Hay Festival 2019 Programme

An entertainment: a constellation of writers, artists and photographers of the Welsh Marches celebrate the first issue of The Keep, Hay’s new literary and arts magazine, with an evening of readings, stories and pictures, under the editorial baton of Iain Finlayson.

With Owen Sheers, Ben Rawlence, Nina Lyon, Jasper Fforde, Soma Ghosh, Oliver Balch, Tom Bullough, Dix and Marsha Arnold.

The composer and librettists of the WNO’s groundbreaking new opera introduce their adaptation of David Jones’ classic First World War poem and screen film clips of the production. Bell’s beautiful score combines traditional Welsh song with moments of other-worldliness, terror, humour and transcendence. David Pountney’s period production is both an evocation and a commemoration of the events of the Somme.

How can cultural exchange inform community regeneration?  In 1974 John Gaventa met Hywel Francis and initiated an exchange between Welsh and Appalachian coalfield communities. This work was expanded by researcher Helen Lewis, cinematographer Richard Greatrex, and community organiser Mair Francis. Tonight they discuss the benefits, pitfalls and insights gained from a long-term cultural exchange over four decades. They are in conversation with Dai Smith.


You can book this event together with events [33] and [40] at a discounted price of £12. Please call the Box Office on 01497 822629 to proceed with this offer, and we will remove the £3 booking fee.

An evening of beautiful music from two sides of the Atlantic coal seam. Appalachian folk superstars Jones and McKenzie bring you sounds from their native mountains while Hennessy and Jones give us true Welsh folk. Wait to see what they produce when they bring the two styles together.


You can book this event together with events [33] and [39] at a discounted price of £12. Please call the Box Office on 01497 822629 to proceed with this offer, and we will remove the £3 booking fee.

The singer-songwriter from the Golden Valley is one of the most hotly fancied emerging artists of 2016. His blues-infused voice and guitar evoke the spirit of his inspirations Jeff Buckley and Robert Plant, and his songs have a raw emotional power that make his live performances absolutely enthralling.

What is autism? A lifelong disability, or a naturally occurring form of cognitive difference akin to certain forms of genius? In truth, it is both of these things and more,; and the future of our society depends on our understanding it. The winner of the 2015 Samuel Johnson Prize talks about his research and investigations. Chaired by Stuart Proffitt.

The investigative journalist and author lives under police protection from the crime syndicates he exposed and denounced in Gomorrah and ZeroZeroZero. He offers a personal and candid portrait of Italy today: a place of trafficking and toxic waste, where democracy is bought and sold, and organised crime rules both north and south.  

Why do naturally talented people frequently fail to reach their potential while other far less gifted individuals go on to achieve amazing things? The secret to outstanding achievement is not talent, but a passionate persistence. In other words, grit. The MacArthur Genius Award-winning psychologist shares fascinating new revelations about who succeeds in life and why. Chaired by Corisande Albert.

Join Spencer Kelly on an adventure into the future with Click, the BBC’s flagship science and technology TV show. From drones to self-driving cars, Spencer brings cutting-edge science to Hay with the help of virtual reality headsets and 360-degree video.

A Click Hay Festival special will be broadcast on the BBC News Channel and on BBC World News.

Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult over 18 years

The designer Alex Lifschutz and Foyles Trading Director Siôn Hamilton will tell the inside story of a plan hatched in the book trade’s darkest hour to reimagine the iconic London bookshop on Charing Cross Road. Siôn and Alex opened their doors to the publishing industry, holding a series of workshops that provided the insight to inspire an innovative shop design that has caught the imagination of book lovers across the world. Chaired by the editor of The Bookseller.

The molluscs of Wales and the world matter to humanity in surprising ways. Expect slugs, snails, love-darts and lungworms, and evolution in landscapes from Newport to the Nile. Rowson is Senior Curator Mollusca, National Museum Cardiff.

Julia Donaldson gives a first peek at Detective Dog Nell, her latest character, in a sensational all-singing, all-dancing performance. Join Julia and her friends as they introduce a dog who not only has super powers of smell but can also help children learn to read.

All aboard The Leaky Battery! In Rise of the Slippery Sea Monster the ever-popular Steampunk Pirates are attacked by a sea monster hungry for gold. Will the pirates by able to defend themselves? The author reveals the amazing powers of these remarkable seafaring heroes with the help of his ukulele and accordion and the singing of some rousing sea shanties. Pirate dress optional.

Please drop in to our new Compass venue, quiz leading academics about their subject and engage in some critical thinking. As part of Hay Festival 2016 and with help from the Welsh Government we have invited a range of university lecturers and speakers to drop in, talk about their subject areas and about university life.

Professor Gathercole is Unit Director at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge.