"Eventually, the ballpark could host more than 200 events each year."
That line comes from the City of Hillsboro's April 3, 2026 announcement that the new Hillsboro Hops Ballpark at the Gordon Faber Recreation Complex was ready for play. The City described the venue as a year-round entertainment hub with concerts, festivals, community events and amateur baseball. The key word in that sentence is "eventually." Six months in, the new ballpark has one public event left on its 2026 calendar. Most of what's happening at Gordon Faber this fall is on the older field next door, and Hillsboro's winter calendar sits a few miles north at Orenco Station.
If you live in Hillsboro, that changes how you plan the next six months. The ballpark everyone watched go up is a spring-and-summer venue for now. The places to be in October through January are elsewhere.
Six Months, One Concert
The ballpark's baseball debut went as advertised. The Hops opened at home on April 7, 2026 against Spokane, with a 6:35 p.m. first pitch. The building is big for Northwest League baseball. The City lists 4,700 seats and a total capacity of around 7,000, plus a 360-degree wraparound concourse, a beer garden, a food hall with six dining options and a 9,000-square-foot all-inclusive club. Local outlets put the cost between $153 million and $157 million, depending on the outlet. According to the City, its synthetic turf is the first in a U.S. minor league ballpark to feel like natural grass without PFAS chemicals.
The year-round part of the plan started late in the summer. "An Evening with Chicago" on September 25 was the venue's first concert. The Hops then scheduled the inaugural Fresh Hops Fest for Saturday, October 3, from 3 to 8 p.m. Tickets were $30 for 10 tastings and a souvenir cup, parking on site was free, and the team said the event was meant to show the ballpark as "more than a home for baseball." BrewPublic's October 1 preview listed 30 beer and cider makers. The lineup included Living Häus Beer, Breakside, Fort George, Ecliptic, Zoiglhaus, Ancestry, StormBreaker and Cooper Mountain Ale Works, plus Portland Cider and Bauman's Cider.
The ballpark's private spaces are also booking business events. Explore Tualatin Valley scheduled its annual celebration in the Meridian Club for October 7, from 4 to 6:30 p.m.
After that, the public calendar drops to a single date. "Take Me Out to the Ballpark: A Social Evening with Purpose" is set for Saturday, November 7 at 7 p.m. It's a 21+ fundraiser for the Hops Fund, with behind-the-scenes access, games, raffles, drinks and heavy appetizers. Tickets are $100, or $200 for a couple, and registration closes Monday, October 19. No Halloween event, holiday lights, winter market or ice rink had been announced at the new ballpark as of early October.
The Old Field Is Carrying October
The former Ron Tonkin Field, now called Hillsboro Ballpark, never closed when the Hops moved. It's home to Portland Cascade, the pro softball team, and to Portland State softball, and the City has been considering more baseball and softball uses there, including high school games.
This month the older field has more dated games on its schedule than the new ballpark has public events for the rest of the year. Portland State's fall softball calendar lists five dates at Hillsboro Ballpark. The first was Sunday, Oct. 4, against Chemeketa CC at 1 p.m. Four are still ahead:
- Tuesday, Oct. 6: Crestmont at 10 a.m.
- Sunday, Oct. 11: Mt. Hood CC at 10 a.m., Saint Martin's at 12:30 p.m., then Mt. Hood vs. Saint Martin's at 3 p.m.
- Friday, Oct. 16: Clackamas CC doubleheader at noon and 2:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Oct. 25: Centralia doubleheader at noon and 2:30 p.m.
The October 11 slate fills most of a Sunday, with three games in five hours. The schedule doesn't list ticket prices, so check with Portland State Athletics before you go.
Portland Cascade is already planning for next year. The team is taking $100 deposits for 2027 season tickets, applied toward the purchase, with priority seat selection. The league's Cascade schedule page still shows the 2026 season, so 2027 game dates aren't posted yet. Between Cascade in summer and PSU in fall, the older field has a steady, lower-key calendar. The new ballpark doesn't have one of those yet.
Winter Lives at Orenco Station
When it gets cold, Hillsboro's main public draw is still an ice rink at Jerry Willey Plaza, 943 NE Orenco Station Loop. Winter Village opens November 29, 2026 and runs through January 10, 2027. It's closed December 24, December 25 and January 1. Admission is $19 general and $16 for ages 13 and under. The biggest single day is Saturday, December 19: "Snow Much Fun" runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and includes a youth market with 30-plus vendors.
This is the gap the year-round ballpark plan is meant to close eventually. The new venue holds about 7,000 people and has a concourse, a food hall and a heated club. For now, the City-run rink on a plaza is the one with a six-week schedule, published hours and a holiday market. If you're planning December weekends with kids or visitors, plan them around Orenco Station.
What the First Season Showed About Crowds
The baseball numbers explain why the team is pushing non-baseball events. Hillsboro's own record crowd shows what the building can draw, and an ordinary late-season game shows the usual turnout.
| Date in 2026 | What happened | Crowd |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-season | 2026 Hoppin' Fan Fest | 8,000+ people, per the City |
| July 4 | Hops vs. Spokane, franchise record | 5,740 |
| July 3–5 | Three-game holiday stretch | 13,320 total |
| Sept. 6 | Season finale, 7–6 walk-off win over Eugene | 3,090 |
The Hops lost all six games of that July series with Spokane and still set the attendance record. The team finished 63–69, fifth in the Northwest League, and missed the postseason for the sixth straight season. Fireworks-weekend crowds came close to the building's capacity. The September finale filled less than half of it. A fan festival before the season outdrew every game on the table, so events beyond baseball can fill the place.
Hillsboro hasn't seen yet how a full fall and winter of those events affects parking and traffic along NE Century Boulevard. Before the Chicago concert, the Hops warned that entry and parking would be busy and suggested carpooling or rideshare. No local outlet has published a post-season look at traffic around the complex.
The Next Big Date Is April 2
The Hops released their 2027 home schedule on September 3. It has 66 home games, and Opening Night is Friday, April 2, against Eugene, with the opening series running April 2 through 4. Season-ticket packages are on sale now. Single-game tickets go on sale sometime in 2027, and game times and promotions haven't been announced.
Here's the calendar for the next six months. PSU softball runs on the old field through October 25. The new ballpark has the November 7 fundraiser. Winter Village runs November 29 through January 10. Then baseball returns April 2. As of early October, nothing else has been announced at the new ballpark between the fundraiser and Opening Night. That stretch is when the "200 events" goal will start to be tested.
New public venues can change how people think about the streets around them, and the Gordon Faber complex is still early in that process. If you own near the ballpark or along the Century Boulevard corridor and want to know how north Hillsboro's growth shows up in your home's value, Daniel Belza and the Home Performance Team can walk you through the local numbers. Request your free, personalized home valuation.
