PlantCon LA Debuts in February 2026 With Bonsai Bar Workshops, Auctioned Demo

At the Magic Box space of the Reef in Downtown Los Angeles, PlantCon opened Feb 23, 2026 for a two-day run that brought a 200‑booth plant market, speaker sessions and hands-on workshops to the West Coast debut. Time Out described the event as the largest plant hobbyist convention in the world, and Bonsai Bar’s presence stood out for running two set-up workshops and placing one bonsai in the silent auction.

Kenny Kong, PlantCon’s founder and CEO, brought the convention to Los Angeles after PlantCon formed three years ago. The PlantCon program advertised limited-capacity workshops and RSVP tickets, listing a roster of speakers that included Ben Kegel of Bonsai Bar, Brandy Williams of Garden Butterfly LA, Gary Matsuoka of Laguna Hills Nursery, and Stormy Tripp of The Painting Joint, alongside practical sessions such as an 11:00 a.m. Staghorn Mounting workshop and a 2:30 p.m. presentation titled “Where's the Dirt?”.

Bonsai Bar’s two beginner bonsai sessions appeared on the program as 90MIN workshops taught by Ben Kegel (Bonsai Bar). The program copy for the Dwarf Jade workshop read: “Our beginner bonsai workshop will include a dwarf jade plant, a bonsai pot, and workshops tools to pot and style a new bonsai. Participants will learn a brief history and overview of bonsai, and then have a hands on workshop potting and styling their jade plant into a beautiful miniature tree.” An analogous program description accompanied the Dwarf Umbrella session, both listed at 90MIN with Ben Kegel credited as instructor.

Bonsai Bar framed its participation with its broader mission and pop-up model. The company’s site states, “At Bonsai Bar, our mission is to make bonsai accessible and enjoyable for everyone. Through our pop-up workshops, we teach people the ancient art of bonsai in a fun, social environment. Guided by expert instructors, participants learn the essentials of bonsai care, styling, and maintenance, creating their own tree to take home.” The brand’s tagline and format emphasize casual, venue-based events, often described as “BONSAI + BEERS + FRIENDS.”

On the show floor, Daily Trojan reporting captured a dense grid of vendors and attendees hauling purchases through narrow aisles; the story named Bonsai Bar founder and CEO Tim Arsenault and quoted him saying, “The energy that it brings - it’s like Comic Con and a plant expo,” and “PlantCon feels like this is a new era, and it’s open and everybody feels welcome. I feel a young, excited energy, a diverse energy that you just don’t find in more stuffy traditional shows that have been doing the same thing for 50 years.” An attendee from the San Fernando Valley, Dennita Rogers, described the crowd this way: “[Plant people,] they’re all green: all green in their house, all green in their backyard, plants all over. They’d [have] rather plants than people.”

Daily Trojan also reported that Bonsai Bar sold one bonsai at the event’s silent auction, and noted Bonsai Bar had attended a previous PlantCon in Dallas before supporting the Los Angeles edition. The PlantCon program and on-site reporting left several specifics unreported: exact auction price and purchaser for the Bonsai Bar tree, precise start times for the two 90MIN workshops beyond their 90MIN length, and overall attendance numbers for the two-day run. PlantCon’s program, Time Out’s market description and Bonsai Bar’s site together sketch a strategy of experiential booths and limited-capacity workshops that appear likely to shape future PlantCon stops and pop-up bonsai offerings.