Bier- en Hoppefeesten
Driejaarlijks bier- en hopfeest met hopstoet (1.300 deelnemers) en hopkoninginverkiezing.
Leverage a tri-annual beer and hop festival with 1,300+ participants and a hop queen pageant to drive tourism, hospitality bookings, and craft beverage brand partnerships.
- Behind-the-scenes hop queen pageant coverage and contestant spotlights
- Festival parade and hop harvest traditions—perfect for travel/tourism destination marketing
- Craft brewery partnerships and limited-edition festival beers
- Local community celebration angle—heritage, tradition, and regional pride
The Bier- en Hoppefeesten 2026 takes place on 18, 19 and 20 September in Poperinge, Belgium. These unique festivities occur only once every three years. Hop culture is central, along with music, folklore and festive entertainment throughout the weekend. The festival has a history dating back to 1956 and has grown into one of the most important cultural events of the Westhoek region.
Friday, 18 September
13:30–14:30: Children's parade with primary school floats in themes of hop friends and foes Evening: Fraternity event with Munich beer hall atmosphere 20:30: Official opening with barrel tapping
Saturday, 19 September
Hopmuseum: free access to '70 years of Hoppefeesten' exhibition regional products market Hop farm visits with tours and tastings afternoon picking demonstrations with cycling/walking routes Marching bands and Taptoe performance on Paardenmarkt Evening: Hop Queen selection competition (Saturday 19 September)
Sunday, 20 September
15:00: Hop Procession begins - The Hop Procession is the highlight, a colourful spectacle telling the story of hops in all its facets Evening: 'Hommelpap feast' on the main square
- Cheerful children's parade kicks off the weekend, followed by a fraternity evening with Munich beer hall atmosphere
- Saturday features marching bands from home and abroad leading to a spectacular Taptoe performance
- Hop Queen selection on Saturday evening
- the Hop Procession on Sunday afternoon is the weekend highlight
- More than 1,300 participants portray the global hop journey and history of pickers, with a 'Hommelpap feast' held on the main square
- Free access to Hopmuseum exhibition "70 years of Hoppefeesten" on Saturday, with a regional products market
- Hop farm visits with tours and tasting
- continuous hop-picking demonstrations with cycling and walking routes available
