63rd Hop Growers’ Day

On August 10, 2025, the Braslovče Tourist Association, together with the Municipality of Braslovče and the Slovenian Hop Growers Association, organized the 63rd Hop Growers’ Day. The event began with the association’s ceremonial session, opened by the association’s president Ivan Oset, followed by an address from
Tomaž Žohar, the Mayor of Braslovče Municipality. The current hop couple presented their activities during their one-year term, followed by introductions of the candidates for the new hop couple.

At 3 PM, the main event began with a parade featuring flag bearers, majorettes, the Laško brass band, and traditional carriages carrying the current Hop Elder and Hop Princess, the new Elder and Princess, and a carriage with hop elders and guests. These were followed by carriages of young people from the Rural Youth Association of Lower Savinja Valley, all decorated with hops, where the youth demonstrated traditional hop farming tasks and customs. This year, there were 10 carriages participating. On stage, the hop couples exchanged their mandate with a solemn vow. We welcomed our 63rd hop couple: Božo Kobold from Šmartno near Slovenj Gradec became the Hop Elder, and Urška Brinovec from Podlog became the Hop Princess. Both promised to fulfill their promotional duties and honorably represent Slovenian hop growing. After the group photo and the opening dance by the Elder and Princess, the girls from the carriages competed in manual hop picking. This time, the team from Petrovče won. The celebration continued with music by the Savinjski Quintet and VZROCK, lasting until late hours.