Save the date · 26th annual
Saturday, September 25, 2027 · Downtown Independence, Oregon
Fresh hop beer from Pacific Northwest breweries, a stamped tour of downtown, and a street full of local makers, all in the historic Hop Capital of the World. Save the date, Hop & Heritage 2027 is on the calendar.
345 days to go
Add it to your calendar
Thank you for making our 25th the best one yet: every guest, brewery, business, vendor, sponsor and volunteer.
Looking back
Every dollar raised stays in downtown Independence, helping keep Main Street thriving and supporting our local businesses directly.
The day itself
Photos by John R. Bruning.
The lineup
Every beer at the Fresh Hop Fiesta was brewed with hops harvested in the days just before the festival. Nineteen breweries poured 21 beers across five bars at Parallel 45, from long-trusted Oregon names to one keg that travelled a very long way.
Oregon
Washington
Visiting from further afield
Brewers: want to pour in 2027? Get in touch below.
Also pouring
Local cider, kombucha, and wine partners joining the fresh hop lineup for the day. Look for them along your Downtown Passport route.
What's new
Coming in February 2027
Planning commences for the 2027 Hop & Heritage Festival. We could use your help. Join the planning crew
October 2026
Festival wrap-up, feedback and a brainstorming session on how to make 2027 even better.
September 2026
A super successful 25th anniversary of the Hop & Heritage Festival, with the first ever Fresh Hop Fiesta. Thank you to everyone who came, to all the businesses that sponsored or donated, and to the volunteers who made it happen.
Brewery reveals start next summer. Get on the list and you'll hear first.
2027 updates
Lineup reveals, early bird tickets and the date tickets go on sale. A few emails a year, mostly in summer.
You're on the list.
We'll be in touch when the 2027 lineup starts coming together.
Add it to your calendar
Heritage
In the 1930s and '40s, Independence grew more hops per acre than almost anywhere on earth. At peak season, a town of roughly a thousand residents swelled to forty or fifty thousand. Migrant pickers, families, and workers came for the harvest and built a culture around it. The original Hop Fiesta ran for a month every fall.
That history is not a footnote. Historian Peter Kopp documents it in Hoptopia (UC Press, 2016) and the Oregon Encyclopedia. The Oregon State University archives hold photographs, oral histories, and harvest records from the era. Coleman Agriculture's Alluvial Hop Farm, minutes from downtown, is a direct continuation of that legacy, and the site of a current OSU hop terroir study.
The Hop & Heritage Festival is how Independence keeps that story close to the ground. The Fresh Hop Fiesta is how we pour it.
FAQ
Get involved
Six ways in. Tell us which one sounds like you and we'll be in touch.
21 fresh hop beers, one parking lot, and a crowd that came from 34 cities to taste them.
192 people walked into 10 or more downtown businesses with a Passport in hand.
The Heritage Market sold out in 2026. We're planning room for more on C Street.
Put your name on IDA's biggest day of the year, and on what it pays for.
Pour beer, run a booth, meet half the town. Volunteers get in free.
The whole thing is run by volunteers. If you want a say in how next year looks, the planning starts long before September.
Our partners
The 25th happened because these businesses backed it, alongside the Independence businesses, hop growers and volunteers who show up year after year. Thanks also to John R. Bruning, who photographed the whole day.
Founding partners
Fresh Hop Fiesta Host
Fresh Hop Partner
Founding SupporterCommunity partners
Volunteer & Operations Sponsor
Downtown Passport Sponsor
Music Sponsor
Community Supporter
Community Supporter
Community Supporter
Festival FriendPlan your visit
Downtown Independence sits on the Willamette River in Polk County, minutes from Monmouth and Dallas, a quarter-hour from Salem, and just over an hour from Portland. It's a walkable downtown. You can park once and reach every part of the festival on foot.
From Monmouth
5 minutes via Monmouth Street
From Salem
15 minutes via OR-22 W and Independence Highway
From Dallas
15 minutes via OR-51 S
From Corvallis
35 minutes via OR-99W N
From McMinnville wine country
40 minutes via OR-99W S
From Portland
1 hour 10 minutes via I-5 S and OR-22 W
From Eugene
1 hour 30 minutes via I-5 N
Free MI Trolley
The MI Trolley runs free service between Monmouth and Independence. Great if you're staying in Monmouth or want to explore our sister town.
Street parking downtown is available. Depending on when you arrive, you may have to walk a few blocks. The whole festival route is accessible, with flat sidewalks, ground-level entrances, and accessible restrooms in the park.
About the organizer
The Hop & Heritage Festival is organized by the Independence Downtown Association, a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Every dollar raised goes back into downtown Independence, funding small-business programs, community events, and the work that keeps Main Street vibrant.
Buying a ticket, sponsoring a slot, or showing up for the day all fund the same thing.
