Dating back to the 1880’s, Independence was the Hop Capital of the World, and hops have remained an important part of our community’s story. The "original" Hop Festival, also known as the Hop Fiesta, began in the early 1930's. The festival grew out of the celebrations in the migrant camps at the hop fields. These celebrations marked the beginning of hop harvest, and, over time, grew into a massive community celebration. As the hop industry slowed the festival tradition became obsolete.
 

The Hop & Heritage Festival saw a resurgence in 2001 and has been going ever since. There have been many iterations of the festival which have included fireworks, hot air balloon rides, tractor pulls, homebrewing competitions, and the closure of Main Street which hosted numerous vendors.
 

Of course, like with most things in this world, COVID brought a halt to all festivals. In 2022 the Hop & Heritage Festival returned as the Hop & Heritage Block Party. The Independence Downtown Association (IDA) a 501(c)(3), collaborated with the Heritage Museum to make the event possible. IDA’s mission is to encourage, support, and help preserve the livability and historic nature of Downtown Independence for all residents and visitors. It operates to promote downtown restoration and improvements that provide general public benefit.
 

2023 brought new energy to the Hop & Heritage Festival, and 2024 is no different! The organizers have lots planned and are excited to bring back some of the former festival's events and entertainment. Please support us as we grow the event back to a fun, family friendly, community celebration.