Bastyr Herb & Food Fair History:

Inspired by this One-Day Herb Gathering

The Bastyr Herb & Food Fair was a wonderful example of how successful a one-day herbal event can be. Held annually from 1999 to 2019 at Bastyr University's Kenmore campus, just north of Seattle, it became one of the region's premier gatherings for herbalists, students, growers, and plant enthusiasts.

I was fortunate to attend the very first event in 1999. I was friends with several of the Bastyr students who organized it and even led some of my signature circle dances during the opening ceremony. It was also there that I met Jenn Dazey while she was a Bastyr student, who later became Dr. Jenn Dazey, chair of Bastyr's Botanical Medicine Department.

Over the years, the Herb & Food Fair grew into an outstanding event. It featured a large marketplace of herbal vendors, classes and workshops throughout the day, nationally recognized keynote herbalists, and a popular medicinal herb plant sale featuring plants from Bastyr's renowned medicinal herb garden. Touring the garden itself was also a major draw. The fair ultimately came to an end when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020.

The Bastyr Herb & Food Fair is a great example of how a thoughtfully organized one-day event can build community, support herbal businesses, and inspire thousands of people. We see the Northwest Herbal Fair's one-day format in 2026 as an opportunity to create that same kind of vibrant gathering for the herbal community.