Hay Festival Digital 2020

Come on a walk through the beautiful surrounds of Hay-on-Wye, led by guides from the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. Learn about the historic environment of the town and its surroundings.

Hay-on-Wye is located within 520 square miles of beautiful countryside that makes up the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. The National Park is driving change to bring about a sustainable future, meeting our needs within planetary boundaries. Their Hay Festival series of walks take you into the town’s local environment while offering the opportunity to learn more about the Park’s work and its treasured landscape.

Step inside Hay Castle during Hay Festival 2026 and explore a place shaped by power, survival and reinvention. Led by an expert volunteer guide, this tour traces 800 years of life inside the castle – from medieval plots and royal whispers to its rescue, restoration and reimagining as a place for ideas today. You’ll move through rooms, stairways and towers, hearing stories of the people who lived, schemed, dreamed and partied here. Along the way, take in sweeping views across the Wye Valley – a reminder that this is a border castle, built to watch and be watched.

Guided tours run daily at 11am and 2pm. Tour price includes entry into the Castle for a year including the current exhibition: BorderLands.

Enjoy this 20-minute open-air performance between events. Kairos is a duo of harp and flute/recorders from Oxfordshire, comprising Anna Lockett and Jill Horner. They enjoy making music in a variety of genres, and share a passion for using music therapeutically in the community. As Kairos, they explore creating their own folk arrangements and compositions, and experiment with arranging romantic, baroque and contemporary repertoire.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout introduces her new book. It tells the story of Artie Dam, who looks like he’s got life sorted. He’s a teacher, he’s been married for 30 years, he has friends and a great life. But inside he doesn’t feel he fits. Then he uncovers a secret that’s been kept from him – and it changes his entire world. Strout talks to Guardian literary critic Chris Power about the art of writing characters we can all identify with.

A Russian in Britain and an American in Russia share their unique perspectives. Jana Bakunina is an author who returned to her hometown after Putin invaded Ukraine, to find her once liberal friends and family now happy to go along with Putin’s regime. Jamison R Firestone is an American lawyer who was at the centre of exposing scandal, corruption and murder while working in Russia. Together they bring incredible insight to this discussion with the Guardian’s foreign correspondent Luke Harding.

Jana Bakunina’s The Good Russian: In Search of a Nation’s Soul describes her return to Russia only to find voices of conscience now silenced by dictatorship. Jamison R Firestone’s Rule of Lies: My Wild Ride Through Chaos, Corruption and Murder in Putin’s Russia reads like a spy novel but is a true account of his time working in Russia.

One of the most influential thinkers in the field of AI risk explains why superintelligent AI is a global suicide bomb. In this essential session, Nate Soares, co-author of If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies with Eliezer Yudkowsky, explains just why superintelligent AI could be catastrophic for our species, and how we stop it.

Soares is president of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute and one of its most senior researchers. He has been working in the field of AI alignment for over a decade, after previous experience at Microsoft and Google. He talks to Patricia Clarke, technology reporter at the Observer.

Experience evocative storytelling that bridges page and screen, in this screening of Boiling Point actor Vinette Robinson’s narration of Emily Brontë’s groundbreaking classic.

Robinson gives a spellbinding reading performance, bringing to life the intense and destructive love between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw in this passionate rendering of the timeless novel, set against the haunting backdrop of the Yorkshire moors.

The Read is a series of outstanding performance readings of iconic British novels. Each episode offers a richly immersive celebration of literature.

Dennis the Menace has a special birthday wish – he wants to break the rules of reading! Beano’s Directors of Mischief and Mayhem, Craig Graham and Mike Stirling, help him in this jokey session, revealing their top-secret tips for creating the laugh-out-loud stories and comic strips in Beano, where Dennis has starred since 1951. They’ll also reveal insider info on how they’ve reinvented reading with their smash-hit latest Beano Boomic The Day We Got Lost in Time.

Join their Mischief Squad, as you help co-create the funniest Dennis the Menace comic strip of all time. This is the cheekiest, funniest, most creative show ever!

