Hood River Hard Pressed Cider Fest Canceled

(HOOD RIVER, Ore.) — The 7th Annual Hood River Hard-Pressed Cider Fest has been canceled for 2020, organizers for the event announced Thursday. The event, which is sponsored by FruitSmart and the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce, was scheduled for May 30 after originally being postponed in April due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Hood River Cider Fest was expected to draw more than two dozen craft cideries, featuring more than 50 ciders, and thousands of hard cider lovers to Mt. Defiance Cold Storage in the heart of the Hood River Valley.. Cider Fest will return in April 2021 to coincide with Hood River Valley Blossom Time so long as social distancing guidelines allow for large gatherings by then.

“Our priority is the health and safety of our entire community, not to mention the many Northwest cider lovers who were looking forward to this year’s festival, so we have made the unfortunate but prudent decision to cancel the Hood River Hard- Pressed Cider Fest,” said Kate Schroeder, executive director of the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce. “Cider Fest has quickly grown into a quintessential Hood River experience, and it will be greatly missed this year. But we look forward to returning next year to celebrate Hood River’s amazing ciders together.”

Cider Fest is a celebration of Hood River’s burgeoning hard cider scene, drawing cideries from around the Northwest. Home to more than a dozen cideries, Hood River Valley’s hard cider is almost completely locally sourced from apples, pears, and other fruits from more than 440 local orchardists in the region. In addition to the sampling of a range of local and regional ciders, the daylong event is filled with local music and family-friendly activities.

For those who have already purchased tickets to the Hood River Cider Fest, email the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce at admin@hoodriver.org. For more information on visiting Hood River, call 800-366-3530 or visit visithoodriver.com.