Japan and Switzerland, turning the earth into a giant art exhibition. Since then, the Community has spread around the world like mushroom mycelium in the forest.
How to take part and these are the conditions
Whether you are searching or hiding: You orientate yourself on this map.
Source: Screenshot yumfactory.com
As an artist, you fill out the form with your artist name, your website or Instagram page and your location. The location does not necessarily have to correspond to the exact hiding place - it only determines where a mushroom pin appears on the map. However, it is best to place the pin within the radius of your hiding place so that collectors can assess whether the journey is worthwhile for them.
When someone clicks on the mushroom, the link to your page opens. There you provide more detailed information about the hiding place, ideally a few days in advance. You deposit your artwork on 13 June 2026 from 00:01. No matter which medium you use, label your work somewhere with your web or Instagram name so that anyone looking for it can contact you. If someone contacts you, let them know on your channel that your mushrooms have been collected. You can see what such a hiding place and the clues to it can look like in the series of pictures by the artist @artfromalameda.
Source: Instagram @artfromalameda
Source: Instagram @artfromalameda
Source: Instagram @artfromalameda
Leave no trace: As mushrooms spring up, so they disappear. Once the 24 hours are up, you have to abandon your search or take your work of art back with you and wait until next year when the big mushroom hunt starts again.
As a collector, open the map and select a mushroom pin. Note: The pin does not show the exact location of the art, but only an approximate radius. The link will redirect you to the page with the clues. Then find out where your surprise is hidden and pick it up. Once you have found something, contact the artist about it. Limit yourself to one work of art per «Game of Shrooms» so that others also have a chance.
You can find more artists via the hashtag #gameofshrooms,#shroomdrop or #gameofshrooms2026 or in the tagged profiles on the official Instagram account of gameofshrooms.
Switzerland, where are you?
Although Swiss artists were among the first to take part in the project, it still looks pretty empty on the map. That will certainly change in the coming weeks. Perhaps with your participation?
Source: Stefanie Lechthaler
Header image: Stefanie Lechthaler
Painting the walls just before handing over the flat? Making your own kimchi? Soldering a broken raclette oven? There's nothing you can't do yourself. Well, perhaps sometimes, but I'll definitely give it a try.
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