Wren James introduces their debut graphic novel, a funny and uplifting take on the ‘chosen one’ trope. In The Victors, Wren explores what happens after the chosen one has saved the world. In this interactive session they’ll discuss the process of creating an illustrated novel in collaboration with the artist, and give a crash course in visual storytelling, from comic book scripts to their work in a TV writer’s room on Netflix’s Heartstopper.

Wren is the award-winning author of many YA novels, including The Loneliest Girl in the Universe (previously published as Lauren James).

An opportunity to get crafting! Activities differ every day, including everything from print-making to junk modelling with recycled materials. Get messy and creative in these interactive sessions delivered by artists and discover that your imagination is the only limit.

Book for the session and you can drop in at any point during the 1.5 hour duration. Accompanying adults: please stay in attendance at all times, but you do not require a ticket.

Enjoy this 20-minute open-air performance between events. Kairos is a duo of harp and flute/recorders from Oxfordshire, comprising Anna Lockett and Jill Horner. They enjoy making music in a variety of genres, and share a passion for using music therapeutically in the community. As Kairos, they explore creating their own folk arrangements and compositions, and experiment with arranging romantic, baroque and contemporary repertoire.

Have I Got News For You team captain and editor of Private Eye Ian Hislop comes to Hay Festival for the very first time for a special session on his love of reading. He shares the stories that kept him company during a childhood spent living abroad, and talks about the books that have inspired him and – as reportedly the most sued man in Britain – helped him to switch off after a busy day holding the powerful to account. Hosted by Decca Aitkenhead, chief interviewer for the Sunday Times.

Two women, two different approaches to life, one goal – to live your best life. Celebrate the joys of getting older and learn how to live a healthier life as you age in this candid and fun discussion. Wellbeing expert Liz Earle shares the science, while chef, businesswoman and Bake Off star Prue Leith divulges details from her life as a modern woman in her 80s. They talk to journalist Gaby Huddart about embracing life, the tips they swear by to keep them feeling good, and why we should all look forward to ageing.

Earle’s latest book, How to Age, draws on cutting-edge science to show us how to strengthen our bodies, to look and feel more youthful. Earle is an award-winning author and co-founder of her eponymous global beauty brand. Leith’s Being Old…and Learning to Love It is packed with her trademark wit, wisdom and no-nonsense charm as she takes a spirited canter through the triumphs, challenges and surprises of ageing well.

How can our agricultural systems adjust to the changing needs of people and planet? The challenges range from rising energy costs and labour shortages to extreme weather events, but a high level of consumer trust, investment in agritech and a shift towards regenerative practices promise hope for the industry. Our panel of experts explores what the future of farming looks like, and how we can serve people’s needs while protecting the natural environment.

Andy Cato, co-founder of Wildfarmed, a Grammy-nominated musician and one half of Groove Armada; Philip Lymbery, global CEO of Compassion in World Farming International; and Deborah Meaden, business leader and fellow of the WWF, speak to journalist and Countryfile presenter Sean Fletcher.

Can humour help us understand our family histories? Stop-motion animator and writer Astrid Goldsmith talks to Donut Squad cartoonist Neill Cameron about family feuds, buried secrets and the unavoidable life admin after death, as explored in her debut graphic memoir, The Crystal Vase. Already an award-winning graphic storyteller, Goldsmith has an extraordinary talent for turning the heaviest moments in life into something funny, beautiful and bittersweet.

When her grandmother dies, it’s down to Goldsmith and her father to hire a van, drive to Germany and sort through her belongings. Family demands clash with a lifetime of clutter as they sort the heirlooms from the odds and ends, finding hidden histories and stories of survival among it all – from Nazi Germany to colonial Africa.

A screening of Lynne Ramsay’s uncompromising portrait of a woman on the edge. Starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson in a frenzied pas de deux, Die My Love inflames the exposed nerves of delirium and desire.

Grace and her partner Jackson move into an old country house. She pursues her dream of writing, and the couple welcome a baby soon after. However, with Jackson frequently absent, and the pressures of domestic life weighing on her, Grace begins to unravel, leaving a path of destruction in her wake.

