Last week’s 2024 Portland Fermentation Festival at Ecotrust was so much fun! We filled the ground level Irving Street Studio space with our ferments, our curiosity, our hugs and laughter. It was so good to come together to celebrate, learn about and sample all things funky and fermented.
If you were a part in any way — thank you so much! Stinkfest has always been for the people by the people. There was a lot that made this year stand out, including the special Dillon T. Pickle (of the Portland Pickles) appearance, all of the incredibly informative demos throughout the night, dozens of wild and super flavorful special samples from the pro and amateur makers themselves, a special Japanese hakko bon odori dance and you. You made it special as an attendee.
I highly recommend checking out this radio spot that we did for OPB’s Think Out Loud with host Dave Miller pre-fest. It really gets to the heart and soul of the fest. And, if you’re feeling nostalgic, at the end of the post I’ve included links to recaps of every stinking one of our Stinkfests. Pretty fun to scroll through photos of those way-back-when ones.
This year we welcomed back the Starter Barter & Adoption Center where fest attendees bring a SCOBY, take a SCOBY, bring water kefir grains, take water kefir grains! I brought a bunch of my personal vinegar and kombucha SCOBYS, plus water kefir grains, all bagged up along with printed up recipes and info. plus Fermenter postcards. I co-authored Fermenter with Aaron Adams in fall 2023.
This year we also welcomed back the Bacterial Petting Zoo, helmed by the lovely Heather Arndt Anderson and conceived and organized by Claudia! Words simply do not do it justice. Scroll down to see the fizzy and fermenty critters.
Thank you to everyone who came out for our 2024 STINKFEST and made it so special and fun! We are incredibly grateful to everyone who makes our festival so fantastic year after year, including our host with the very most, Ecotrust. We couldn't do it without them. We love, love, love Ecotrust and their non-profit mission. Others who make our festival thrive year after year include our wonderful exhibitors, demo'rs, kick-ass volunteers and local media folks who always help us get the word out. And you! Our fest attendees are the very best. Photographic evidence below :)
In terms of social media, we have our fest Instagram + Facebook if you want to see more, and/or post or repost something. On social media please consider adding the hashtag #pdxfermentfest to any of your festival photos or vids. We’d love to see them.
And, once more, here’s a reminder of why we do what we do straight from our press release: The Portland Fermentation Festival is, and always has been, a non-commercial event. Once you purchase your ticket and enter the festival you will not be sold to. The wide array of food and drink ferments are not for sale, they are for sampling. The mission of festival has always been firmly rooted in no sales. Our one-night annual event fosters learning, connecting, communicating and celebrating fermentation with one another. We believe that transactional interactions often get in the way of that.
Ok, without further ado, some 2024 festival photos! Stay stinky! XOXOXO
P.S. I’m not giving photo credits here. Please just know that I took most of them and there are a few additional photos by Claudia Lucero and others.