HAPPENING 14–15 AUG '26 | Bierfestival HOP returns with craft beer, food trucks, music and games, but this year there is a change of scenery. The Rotterdam beer festival is moving from Heemraadsplein to Museumpark, where a mix of local favourites and breweries from elsewhere in the Netherlands will pour their beers themselves.
HOP opens from 16:00 to 23:00 on Friday and from 15:00 to 23:00 on Saturday. The formula remains pleasantly uncomplicated: get a glass, talk to the people who actually make the beer, try something you probably would not order automatically at the pub, eat something good and stick around as the music takes over later in the day.
Craft brewers take over Museumpark
The idea behind HOP dates back to 2015, when the organisers saw the growing interest in small-scale and independently brewed beer. The festival has since developed around one central principle: the brewers are at the taps themselves, which means you can actually ask what is in your glass instead of nodding thoughtfully at the beer menu and hoping for the best.
The current 2026 brewery line-up includes Rotterdam names VET & LAZY, ROTT. Brouwers and Jelster, alongside Hoevebrugsch, Brouwerij Solaes, X-Brewing, White Dog Brewery, Muifelbrouwerij, PopHop, Dorst Craft Beer Shop and Gebrouwen door Vrouwen. Brouwerij Smeerpijp is also listed by the organiser, subject to confirmation.
That mix of more established breweries and smaller names is deliberate. HOP is less about presenting one enormous beer list and more about giving breweries room to introduce what they make, with somewhere between ten and fifteen craft beer producers typically participating each year.
You also receive a polycarbonate beer glass when you enter. It is yours to use throughout the festival and take home afterwards. Just do not lovingly bring last year’s glass back and expect it to function as a ticket. The organisers have already thought of that one.
Food, music and festival games
Beer is the obvious centre of HOP, but the festival is designed as more than a long tasting session. Music has been part of the event from the beginning, with the programme gradually shifting from afternoon drinks towards more of a party atmosphere as the evening progresses. As of 8 August, HOP has not yet published its complete 2026 artist line-up on its website and says further announcements will be made through its social channels.
The food line-up is already confirmed. Franky’s Culinair, De Frietbaas, Old Scuola, Empanadas Fest Food and De IJswafel will be at Museumpark, giving you considerably more strategic options than attempting an afternoon of speciality beer on an empty stomach. Life-sized games are also part of the HOP setup.
HOP moves from Heemraadsplein
Regular visitors will need to update their internal navigation this year. HOP normally takes place at Heemraadsplein in Rotterdam-West, but the square is being renovated, so the 2026 edition has moved to Museumpark in the city centre. The official festival address is Museumpark 24.
It is quite a change in surroundings. Instead of the neighbourhood park setting of Heemraadsplein, this edition takes place between some of Rotterdam’s best-known cultural landmarks, including Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, Nieuwe Instituut and Kunsthal. The event area also sits above the underground Museumpark car park.
Tickets start at €9
HOP uses three online ticket categories. Early Hophead tickets cost €9 including €1.50 service fee, Regular Drinker tickets cost €12 including service fee, and Late Boozer tickets cost €15 including service fee. The categories are subject to availability.
There is no ticket desk at the entrance, so even if you decide to go at the last minute, you need to buy your ticket online. The festival rules state that online ticket sales continue until 21:00 on the event day. Tickets are available at https://www.bierfestivalhop.nl/tickets/
The festival is also completely cashless. Payments to breweries and food vendors are made by card, and the old token system is no longer used. Tokens left in a drawer from an earlier edition have therefore officially completed their journey towards becoming tiny Rotterdam souvenirs.
Visitors under 18 may enter only when accompanied by an adult, and alcohol is not sold to anyone under 18. Bringing your own food and drinks onto the festival site is not permitted.
How to get there
Bierfestival HOP takes place at Museumpark 24 in central Rotterdam. Eendrachtsplein is the nearest metro station, served by lines A, B and C, and is less than a five-minute walk from this part of Museumpark. Rotterdam Central Station is around a 15 to 20-minute walk away, while the area is also easy to reach by bike.
If you come by car, there is an underground car park beneath Museumpark. HOP currently lists parking there at €1 per 14 minutes, so public transport or a bike may leave a little more of the budget available for what you actually came to Museumpark to drink.