Directed by Lynne Ramsay (2025). Film duration: 1 hour 59 minutes. Certificate 15.

Join romance author Beth Reekles, creator of YA hit sensation The Kissing Booth, as she takes us through a fan-tastic journey into the world of fandoms, nerd culture and what it means to find a community where you belong – and, of course, that all important, fascinating insight into becoming a published author!

In Beth’s new novel For Real This Time, misfit and hardcore fangirl Anissa is finally coming out of her shell. She’s officially part of the group chat with the girls from college, and she’s even managed to bag work experience on the set of her favourite TV show. Things couldn’t be going better – until she meets the hot new actor behind her favourite character, and gets totally starstruck. Anissa’s about to realise that sometimes getting lost in the fantasy isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be…

What has Ben Elton done? What hasn’t he done? After no less than fifteen best-selling novels, writing for hit shows like Blackadder and The Young Ones, creating The Thin Blue Line, three West End plays and three musicals (and that’s only scratching the surface of writing credits), Elton has finally written something about his own life. Expect unvarnished, uncensored and undeniably funny recollections from 45 years of making the nation laugh.

We use AI to help us with everything from making dinner to finding love. But what happens when we hand over judgement, decision making and critical thinking to algorithms? Will we forget how to do things for ourselves? Join leading AI experts for a provocative Hay Festival conversation. Jamie Bartlett, author of How to Talk to AI (and How Not to), journalist Aleks Krotoski, author of The Immortalists, tech journalist Madhumita Murgia, author of Code Dependent, and AI safety researcher Nate Soares, co-author of If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies, examine how AI is already reshaping our behaviour – and explore what it truly means to stay human in an age of artificial minds.

Travel back in time for an immersive tour of the extraordinary library of the Mesopotamian king Ashurbanipal, which was burnt to the ground in the seventh century but rediscovered thousands of years later. Despite the burning, the texts, carved on clay tablets, were baked and preserved by the heat. They are written in cuneiform, a language only a few hundred people on earth can read.

Assyriologist Selena Wisnom brings Mesopotamia to life in this session, illuminating the culture of the time and its impact on us today. Casting back to the customs of Mesopotamian civilisation, she will also perform haruspicy live on stage – the ancient art of divination using a real-life liver! Wisnom is lecturer in the heritage of the Middle East at the University of Leicester.

Which books will you pick for your summer reads this year? Are you after an un-put-downable thriller, a historical saga or do you crave a holiday romance? We’ve brought together two celebrated writers to search for the best reads for summer 2026.

Ana Kinsella is an Irish novelist and non-fiction writer. Maria Semple is an American TV comedy writer as well as a best-selling novelist. They each pitch their own reading lists to presenter Steve Jones, championing the books they believe will define the season. A brilliant session for book clubs, or any of us on the search for the next great book to get lost in.

Feel the power of two stories from South America as award-winning Mexican author Brenda Navarro and acclaimed Ecuadorian storyteller Mónica Ojeda discuss kinship, memory and survival in the face of collective trauma. Navarro’s Eating Ashes, which is set to receive a film adaptation releasing in Autumn 2026, follows the experience of a woman caught between rage and heartbreak in the wake of her teenage brother’s suicide. In Ojeda’s psychedelic novel Electric Shamans at the Festival of the Sun, a wild tale of two women attending an underground music festival high in the Andes gives way to a heartfelt meditation on love, family and kinship.

Navarro and Ojeda speak to Guardian literary critic Chris Power, exploring themes of violence, displacement and loss in tandem with courage and hope.

Cartoonist, writer and long-time-anxious-person Gemma Correll takes us on a relatable and riotous journey through her struggles with anxiety, and introduces her graphic novel Anxietyland. Take a trip to a theme park like no other, where rides include the Hormonal Rollercoaster, the Overcaffeinated Teacups and the Train of Overthinking.

Correll discusses her struggles with anxiety, her search for relief and the realisation that it is possible to feel ok again. Correll is an award-winning cartoonist, writer and illustrator whose work has featured in the New York Times, Elle and more.

