World Ayahuasca Forum 2026, the historic gathering comes to Girona

Can you imagine a gathering where Amazonian spiritual leaders, top-level scientists, artists and curious minds from around the world sit down to talk for five days about plants, ethics, territory and the future? Well, you don't need to imagine it: it will happen in Girona, from September 11 to 13, 2026, with pre-activities on the 9th and 10th.

It's called the World Ayahuasca Forum (World Ayahuasca Forum) and its organizers themselves define it as something that is not a conference in the usual sense. Today we'll tell you what exactly it is, who will be there and why, if you're passionate about the world of plants and psychoactive culture, this event deserves a spot on your calendar. Will you join us?

What is the World Ayahuasca Forum and why is everyone talking about it?

The World Ayahuasca Forum was born as a response to a very specific call: that of indigenous spiritual leaders who demand a deep intercultural dialogue between ancestral and Western knowledge systems. It's not a commercial event or a typical fair, but rather a space for listening, learning and collective building.

What is DMT or dimethyltryptamine?

DMT (dimethyltryptamine) is a powerful psychoactive substance known to induce intense hallucinatory experiences. It is found in both plants and animals and has been used in shamanic practices, especially in South America, where it is a key component of Ayahuasca. In recent years, its use has been the subject of research due to its therapeutic potential for the treatment of various disorders. Today we invite you to learn more about this interesting substance.

The underlying idea is as simple as it is powerful: in a context of global crisis, protecting ancestral knowledge also means protecting cultures, territories and ecosystems. And that, for those of us who love plants, is not a minor detail, but the heart of the matter.

For five days, topics such as ethics, safety and integration will be addressed, interwoven with music, dance, visual arts and living traditions. The benefit for you is clear: instead of a cycle of cold lectures, you encounter an immersive format where technical information coexists with direct cultural experience.

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Who's behind it: ICEERS and the Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute

The Forum is co-organized by ICEERS, the Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute, and the Nixiwaka Institute. ICEERS has been working for over 15 years at the intersection between indigenous and global contexts, governments and civil society, focusing on harm reduction, promoting research, and addressing the political and legal dimensions of traditional medicines.

The Yorenka Tasorentsi Institute, for its part, was founded by Ashaninka leader Benki Piyãko and works in an integrated way on ecological, cultural, and social issues, in addition to promoting the Indigenous Ayahuasca Conference in the Brazilian state of Acre since 2017. Translated into practical terms: here there are no intermediaries telling other people's stories, but protagonists telling their own.

And there's a nuance that makes a difference compared to previous editions. According to the organizers themselves, decisions about the program, guests, and outcomes are made by consensus with indigenous leaders, which means moving from consultation to joint decision-making. A model change that is noticeable throughout the entire approach of the event.

From the World Ayahuasca Conferences to the 2026 Forum

This didn't come out of nowhere. ICEERS organized three World Ayahuasca Conferences (2014, 2016, and 2019) that laid the foundations for global dialogue about this plant and its cultural context. It then took a deliberate pause to reassess strategies and make space for indigenous leadership.

Meanwhile, the Indigenous Ayahuasca Conferences continued to grow until they shaped the Council of Indigenous Spiritual Leaders (CLEI), formally established by consensus at its fifth edition. From there emerged very concrete demands: legal protection of traditional medicines, ethical use within their ancestral frameworks, recognition of indigenous intellectual property, and guarantees for spiritual leaders.

And why Europe? Because holding the Forum here symbolizes, for the indigenous peoples of America, the possibility of reclaiming and reframing the old colonial routes and knowledge flows. Moreover, it facilitates access to European institutions, governments, and audiences. For you, reading this from this side of the Atlantic, it means something very tangible: a historic opportunity just a flight or train ride away.

Featured Voices: An Impressive Lineup

The Forum brings together more than a hundred indigenous leaders alongside internationally renowned researchers and thinkers. Among the confirmed voices we find Benki Piyãko (Ashaninka leadership), Ninawa Pai da Mata (Huni Kuin spiritual leadership), Nixiwaka Biraci Brasil Yawanawa, Puwe Puyanawa, and Daiara Tukano, visual artist and Master's in Human Rights.

On the scientific and outreach side, the lineup is equally enticing: Dennis McKenna, ethnopharmacologist and researcher of visionary plants; Paul Stamets, world-renowned mycologist; Monica Gagliano, pioneer in plant bioacoustics; Pamela Kryskow, medical director in psychedelic medicine; cultural philosopher Charles Eisenstein; and noetic historian George Hart.

