Yukon Plant Festival 2026
Saturday & Sunday, July 18 & 19, 2026
We are so thrilled to announce the second edition of the Yukon Plant Festival!
Taking place in the beautiful surroundings of Mount Lorne, the weekend will consist of workshops, demonstrations, presentations, and plant walks.
Whether you are just curious about plants or they are your life’s passion, come on out and join us!
Through the Yukon Plant Festival we wish to create community around plants by bringing everyone from the curious to the experts together to share their knowledge and passion for the plant world.
This festival is a gathering of diverse plant enthusiasts and plant curious and our activity topics range from gardening to plant art to herbalism… and so much more!
You will also find a range of beautiful locally made products that focus entirely on the natural world at the Plant Fair.
Come Together Around Plants
The festival schedule is now finalized!
Scroll down to meet the presenters and view a detailed schedule with activity descriptions.
Tickets are sold through Eventbrite (follow the link above) and pricing is as follows:
Adult General Admission - $170
Kids Program Ticket (4-12 yrs old) - $80
Fundraiser Dinner Ticket - $44
Please note that Eventbrite charges additional processing fees - just so you’re not taken by surprise!
Quick links
Click on the buttons to navigate the different sections on this page.
Keynote Speaker
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Bruce Bennett
Meet the Presenters
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Anna Schmidt
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Beverley Gray
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Brittany Pais
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Dani Bourgault
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Helen O'Connor
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Helen Stappers
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Jacqueline Clancy
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Jalfred Deichsel
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Jill Johnstone
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Katy Delau
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Kawina Robichaud
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Randy Lamb
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Raven Padmos
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Sylvie Binette
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The Garden Witch
Schedule 2026
Leading to the festival, make sure to choose the activity you would like to attend for each time slot on the schedule. When you arrive on site, you will be directed to the Yukon Plant Guild tent to register to the activities you’ve chosen.
Make sure to click on the activity titles in the schedule to read a full description and the presenters’ bio.
Draft schedule - Subject to change
Saturday July 18
9:00 am - 10:00 am: Arrivals & Market Social
10:15 am - 11:00 am: Orientation by YPG & Opening Circle with Beverley Gray
11:15 am - 12:45 pm: Session 1
Boreal Foray: Edible and Medicinal Plants
Bruce Bennett - Plant Walk
Flower Essence Making
Dani Bourgault - Expert Talk
Processing Plants for Food
Sylvie Binette - Demonstration
Flower Pounding
The Garden Witch - Workshop
12:45 pm - 1:45 pm: Lunch by Chickadee Wagon & Farm (included) & Market Social
1:45 pm - 3:15 pm: Session #2
Dreaming Your Garden
Jacqueline Clancy - Plant Walk
Medicine in a Bottle: Tinctures, Oxymels & Building Your Home Apothecary
Beverley Gray - Expert Talk
Everyday Herbal Teas: Bringing Herbal Medicine Into the Kitchen
Brittany Pais - Demonstration
Discovering Willows as Allies: From Riverbanks to Basketry
Kawina Robichaud - Workshop
3:30 pm - 5:00 pm: Keynote - Botanical Journeys: A History of Plant Exploration in Yukon with Bruce Bennett
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm: Market Social
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm: Fundraiser Dinner by Yukon Bunsik (with additional meal ticket)
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm: Evening social with music by the Beyond Hope Band
Overnight camping available on site.
Sunday July 19
7:30 am - 8:30 am: Yoga with Amber Berard-Althouse
8:30 am - 9:00 am: Market Social
9:00 am - 9:15 am: Morning Welcome by YPG
9:30 am - 11:00 pm: Session 3
Boreal Ecology Walk
Jill Johnstone - Plant Walk
Herbs for Children: Troubleshooting Coughs and Colds
Anna Schmidt - Expert Talk
Wild Sodas
Jalfred Deichsel - Demonstration
Botanical Printing
Katy Delau - Workshop
11:15 am - 12:45 pm: Session 4
Walking with the Plants
Beverley Gray - Plant Walk
Growing Yukon-hardy Berries and Small Fruit (types, tips & Tricks)
Randy Lamb - Expert Talk
Nourishment Through Herbal Broths
Helen Stappers - Demonstration
Menstruum Madness
Jacqueline Clancy - Workshop
12:45 pm - 2:15 pm: Lunch by Chickadee Wagon & Farm (included) & Market Social
2:15 pm - 3:45 pm: Session 5
Foraging for Food: A Wild Edible Plant Walk
Sylvie Binette - Plant Walk
Nature’s Recyclers: Can Fungi Help Clean Contaminants?
Kawina Robichaud - Expert Talk
Green Healing Salve Making Demonstration
Raven Padmos - Demonstration
Japanese Papermaking
Helen O’Connor - Workshop
4:00 pm - 4:45 pm: Closing Circle by Beverley Gray & Closing Remarks by YPG
4:45 pm - 5:30 pm: Departure
Kids Programming
Together, we will adventure into the world of plant magic!
