Craft beer lovers and families will pack Midtown Park at North Hills in Raleigh on Saturday for a festival built around a cause bigger than the pour: sending sick kids to the specialists who can save their lives. Hops for Hope runs from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and brings together local breweries, food trucks, live music, and a dedicated kids zone, with every $40 ticket helping fund flights for children who need medical care far from home.
The festival, featured in a report by CBS 17, benefits Children's Flight of Hope, the nonprofit that coordinates free commercial flight tickets and volunteer pilot flights for children and their caregivers traveling to expert medical care. Local breweries are teaming up with corporate sponsors to craft exclusive brews just for the event, and attendees will get the chance to sample those one-off beers alongside bites from local food trucks.
Pat Nelli, president and CEO of Children's Flight of Hope, framed the stakes plainly, per the same CBS 17 report: “Every child deserves a chance at a healthy future regardless of background,” he said, adding that a single ticket “empowers flights that connect children to expert care.”
A Decade of Growth at Midtown Park
This year's festival marks the 10th anniversary of Hops for Hope, which has grown considerably since its debut. According to the Dathan Kazsuk Blog, the event launched at CAM Raleigh in 2016, moved to Raleigh Beer Garden in 2017, and settled permanently at Midtown Park at North Hills in 2019 — a shift that let it expand from a simple beer tasting contest into a full community festival. Confirmed breweries pouring this year include Brewery Bhavana, Ponysaurus Brewing, NoDa Brewing, Incendiary Brewing, Crank Arm Brewing, and Neuse River Brewing & Brasserie, the same blog reports.
Food trucks joining the lineup include Craft Public House, Frios Pops, Kono Pizza, and The Redneck BBQ Lab, according to Children's Flight of Hope. The festival will take place at Midtown Park at North Hills.
From a Pilot's Idea to Thousands of Flights a Year
Children's Flight of Hope's history traces to Al Wethington becoming aware of the need in 1990; the organization was incorporated in 1991, according to the organization's own account of its history. Local pilots and medical personnel banded together with a simple goal: eliminate distance and cost as barriers to pediatric care.
That mission has scaled dramatically. The nonprofit reported 1,300 flights in 2019 and exceeded that number in 2023. The group helps families access specialized medical care for children.
The Financial and Industry Backdrop
Running that kind of operation involves financial and direct costs.
Festivals like Hops for Hope also bring together North Carolina's craft beer community to raise money. For Raleigh families heading to Midtown Park Saturday afternoon, that gathering translates into exclusive beers, food trucks, and live music — all in service of getting kids to the doctors who can help them.