If you're into ethnobotany, this combination is pure gold. Being able to listen in the same space to Amazonian spiritual leadership and a researcher studying how plants communicate is, simply, one of those things that doesn't happen every year.

Five rooms, five ways to experience the Forum

The program is organized into five simultaneous spaces, each with its own personality. Room 1 hosts the plenary "Roots of Living Futures," while Room 2 is dedicated to Global Dialogues, the place where perspectives from different continents intersect.

Rooms 3 and 4 are reserved for thematic sessions and paper presentations, ideal if you're looking for more specific or research-oriented content. And Room 5, the Warivi Maloca, focuses on arts, music, and cosmopolitics: the space where knowledge is transmitted through singing, painting, and dancing.

There's also a market with crafts and living culture, film screenings, and dialogue circles on art, spirit, ethics, and interculturality. The advantage of this format is that you can design your own path: more academic, more artistic, or a balanced mix of both.

Tickets, dates, and how to organize yourself

The general admission ticket gives full access to the three central days (September 11, 12, and 13, 2026) at the Palau and Fira de Girona venues, including plenaries, roundtables, dialogues, presentations, and performances in the public rooms, as well as common areas, networking zones, and exhibition spaces. You'll also find hydration points with tea and water distributed throughout the venue.

Keep in mind a couple of important details so you don't get any surprises: the pre-event activities on the 9th and 10th (workshops, courses, and special training sessions) require a separate ticket, and meals are not included either, although there will be food options for sale within the venue. Buying in advance pays off, as the organization maintains discounts on the general price until rates go up.

Girona provides the rest: a historic city of rivers, cobblestone streets and Mediterranean warmth, very well connected and perfect for extending your stay a couple of days. All the information about the program, accommodation and tickets is on the Forum's official website, which is also updated in Spanish, Catalan, English and Portuguese.

Ayahuasca and legality: what you need to be very clear about

Here we need to get serious for a moment, because responsible information is part of our DNA. Ayahuasca contains DMT, an internationally controlled substance, and its legal status varies enormously depending on the country: what is protected by traditional or religious use in some territories may be directly illegal in others.

It is each person's responsibility to inform themselves about the current regulations in their place of residence before making any decision. This article has a strictly informative and educational purpose: we do not promote or facilitate the consumption, preparation or obtaining of controlled substances.

That's precisely why the Forum is so interesting. It's a space for debate, research and cultural dialogue —not a context for consumption— where thorny issues such as safety, ethics, indigenous rights and the legal grey areas surrounding these practices at an international level are addressed head-on.

And what does this have to do with you, grower?

More than it seems. Those of us who cultivate understand that a plant is never just a plant: it's soil, climate, care, culture and community. The debate about how traditional knowledge is globalized, who protects it and who benefits from it resonates very much with what we've experienced in the cannabis world for decades.

In fact, the Forum itself proposes opening the dialogue to other biocultures—iboga, peyote, mushrooms—because they face very similar challenges: prohibitionism, appropriation, lack of recognition, and the need for ethical frameworks. If you're interested in ethnobotany, drug policy, or simply understanding better the relationship between humans and plants, here you have material for a while.

A fungus hidden in Morning Glory seeds and its connection to LSD

For almost a century, scientists suspected that a fungus hidden in the seeds of the morning glory was responsible for its psychedelic properties. Today, the discovery of Periglandula clandestina confirms that hypothesis and connects this small flower to the history of LSD, Mesoamerican rituals, and the most recent advances in psychedelic research. A fascinating story where science, culture, and nature intertwine.

And let's be honest: rarely do Amazonian spiritual leaders, legendary mycologists, and plant communication experts coincide in the same city, in the same week. Are you going to miss it?

A historic moment at our doorstep

The World Ayahuasca Forum 2026 is not just another event on the calendar. It's the first time that a global gathering on ayahuasca has been co-organized from the start in formal partnership with representatives of the Council of Indigenous Spiritual Leaders, and that makes it a milestone difficult to replicate.

If you're nearby, we encourage you to follow the official website and program updates, which will be completed over the coming months. And if you can't attend, stay tuned anyway: what comes out of Girona in September 2026 will be talked about for a long time in the world of plants and their cultures.

See you among plants, knowledge, and good conversations.