Announcing Chacruna’s Psychedelic Culture Conference, April 17–19 2026
3 days. 200+ speakers. One transformative gathering at a pivotal moment for psychedelics.
San Francisco, California [March 2026] – From April 17–19, 2026, the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines will host its signature conference, Psychedelic Culture, at the historic Brava Theater in San Francisco, CA. Bringing together over 200 speakers across multiple tracks, this three-day gathering invites attendees into some of the most critical, nuanced, and forward-thinking conversations shaping the future of psychedelics today.
A Convergence of Culture, Science, Art and Sacred Traditions
As psychedelics continue to enter mainstream discourse, Psychedelic Culture 2026 offers a vital space to center what is often left out: Indigenous knowledge, cultural context, ethics, and reciprocity. Rooted in Chacruna’s mission to advance psychedelic justice and protect sacred plants and cultural traditions, the conference brings together voices from across disciplines, continents, and lived experiences.
Attendees will hear from a diverse lineup of speakers, including Indigenous leaders, researchers, therapists, activists, artists, and scholars working at the intersection of tradition and innovation. The full speaker lineup is available here.
More Than a Conference—A Community Experience
This year’s Psychedelic Culture significantly expands its artistic and cultural programming, offering more art, film, and performance than ever before.
In addition to panels and keynote talks, attendees can engage in:
Film screenings including In Waves and War, The Man Who Saved the World, Ayahuasca Now: Voices of a Silent War, and The Spirit of Tatá, followed by discussion with Rasu Yawanawá
Multimedia performances, art installations, and a live comedy set
Interactive experiences such as the Huni Kuin video game
Embodied offerings including art and dance workshops, and music and dance performances
These additions reflect Chacruna’s continued commitment to honoring psychedelic culture as lived, embodied, and creative, not only intellectual or clinical, while fostering connection, expression, and collective experience.
A Carefully Curated and Expanding Program
Psychedelic Culture 2026 represents Chacruna’s most expansive and rigorously curated program to date.
For the first time, the conference introduced a formal Call for Speakers process and established a diverse Program Committee to guide speaker selection. Out of nearly 200 applicants, 60 speakers were selected through a highly competitive and thoughtful review process, contributing to a total of 56 panels.
The conference features over 200 speakers from diverse backgrounds, generations, and areas of expertise, including 12 Indigenous and Native American speakers, among them Maestra Laura and Maestra Edelin, Rita Sales Huni Kuin, Romeya Peño Kamãnawa, Rane Varinawa, René Alvarado Martínez, Osiris García Cerqueda and others.
A keynote presentation by Chacruna’s former Chair of the Board of Directors, Dr. Monnica Williams, on the role of plant medicines in treating racial trauma marks Chacruna’s commitment to racial justice and equity, which is especially crucial at this time.
Kemmi Sadler, retired U.S. Diplomat and federal agent, will launch her new memoir From the Badge to the Vine — a candid account of service, moral injury, and the cost of unprocessed trauma, not only for those who serve, but for the communities shaped by the systems they operate within.
Together, this intentional curation, reflects a deep commitment to elevating emerging voices and new topics alongside established leaders and working areas in the field.
A Moment of Growth for Chacruna
The 2026 conference also arrives during a period of meaningful expansion for the Chacruna Institute. As the organization approaches its 10-year anniversary, it continues to deepen its global impact through new initiatives, publications, and platforms.
At Psychedelic Culture, attendees will get an early glimpse into several of these developments, including:
The forthcoming North Atlantic Books release, Psychedelic Plant Medicines of the Americas, edited by Dr. Beatriz Caiuby Labate, Dr. Henrique Fernandes Antunes Dr. Nidia A. Olvera Hernández and Dr. Clancy Cavnar (officially launching May 26, 2026), with advance copies available during the conference
The continued expansion of Biblioteca Psicodélica, Chacruna and Editora Mercado de Letras’s online library offering free and accessible publications on drugs, policy, and culture, including the upcoming release of its latest volume “O uso das Plantas Psicoativas nas Américas”, co-edited by Dr. Beatriz Caiuby Labate and Dr. Sandra Goulart
The launch of two artistic t-shirts in partnership with Indigenous allies, Rene (Mazatec) and Rita (Huni Kuin)
The unveiling of Chacruna’s newly redesigned website, alongside a refreshed set of programs to guide its next decade of work
Together, these milestones reflect Chacruna’s ongoing commitment to education, accessibility, and their mission of protecting sacred plants and advancing psychedelic justice.
Centering Justice, Reciprocity, and Equity
At the heart of Psychedelic Culture is a commitment to reciprocity and equity. Chacruna continues to uplift the voices of Indigenous peoples, women, queer communities, people of color, and the Global South, perspectives that are essential to the integrity and future of the psychedelic movement.
As both community and religious uses advance amidst a backdrop of global popularization and increasing regulatory efforts by government bodies at the state and federal level across the United States and abroad, growing ethical tensions around commercialization, conservation, access, and the protection of Indigenous knowledge underscore the urgency of Chacruna’s mission.
“The main contribution of Psychedelic Culture is to re-center the conversation, bringing Indigenous knowledge, ethics, and cultural context back to the heart of the psychedelic field,” says Dr. Bia Labate, co-founder and Executive Director of Chacruna. “We are creating a space where different communities and ways of knowing can come together to shape a more just and responsible future. This is a space where a whole new generation of leaders is born.”
“THE MAIN CONTRIBUTION OF PSYCHEDELIC CULTURE IS TO RE-CENTER THE CONVERSATION, BRINGING INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE, ETHICS, AND CULTURAL CONTEXT BACK TO THE HEART OF THE PSYCHEDELIC FIELD … WE ARE CREATING A SPACE WHERE DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES AND WAYS OF KNOWING CAN COME TOGETHER TO SHAPE A MORE JUST AND RESPONSIBLE FUTURE. THIS IS A SPACE WHERE A WHOLE NEW GENERATION OF LEADERS IS BORN.”
Beyond the Conference
The Psychedelic Culture experience extends beyond the main conference dates, with additional offerings designed to deepen intellectual learning, artistic and sensorial experience, and community connection.
On the day before the conference, attendees can participate in specialized workshops, including the Shipibo Maestras Workshop and a Legal Churches Workshop exploring key issues around psychedelic policy and church frameworks.
Following the conference, the community will gather for the official after party at El Rio, a beloved queer and Brazilian cultural space in San Francisco, bringing attendees together in celebration.
Join the Movement
At a time when the psychedelic field is rapidly evolving, Psychedelic Culture 2026 offers a rare opportunity to gather in community, learn from diverse perspectives, and engage with the ethical, cultural, and political questions that will define the path forward.
About the Chacruna Institute
The Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization co-founded by Brazilian anthropologist Dr. Bia Labate and American psychologist Dr. Clancy Cavnar, based in Northern California and with strong ties to Brazil and Mexico. We promote reciprocity in the psychedelic community, and support the protection of sacred plants and cultural traditions. We advance psychedelic justice through curating critical conversations and uplifting the voices of women, queer people, Indigenous peoples, people of color, and the Global South in the field of psychedelic science.
Media Contact:
Lorien Chavez
Chacruna Institute
lorien@chacruna.net
415-390-6157
