We are watching the unfolding events in Male with alarm and are concerned for the safety of all the people who made Hay Maldives so special. The Festival was an amazing experience and a demonstration of what is possible through democracy and the will of the people. We are with you in thought and spirit and are doing what we can to raise awareness internationally. We look forward to the day when true democracy has been restored and if invited, we can return to the Maldives to celebrate thoughts, ideas and writing.

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  • Maldives
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  • Maldives
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The festival celebrates 2,000 years of Maldivian island culture. The Maldives has been a multi-party democracy for only two years and this new freedom has opened up a host of new opportunities both culturally and politically. The president has set his country a target of becoming carbon neutral within ten years and the festival provides a platform for focusing international attention on the challenges facing the Maldives through climate change.

The Hay Festival is a place where the cultural, political and social issues of our age are discussed, examined and explored. An up and coming young democracy with the most beautiful beaches on Earth – the Maldives will be the perfect backdrop for Hay" President Mohamed Nasheed, 2 June 2010

The festival was launched on 14 October 2010 in the capital, Male, before moving to Aarah, giving rare public access to the Presidential Retreat Island.

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2010 highlights

  • Jung Chang
  • Ian McEwan
  • Montague Don
  • Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
  • Shobhaa De
  • Peter Godwin

news

Festival Report
2010 Festival review
Programme
Programme
Hay Festival Maldives Blog
2010 blog

ABOUT US

Hay Festival runs for ten days with a packed programme of debates and conversations with poets and scientists, novelists and historians, artists and gardeners, comedians and musicians, film makers and politicians.

The Sound Castle is our new late night music club.

Hay Fever - our festival for families and children, runs across the ten days of the festival where children have the chance to meet and talk to their favourite writers and take part in workshops to create wonderful memories and develop new skills in imaginative thinking and self expression.

Hf2 is our festival for teenagers - from high tech workshops on making music and films to an awesome line-up of cutting-edge writers, Hf2 is a mind-blowing experience for 13-plus.

We care passionately about our environment. Hay-on-Earth debates the latest thoughts on climate change and environmental awareness.

In 2006 we started the Hay-on-Earth Project to audit, address and change our ecological sustainability.