By Simona Vykouková

The hops harvest festival, feast of hop and beer is traditionally highlight action of the city Žatec. This festival is periodically the first Friday and Saturday in September and the entrance fee is free. This festival started as an celebration of picking the last hop-bine (hop-bind). Over the years was this festival changing.

Now the centre of celebrations is on the Square of liberty. On this square is the smallest hop-field in the world. The integral part of festival are beer competitions as a dancing with pitcher of beer on your back Tradicionally you can see 15 or 20 breweries from the Czech Republic and foreing countries. And you can taste just about 30 kinds of beer.

Very interesting attendant actions are the tradicional exhibition of small animals, exhange of beer dockets, volleyball tournament and annual creating of record in doing the longest snake of beer crucibles.