The team behind Private Eye magazine’s podcast, Page 94, brings a live recording to Hay Festival. Guaranteed to contain a healthy dose of political satire. Highly likely to cover some combination of Trump, Farage, whoever is Prime Minister by the end of May, and much more besides.

The year ahead is a gift that has been given to you. What might you do with it? In a world of unwanted distraction, where AI is attempting to replace the human imagination, how can we ensure we continue to look, read and think for ourselves? Who can remind us of the joys of creativity? What can we do to bring the necessity of artful living to our day?

Dive into the year with the wisdom of artists and writers. Gathered from interviews and personal conversations, Katy Hessel’s How to Live an Artful Life collects thoughts, reflections and creative insights for every day of the year. Featuring Marina Abramović, Nan Goldin, Lubaina Himid, Louise Bourgeois, Tracey Emin and more, each entry offers wisdom from some of the greatest artists of all time.

Katy Hessel is an art historian and author of The Story of Art without Men, the international best-seller and Waterstones Book of the Year 2022. She talks to historian and broadcaster David Olusoga.

An interactive evening of storytelling, song and performance from Dead Ringers actor Jess Robinson, as she brings to life the wartime diaries of her grandmother, Rosi, and her own early journals. She reads extracts from both diaries, interwoven with short live performance moments, to illustrate how stories of survival and identity create bonds across the generations. The event ends with a rendition of ‘The Impossible Dream’, a song that deeply connects her to her grandmother.

Leading game industry expert George E Osborn exposes how dictators, populists and violent extremists are using video games to influence the world around us. Russia is funding the development of video games to promote their world view, Saudi Arabia has acquired one of gaming’s biggest publishers and Steve Bannon used tactics learned from online game communities to propel Donald Trump to the White House. Osborn helps us to understand this new frontier for political influence and sets out what democracies must do to protect play. He talks to former political and foreign correspondent Robert Nisbet, now a partner at the consultancy 5654 & Co.

In a match made in artisan heaven, Neal’s Yard Creamery’s Charlie Westhead pairs his fresh, mould-ripened and mouthwatering cheeses with Artistraw’s wild fermented natural cider.

This is a hyper-local tasting from highly passionate people involved in every single part of the process. For Neal’s Yard Creamery, this is more than just working with local suppliers, it’s being able to practically name the cows the milk comes from. For Artistraw (who you may have seen on BBC Countryfile), it’s hand-picking the – local, organic, biodiverse – fruit for the cider, designing the label and even sticking it on with a plastic-free glue they’ve invented themselves.

This is the best of the Black Mountains, the finest of the Welsh Marches and a truly authentic Hay-on-Wye experience.

A screening of Buster Keaton’s critically-acclaimed 1926 silent comedy, which was inspired by the Great Locomotive Chase, a true story from the American Civil War.

After being rejected by the Confederate military, not realising it was due to his crucial civilian role, an engineer must single-handedly recapture his beloved locomotive after it is seized by Union spies, and return it through enemy lines.

Directed by Buster Keaton (1926). Film duration: 1 hour 19 minutes. Certificate U.

Hold on to your stomachs, as comedian Alan Davies presents a night of reflections and revelations about middle age. Think Ahead is Davies’ first stand-up show in more than a decade. Expect the unexpected as he challenges us to laugh at anything from his own traumatic childhood to air pollution.

This entertaining and immersive event turns maps into theatre, bringing them to life in a way you’ve never seen before. In its Hay Festival debut, the award-winning podcast What’s Your Map? comes to the stage with host Jerry Brotton, a leading authority on the history of maps. He asks each of his guests to unfold a map that’s special to them and share the story that lies behind it. Each map will be projected large-scale and discussed in all its rich detail. Tim Marshall is former diplomatic editor at Sky News and author of Prisoners of Geography. Historian and broadcaster David Olusoga is author of Black & British: A Forgotten History. Emma Jane Unsworth is a BAFTA-nominated screenwriter and best-selling novelist. A perfect way to spend the evening for anyone fascinated by history, adventure and culture.

