Hop City returns to Leeds this weekend with over 35 breweries from the UK, Europe and North America

Hop City, Leeds-based brewery Northern Monk’s long-running beer festival, returns for its ninth year this weekend (May 15-16).

On Friday and Saturday, more than 35 independent breweries from the UK, Europe and North America will come together under one roof at Northern Monk’s original brewing site, The Old Flax Store, with around 250 different beers on offer.

This year’s Hop City features a strong line-up of UK breweries, including Beak (Brighton), Deya (Cheltenham), Track (Manchester) and Newbarns (Edinburgh). International highlights include American breweries Trillium, Root + Branch, Finback and Everywhere; Canadian breweries Messorem and Third Moon; and a diverse European contingent featuring Italy’s CRAK, Germany’s Sudden Death, Spain’s Garage, Finland’s Salama and Greece’s P.I.G.S.

“What started as an idea to host some of our favourite breweries in Leeds has grown into something bigger than we could have imagined,” Northern Monk founder Russell Bisset said.

“From the beginning, the ambition was clear - to champion the best hop-forward breweries in the world and to create the first beer festival in Europe dedicated to celebrating hoppy beers and IPAs.

“Today, it’s about bringing some of the greatest breweries from across the globe together under one roof, creating something genuinely special for people who love beer as much as we do. Heading into our ninth year with a line-up of this calibre is something we’re incredibly proud of. It’s not just about the beer, but the community, collaboration and spirit behind it.”

Taking place across all three floors of The Old Flax Store, festivalgoers will be able to enjoy every pour included in the ticket price, along with a Hop City-branded glass to drink from. In the beer garden, there will be food, live music and merch, with Leeds staples Bundobust, Rinse and Below Stairs serving Indian street food, natural wines and cocktails.

Hop City 2026 will take place across three sessions: Friday evening (6pm-10.30pm), Saturday afternoon (noon-4.30pm) and Saturday evening (6pm-10.30pm).

A limited number of tickets are still available here.

Line-up

Breweries: Abyss, Baron, Beak, Bundobust Brewery, Cloudwater, CRAK (Italy), Deya, Everywhere (USA), Fierce, Finback (USA), Floc, Garage (Spain), GlassHouse, Gravity Well, Gross (Spain), Left Handed Giant, Makemake, Messorem (Canada), Newbarns, P.I.G.S (Greece), Pivovar Matuška (Czechia), Rivington, Root + Branch (USA), Saint Mars of the Desert, Salama (Finland), Sudden Death (Germany), Third Moon (Canada), Thornbridge, Track, Trillium (USA), Tripping Animals (USA), Two Flints, Verdant and Wylam.

Street food: Bundobust, Bonehead Fried Chicken and Hermanos Caliente.

Music

Friday: Acolytes, niph., Chips With Everything

Saturday afternoon: Hijack Horns, Lovu, Radio AlHara, Endless City DJs

Saturday evening: Greg Sumacz, Orrible Barbarians, Endless City DJs