The "Green Gold of Russia" festival is a gathering place for guests, tourists, and travelers, as well as urban and rural residents, at a unique celebration where the exchange of best practices in domestic brewing and achievements in hop cultivation begins. Here, the culture of consuming high-quality, varietal beer and other beverauges and original recipes for dishes made predominantly from farm produce are showcased. The festival will showcase a harmonious blend of gourmet delights, rich folk traditions, and vibrant musical performances. This combination is the primary objective of the festival.
The event is designed for attendees aged 18 and older and features a daily entertainment schedule, along with a business component for representatives of brewing enterprises and experts in the hop-growing sector—a conference titled "Russian Hop."
For festival-goers, the "Foam Town" opens its doors, complete with tents, chalets, national cuisine, signature dishes, and beverages. Throughout the week, there will be daily shows, performances by popular artists, prize draws, cooking classes, tours, and brewing ceremonies.
Each day, four sessions are planned for ticketed attendance. Sessions run from 11 AM to 10 PM. There is a new headliner each day. (In 2024: "Otpeyte Moshenniki" (Moscow), Troll Gnöt El' (St. Petersburg), cover band "Ravens Band" from Nizhny Novgorod, "Stereotipy" (Moscow), "Mamulki Bend"—a Russian musical collective from Yaroslavl, cover band, "Che Guevara Orchestra" (Moscow).
As part of the 2024 festival, guests and locals were introduced to 20 brewing companies (three from the Chuvash Republic and 17 from other regions of our country), offering everything from classic lagers to daring craft beer experiments. Six farms and 26 food service establishments served up dishes to pair with the beer. Eight entrepreneurs and self-employed individuals produced souvenirs for the guests.
Over 50,000 residents and visitors attended the event this year (30,000 in 2022, 45,000 in 2023), along with 14 delegations, including those from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Voronezh, Nizhny Novgorod, Penza, Samara, Ulyanovsk oblasts, Krasnodar, the Republics of Mari El, Mordovia, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan and Chuvashia.
The festival lavishly entertained guests with a veritable feast of flavors and traditions. Attendees savored dishes from the national Chuvash cuisine: ürpe, shărtan, püremech, huran kukli, huplu. They sampled 350 liters of fragrant soups such as kakai-shurpa and hashlama, complemented by a variety of Chuvash farm delicacies and appetizers, many of which were prepared in front of guests over an open fire. During the festival, seven bulls, collectively weighing 840 kilograms (120 kg each), were roasted and consumed.
In addition to these culinary treats, guests enjoyed a rich cultural program. They enthusiastically participated in engaging brewing workshops, immersing themselves in the nuances of this ancient craft. The festival also highlighted a broad spectrum of traditional Chuvash customs associated with beer drinking, enabling guests to experience the distinct culture of the Chuvash people and discover its unique heritage.
Festival organizers aimed to please a wide array of tastes. Beer aficionados relished not only offerings from top national producers but also uncovered unique, artisanal flavors of craft brewing. An extensive selection of non-alcoholic beverages provided comfort and variety for all attendees.
Products from local artisans met with particular success: visitors eagerly bought hand-painted wooden mugs and adorable hop figures—festival symbols that became cherished keepsakes.
Performances by renowned pop artists added to the festive atmosphere: 245 talented musicians and vocalists from Chuvashia, Moscow, Tatarstan, and Belarus created a genuine musical extravaganza, leaving guests with lasting memories.
The musical performances were diverse, appealing to audiences of different generations and musical tastes.
The business program of the Festival took place on August 14-15 and included a visit to hop fields, a theatrical performance of the Chuvash brewing ritual at the National Museum, and a tour of the city of Cheboksary.
The development of hop growing in the country was discussed during the plenary session of the business program. In total, more than 150 specialists-producers of hops, malt, and beverages from 14 regions of the country shared their opinions at the "Russian Hop" conference.