Enjoy an evening of spoken-word virtuosity from World Poetry Slam Champion Harry Baker, as he tackles the subject of fatherhood with hilarity and wonder. In his signature witty, heartfelt and rhythmic style, Baker performs from and discusses his new collection Tender, which gives snapshots into life with his newborn son as they get to know each other. Lighthearted yet sincere, this session with the relatable rhymer offers consolation against the exhaustion of parenting.

Baker became the youngest ever World Poetry Slam Champion in 2012 and his third collection, Wonderful, was published in 2024 alongside a 40-date sell-out tour of the same name. His Ted talk ‘A love poem for lonely prime numbers’ has been viewed two million times.

Come and celebrate Wales, land of legend and song, known for its stories that span countless generations – and a place where, out of this rich heritage, new tales are always being told.

In this unique and immersive evening of stories and song illuminating work steeped in Welsh culture and history, writers Tom Bullough, Lucie McKnight Hardy and Sadia Pineda Hameed tell new stories from Wales, including specially commissioned work from the latest issue of Folding Rock magazine. They are stories inspired by folklore, and salute today’s blooming creative landscape.

Featuring music by folk singer-songwriter Martha O’Brien, the evening is hosted by Folding Rock’s editor and co-founder Kathryn Tann. Folding Rock was founded in 2024 to help put Wales and Welsh writing on the UK map.

An hour of movement and breathwork, led by a highly-skilled Hay-on-Wye practitioner, to start your day at Hay Festival with open heart and mind. Whether you need grounding and recharging before a busy day at the Festival, an opportunity to stretch and move your body, or simply an hour to focus on your breathing, this yoga class is open and accessible to all. The class leader will adapt to different levels of experience, so that each student takes what they need from the practice.

Should world leaders stand up to President Trump or keep him onside? Hard to decide when you don’t know his next move. Get rare and first-hand insight from General Sir Tim Radford, who was second in command at NATO between 2020 and 2023, international writer for the New York Times Katrin Bennhold, who was in the room at Davos when President Trump told world leaders he was determined to acquire Greenland, and author and geopolitics specialist Tim Marshall. They talk to Helen Lewis from The Atlantic.

What’s it like to be a famous comedian? If you’re Alan Davies, it’s a life full of uplifting highs and painful lows, success and excess – and it’s hard to survive. Davies tells the story of how he became a stand-up comedian, how he made it on TV and how he coped with the unwelcome realisation that most people knew him from a bank advert and thought he had a perm. Really honest, sometimes painful, always funny.

On the eve of Oak Apple Day, our panel of nature experts explore the distinguished folklore of the oak tree, sharing extraordinary tales of the nation’s forests and how they enrich our lives, as well as the threats to them and what we can all do to make a difference.

Join Jules Acton, author of Oaklore, Anita Roy, country diarist for the Guardian and author of Under the Changing Skies, and Tamara Ullyart, who leads the Woodland Trust’s ‘Forgotten Forests’ campaign, for a close-up look at the glory of the greenwood with Andrew Simms, director of the New Weather Institute.

Watch a selection of short films, curated by MUBI, throughout the morning. The day’s schedule will be listed each morning at the venue – pop along and take a look.

Step into the magical world of Bird & Blend Tea Co., discover the secrets of tea mixology and create your own perfect blend in an immersive and interactive Tea Mixology Experience led by an expert mixologist. This hands-on workshop invites you to taste up to six unique blends and test your tea knowledge with an engaging and fun tea matching game.

With expert guidance, you’ll get to craft two custom tea blends to take home and pair with your next fave book! You’ll also learn about different tea types and brewing tips to enhance your tea-making ritual at home. There’ll be an opportunity to ask questions, plus you’ll get a goody bag with free samples. Visit the Bird & Blend Tea Co. stand afterwards for a free gift with purchase (find a special token in your goody bag). Book now – it’s going to be TEArrific!

Come on a walk through the beautiful surrounds of Hay-on-Wye, led by guides from the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. You’ll be joined by local experts who will give their insights into this treasured landscape.

