Festival History

The Faversham hop festival was started 18 years ago by a small group of enthusiastic volunteers.  They believed that the quaint town would lend itself to this type of tradition and celebrate its heritage.

They approached Swale Borough Council for funding and were granted a small budget to book acts and publicise the event.  Any other funding was achieved through goodwill donations from local companies, with assistance in kind in the distribution of flyers and leaflets.

Initially, it was a one-day event, attracting no more than 2,000 visitors to the town.  Today, still funded by Swale Borough Council with a grant from Faversham Town Council and sponsorship from local, community-minded companies, the Festival runs over a whole weekend and is regularly patronised by, it is estimated, over 20,000 people.  Many of the visitors return year after year to what is now a well-established event in the calendars of festival goers, Morris sides and families.

The Hop Festival has long enjoyed the presence of Morris and Mummers sides in the town.  Indeed, regular visitors to the Festival look for their favourites among the sides that attend each year.