Over the course of two days, kids will be invited to participate in hands-on, play-based, and sensory activities all about plants.
We will be potion-making, story-telling, plant-hunting, wild-crafting and art-making. Come prepared for a whimsical weekend outside, playing with plant (and human) friends! This program will be run in partnership with Rivers to Ridges.
These activities will take place during the regular sessions scheduled for adults, so that parents can fully focus on and enjoy their activities.
For children ages 4 to 12. Kids ticket needed and parents must attend the festival.
Parents/ guardians are required to supervise their children when not in session, for example during lunch or during the Market Social times.
Venue
The festival will be held at the Mount Lorne Community Centre, located 30 minutes south of Whitehorse in Mount Lorne, on the Annie Lake Road (see below for directions or click here for a map). Plan to arrive between 9 am and 10 am on Saturday to have time to register and browse the booths at the Market!
We strongly encourage car pooling to limit the amount of vehicles making the journey and the CO2 emissions that come with them. Please visit the Yukon Plant Festival Facebook page and comment on the carpooling post to offer or ask for a ride.
Parking will be by the Community Centre in the parking lot.
Directions from Whitehorse:
1. From Whitehorse, travel south on the Alaska Highway.
2. Turn on the South Klondike Highway and travel towards Carcross for 15 km.
3. Turn right onto the Annie Lake Rd and travel 900m.
4. Turn right into the Lorne Mountain Community Centre parking lot. A festival volunteer will help you park.
Lorne Mountain Community Centre
KM 1 Annie Lake Road
Mount Lorne, YT
Come Prepared!
All of the activities will be held outdoors, on and around the Community Centre, so we invite you to bring lots of layers for changing weather!
What to bring:
your own travel mugs to help reduce waste.
good foot wear for the plant walks.
a yoga mat if you are interested in the yoga session on Sunday morning.
Dogs are not allowed at the festival, so make sure to leave your animal friend at home.
Food and refreshments:
Herbal refreshments and coffee available throughout the day.
lunch on both days included with festival ticket, provided by Chickadee Wagon Farm Food Truck.
A fundraiser dinner is happening on Saturday night catered by Yukon Bunsik. You must purchase separate tickets for the dinner in advance. Dinner will only be open to ticket holders.
For overnight campers, there will be a cooking area for those wishing to prepare their own dinner on Saturday evening and breakfast on Sunday morning.
Camping on-site:
Camping is available on site at the Mount Lorne Community Centre on Saturday, July 18.
Camping is free but you must register when purchasing your festival ticket as spots are limited.
Camping spots available are for tent camping only.
People camping on site will have access to the Community Centre’s washrooms.
Campfires are not allowed in the general camping area. We may have one campfire in the designated firepit which is also the designated cooking area.
Cookstoves are to be used in the designated cooking area only.
Market Social
featuring local vendors
Along the Forest Path Creations
Atlin Herbiary
Rockpile Remedies
Spruce Cottage Farm
Wildwood Spirit
The North Within
Rumble Ridge Handmade
Nomadic Harvests
Aroma Borealis Herb Shop
The Yukon Plant Guild needs your help!
Consider volunteering for the Yukon Plant Festival.
FAQs
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The Mount Lorne Community Centre is located 30 minutes south of Whitehorse in Mount Lorne, on the Annie Lake Road
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Leading to the festival, make sure to choose the activity you would like to attend for each session in the schedule. When you arrive on site, you will be directed to the Yukon Plant Guild tent to register to the activities you’ve chosen.
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No, please leave your furry friends at home.
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Herbal refreshments, coffee and lunch will be provided by Chickadee Wagon Farm Food Truck (included with festival ticket). Dinner on Saturday night will be served by Yukon Bunsik for Fundraiser Dinner ticket holders only. There will be a cooking area for those wishing to prepare their own dinner on Saturday evening and breakfast on Sunday morning. We invite you to bring your own travel mugs to help reduce waste.
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No, consuming alcohol at the Yukon’s Plant Festival is not allowed and we appreciate you for respecting that rule.
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Rivers to Ridges will be offering Kids Programming for children ages 4 to 12. Kids tickets are needed to participate in this programming and parents are required to attend the festival. Unfortunately, toddlers cannot be accommodated at the festival. Children who are 13 and older can participate in the adult programming.
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Please dress appropriately for being outside: adequate clothing for changing weather, water-resistant walking shoes, mosquito repellent and sunscreen.
We also encourage people to bring their travel mugs and cutlery to cut down on waste.
You may also want to bring a notebook and pen and your cell phone or camera for taking photos of plants.
If you choose to camp, please make sure to bring all the equipment you will be needing for one night of tent camping.
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No, we do not mail physical tickets. Once you purchased your ticket(s) through Eventbrite, you are registered and we will have your name on the list of festival attendees, which we will use to sign you in on the day of the festival.
Funding for this project is made possible with support from Lotteries Yukon and the Yukon government’s Community Development Fund.
