Hay Festival has announced 44 earlybird events for next spring’s Hay-on-Wye edition, taking place 22 May–1 June 2025, ahead of the full programme release next March.
This is the Festival’s biggest ever earlybird event drop, hinting at the dynamic programme of 600+ events to come blending household names and new talent.
Launching the best new fiction and non-fiction, the 2025 Festival will offer insights and conversation around big global issues along with a diverse programme of entertainment. More than 600 writers, activists, pioneers and performers will take part.
Hay Festival Global CEO Julie Finch said:
“Hay Festival next spring has something for everyone in Hay-on-Wye. Here are 44 events to preview what’s to come, showcasing a world of different perspectives in a place where great minds meet. Join us to be inspired, provoked and entertained by conversations and performances that celebrate free expression and new ideas, and get involved with workshops and pop-up wonders.”
Events will take place across eight stages in the free-to-enter Festival site at Dairy Meadows in the Bannau Bryncheiniog National Park – which will offer a range of spaces for audiences to explore and enjoy, including the Bookshop, BBC Marquee, Wild Garden, Make & Take Tent, a host of exhibitors and market stalls, cafés, and the Family Garden ¬– as well as venues around Hay-on-Wye, including St Mary’s Church and Hay Castle.
Projects and themes woven throughout the programme will include the News Review each morning; the return of the Hay Festival Sports Day on Wednesday 28 May; South to South conversations; Hay Festival Green, prompting innovative solutions to the climate crisis; celebrations of 250 years of Jane Austen and 20 years of Hay Festival’s work abroad; global collaborations with NBO Litfest in Kenya and Lviv BookForum in Ukraine; and a vibrant programme for families and young people, beginning with the free Schools Programme, 22–23 May, and including events throughout the half-term week.
Late nights at the Festival are given over to great music, comedy and entertainment, while a host of free pop-up activities and performances around the site keeps audience entertained between sessions.
The full programme of 600+ events will be released in March 2025.
Tickets are on sale now to Hay Festival Members, Patrons and Benefactors at hayfestival.org/hay-on-wye. General sale begins at noon this Friday.
