Imagine the world

3–6 October 2013

Hay Festival Xalapa is a celebration of ideas and stories, which is more important than ever when writers and journalists put their lives on the line to tell truths.

For five days in October 2012, Xalapa was alive with talks, debates, concerts and stories from Wole Soyinka, Enrique Vila-Matas, Janne Teller, Marcos Giralt Torrente, Jeanette Winterson, Evelio Rosero, Elsa Osorio, Paco Ignacio Taibo II, Valeria Luiselli and Roberto Ampuero.

Journalism was highlighted in the programme because we wanted to acknowledge the risks taken by brave journalists in Mexico and all over the world. Jon Lee Anderson, Ed Vulliamy and Guillermo Osorno discussed their work and spoke about the importance of freedom of information and the rights of journalists.

We can proudly announce a 39% increase in attendance with 28,662 people enjoying the 2012 festival, which also launched our partnership with PEN International. Read more below...

Photos 2012 Blog 2012 Programme 2012
Hay Festival Xalapa

The 2012 festival began with a conversation between Jean Marie Le Clezio, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Martín Solares and Jean Meyer, followed by the play El Filósofo Declara, written by Juan Villoro.

Three sell-out concerts took place: Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and Susana Baca at the Teatro del Estado, and the closing concert with Café Tacvba, attended by 15,000 people.

We paid homage to Carlos Fuentes in an event with Adolfo Castañón, Alberto Manguel, Sergio Pitol and Santiago Gamboa.

'The warmth of humanity', Hay Festival Xalapa in The Telegraph

'One of the great excitements of Hay's international festivals is getting to know major writers who are often barely known, if at all, in Britain.' Michael Jacobs, The Telegraph

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Xalapa 2012

  • Enrique Vila-Matas
  • Elsa Osorio
  • Alberto Manguel
  • Guadalupe Nettel
  • Roberto Ampuero
  • Wole Soyinka
  • Marcos Giralt
  • Julián Herbert
  • Ed Vulliamy
  • Susana Baca
  • JMG Le Clézio
  • Jeanette Winterson
  • and much more

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Hay Festival Xalapa
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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.

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