Hay-on-Wye is located within 520 square miles of beautiful countryside that makes up the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. The National Park is driving change to bring about a sustainable future, meeting our needs within planetary boundaries. Their Hay Festival series of walks take you into the town’s local environment while offering the opportunity to learn more about the Park’s work.

Spend a morning visiting Whiskery Paw, where kittens abound in the brand new series from award-winning creator Laura Ellen Anderson. Meet the extraordinary cast of new characters in Star Kitties, including Tabitha Flair and her feline friends. Laura will show you how she creates magical new worlds, and invite you to help her design an exciting new Star Kitty. Then get your pencils at the ready and learn how to draw one of Tabitha’s adorable friends for yourself!

Join expert art historian and best-selling author Katy Hessel for an interactive journey through history and landscape, to celebrate her new Guide to Amazing Women Artists. Hessel has adapted her global sensation The Story of Art Without Men to bring the untold stories of art to a young audience, shedding light on the lives of women artists who have gone uncelebrated for too long.

From the Renaissance to the Second World War, and from Cornwall to Manhattan, Nigeria, Japan, step into the extraordinary lives of these women artists and marvel at the art they made, with its striking styles, hidden messages and calls for women’s rights. Discover how they changed the world with their art, and explore how to bring art into your every day.

Joanna Quinn is very excited to run this fun animation workshop, where she will introduce her endearing heroine, Beryl, and share the skills and knowledge of behind-the-scenes animation processes from her Oscar-nominated animation career.

Joanna’s creation Beryl is an unconventional heroine, a middle-aged factory worker pursuing her dream as an aspiring artist. Joanna’s film about Beryl and her eccentric family, Affairs of the Art, was nominated for Academy and BAFTA awards. An independent animator and director, Joanna holds over a hundred international awards, including four BAFTAs and two Emmys.

An opportunity to get crafting! Activities differ every day, including everything from print-making to junk modelling with recycled materials. Get messy and creative in these interactive sessions delivered by artists and discover that your imagination is the only limit.

Book for the session and you can drop in at any point during the 1.5 hour duration. Accompanying adults: please stay in attendance at all times, but you do not require a ticket.

Step inside Hay Castle – a border stronghold shaped by myth, power and reinvention. Visit the current BorderLands exhibition and enjoy full access to the castle, from cellar to rooftop. Explore rooms layered with stories, including Matilda’s room, the Richard Booth space, historic costumes and the castle cellar.

Experience the new, interactive exhibit on the second floor, then climb to the viewing platform for wide views across the Wye Valley. Your ticket also includes unlimited return visits for a full year, so you can come back as the seasons – and the castle – change.

This ticket allows you to visit the castle at a time of your choice on the day selected, and also gives you entry into the BorderLands exhibition.

Step inside Hay Castle during Hay Festival 2026 and explore a place shaped by power, survival and reinvention. Led by an expert volunteer guide, this tour traces 800 years of life inside the castle – from medieval plots and royal whispers to its rescue, restoration and reimagining as a place for ideas today. You’ll move through rooms, stairways and towers, hearing stories of the people who lived, schemed, dreamed and partied here. Along the way, take in sweeping views across the Wye Valley – a reminder that this is a border castle, built to watch and be watched.

Guided tours run daily at 11am and 2pm. Tour price includes entry into the Castle for a year including the current exhibition: BorderLands.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was held in an Iranian prison for nearly six years, accused of trying to overthrow the Iranian regime. She survived, she says, through craft. She managed to get hold of scraps of material and a sewing machine. Soon she was teaching her fellow prisoners how to sew, how to knit – how creativity can save you. In an extraordinary conversation that opens the next chapter in her life, Nazanin tells broadcaster and psychologist Dr Sian Williams about the healing powers of creativity and her plans for the future.

Broadcaster and writer Zakia Sewell is on a quest for a different Britain. Criss-crossing the island from Somerset to Scotland, she joins acclaimed historian, David Olusoga, in search of stories beyond divisive national myths and symbols. Together they consider ancient legends, Celtic rites and the mystic stone circles that punctuate our landscape, and ask whether this alternative history could help unite an increasingly divided country. A thought-provoking session offering a fresh, hopeful perspective on British identity.