Actor and singer Luke Evans will join the soon to be announced Hay-on-Wye Citizen of the Year to switch on the town’s Christmas lights on Friday 29 November as part of his upcoming Hay Festival Winter Weekend appearance.
The free switch-on event, co-hosted by Hay Town Council and Hay Chamber of Commerce, will take place 5–7pm in Memorial Square, accompanied by carol singing, food, mulled wine and entertainment to give a rousing start to the Festival weekend, which runs to Sunday 1 December.
Luke Evans is an actor and singer who began his career on the stage, performing in London’s West End in productions of Rent, Miss Saigon and Piaf before making his film debut in 2010. He has starred in the Fast & Furious franchise, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Dracula Untold, and as Gaston in Disney’s live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. On television he has starred in TNT’s The Alienist and alongside Nicole Kidman in Nine Perfect Strangers for Hulu.
As a recording artist, Luke has released two studio albums: At Last and A Song For You which hit the top five in the UK charts in 2022.
He is at the Festival to launch his new book, Boy From the Valleys: My Unexpected Journey, in an event on Friday 29 November following the lights switch-on. In this intimate memoir, Luke takes us behind the scenes of his career on the stage and screen. His story is a powerful tale of resilience, courage, and the pursuit of finding a sense of belonging and identity, but mostly (and hopefully) a story of inspiration.
Luke Evans said:
“It’s time to sparkle, Hay-on-Wye! I’m honoured to be joining the town’s Citizen of the Year to switch on the Christmas lights at Hay Festival Winter Weekend. When I was writing my memoir, Boy From the Valleys, I never imagined it would take me to one of the world’s most famous book festivals and I can’t wait to meet readers there.”
Hay Festival Winter Weekend is back for a year-end wonderland of in-person events, 28 November–1 December, in multiple venues across Hay-on-Wye, Wales.
Explore the programme and book tickets now at hayfestival.org/winter-weekend.
Over four days, more than 70 acclaimed artists take part in over 60 events, launching the best new fiction and non-fiction, exploring creative solutions to some of the biggest challenges of our time, and spreading festive joy in conversations, candle-lit storytelling, comedy, music, and workshops.
Guests include novelists Ali Smith and Paula Hawkins; actors Rupert Everett and Paterson Joseph; broadcaster and campaigner Carol Vorderman; former Australian PM Julia Gillard; statistician David Spiegelhalter; classicist Natalie Haynes; poet Theresa Lola; Uncanny host Danny Robins; foreign policy specialist Chloe Dalton; comedians Russell Kane and Vic Reeves; broadcaster Cerys Matthews; musician Arun Ghosh; supervet Noel Fitzpatrick; and historians Sarah Clegg and Jonathan Dimbleby.
Events will take place in a specially built 350-seater marquee in the grounds of Hay Castle, in the Castle’s Clore workshop space, plus venues around town, including St Mary’s Church, The Poetry Bookshop, and North Books.
The Festival’s bookshop, open daily from 9am, will stock featured titles and gifts, plus host regular book signings and a special display from Festival partner Visit Seattle.
Part-funded by the UK Government via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the Festival weekend sees the Welsh booktown’s independent shops, cafés and markets offer a warm welcome to Festivalgoers within the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.
Digital media partner TikTok will support Hay Festival Winter Weekend for the first time, hosting some of the UK’s top creators while supporting development opportunities for young creatives within the team.
Select events will be livestreamed to audiences around the world through the Festival’s online pass, on sale now at hayfestival.org/onlinepass.
Hay Festival Global CEO Julie Finch said:
“New ideas, joy and hope – what better ingredients for a year-end festival to wrap one year and help us spring into the next? We’ll offer a world of different experiences at Hay Festival Winter Weekend 2024, sharing a heady dose of entertainment alongside some bold visions for the future. Returning to the centre of Hay-on-Wye in the grounds of Hay Castle, we’ll build on the success of last year’s sold-out event by offering access to more Festivalgoers than ever, live and online. Join us!”
