Families

Rotoscope Animation Workshop

With MASH Cinema

Monday 27 May 2024, 3.30pm–5pm –  Creative Hub

Rotoscope and remix! Leave your mark – help reanimate, reimagine and remix short films with visual artists MASH Cinema. During the workshop you’ll experiment with techniques pioneered by animator Max Fleischer to produce new moving image artwork in this fun, hands-on collaborative creative project. Completed animations will be available to view online.

Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England

Jeffrey Boakye

Musical World

Monday 27 May 2024, 4pm –  Meadow Stage

Tune in to BBC Radio 4 broadcaster Jeffrey Boakye to discover modern world history as you’ve never heard it before! The critically acclaimed author of Musical Truth presents Musical World, a new book and soundtrack charting pivotal historical moments from across the globe. Explore the cultural, political and societal impact of various music genres and musicians, including artists Bob Marley, Aretha Franklin, Lil Nas X and many more.

Katya Balen

Foxlight

Monday 27 May 2024, 4pm –  Spring Stage

Go story mudlarking with Katya Balen, the Carnegie Medal-winning author of October, October, and discover her new heart-warming tale Foxlight. Explore the wild with twin sisters Fen and Rey – different and the same, separate and connected – as they follow a fox in search of answers.

Pizza-making Workshop

Kitchen Garden Pizza

Monday 27 May 2024, 4pm –  Family Garden

Come to the Family Garden for a pizza masterclass with Kitchen Garden Pizza. In this one-hour session your imagination and creativity will be fed along with your belly! You’ll get your hands messy with freshly grown and foraged ingredients, make and top your own dough and observe the pizzaioli at work at the wood-fired oven. And while you wait for your pizza to cook, you can decorate your own pizza box!
Dairy-free and gluten-free options available

Jeffrey Boakye

Kofi and the Secret Radio Station

Tuesday 28 May 2024, 10am –  Meadow Stage

Travel back in time to the ’90s with author, broadcaster and educator Jeffrey Boakye for Kofi’s latest music-making adventure. After discovering a pirate radio station, Kofi can’t wait to get everyone involved with Clipper FM… but what does it mean when the radio station vanishes overnight? Expect music, mischief and lots of laughs!

Simon Mole and Gecko

Dino-show

Tuesday 28 May 2024, 10am –  Spring Stage

Which dinosaur had teeth as big as a banana? Which dinosaur weighed the same as 10,000 cats? And what could a chicken possibly be doing in the Great Big Dinosaur Show?! Join poet Simon Mole and musician Gecko for their family show full of poems, raps and songs about all your favourite prehistoric protagonists – and some you haven’t heard of yet! Come and get your groove on to some Jurassic classics.

Ready, Steady, Music! Workshop

Tuesday 28 May 2024, 10am –  Creative Hub

Get your Hay day off to a brilliant start with our daily Ready, Steady, Music workshops! With different activities each day, these interactive, fun-filled sessions for mini musicians will have you tapping sticks, roaring like dinosaurs, flying with unicorns, dancing with scarves, playing with parachutes and much more. Come and meet our puppets, explore our instruments and be accompanied by the beautiful sound of the cello.

Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England

Pizza-making Workshop

Kitchen Garden Pizza

Tuesday 28 May 2024, 10am –  Family Garden

Come to the Family Garden for a pizza masterclass with Kitchen Garden Pizza. In this one-hour session your imagination and creativity will be fed along with your belly! You’ll get your hands messy with freshly grown and foraged ingredients, make and top your own dough and observe the pizzaioli at work at the wood-fired oven. And while you wait for your pizza to cook, you can decorate your own pizza box!
Dairy-free and gluten-free options available

Make & Take Crafting

Tuesday Morning Session

Tuesday 28 May 2024, 10am–11.30am –  Make & Take Hub

An opportunity to get crafting! Activities differ every day, including everything from print-making to junk modelling with recycled materials. Get messy and creative: your imagination is the 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.

Pizza-making Workshop

Kitchen Garden Pizza

Tuesday 28 May 2024, 11am –  Family Garden

Come to the Family Garden for a pizza masterclass with Kitchen Garden Pizza. In this one-hour session your imagination and creativity will be fed along with your belly! You’ll get your hands messy with freshly grown and foraged ingredients, make and top your own dough and observe the pizzaioli at work at the wood-fired oven. And while you wait for your pizza to cook, you can decorate your own pizza box!
Dairy-free and gluten-free options available

Jenny Pearson

Fascinating Facts and Wondrous World Records

Tuesday 28 May 2024, 11.30am –  Meadow Stage

Enjoy a fast-paced, funny and interactive event with Jenny Pearson, the Laugh Out Loud Book Award-winning author of The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates, The Incredible Record Smashers, Grandpa Frank’s Great Big Bucket List and The Boy Who Made Monsters. You’ll be amazed at the fascinating facts, wondrous World Records and astonishing achievements that Jenny packs into her stories. Settle in for funny videos, quick quizzes and lots of laughs.

Please bring your own notebook and pen or pencil to this event.

Nikita Gill

Animal Tales From India

Tuesday 28 May 2024, 11.30am –  Spring Stage

Journey back in time with author and poet Nikita Gill for an incredible, evocative event and discover the ancient Indian animal fables of the Panchatantra, which have been told and retold for thousands of years. You’ll meet mighty elephants and courageous mice, cunning crocodiles and clever monkeys, talkative tortoises and little lapwing birds – and each one imparts a different message that can inspire you in different ways. An event celebrating friendship, cleverness, love and wisdom.

Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England

Oops Rabbit Workshop

With Jo Ham

Tuesday 28 May 2024, 11.30am –  Creative Hub

Craft your own original Rabbit artwork in this creative workshop for all the family. Enter the joyful world of Jo Ham’s Rabbit – select your favourite HAM print featuring the iconic character and then let your imagination soar to create your own Yippee!, Uh-Oh! or Oops! moment. You can add landscapes, new characters, colourful props and more using paint, pens, stickers and craft materials, with help on hand from Jo and the HAM team.

Make & Take Crafting

Tuesday Lunchtime Session

Tuesday 28 May 2024, 12pm–1.30pm –  Make & Take Hub

An opportunity to get crafting! Activities differ every day, including everything from print-making to junk modelling with recycled materials. Get messy and creative: your imagination is the 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.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The Musical

Hereford College of Arts

Tuesday 28 May 2024, 12.30pm–1pm –  Bookshop Garden

Drop in and watch aspiring performers from Hereford College of Arts come together to create a joyous short outdoor performance celebrating Shakespeare’s popular comedy. A Midsummer Night’s Dream OR Four Weddings and a Fairy is a mini-version of Shakespeare’s classic – complete with puppets, aerial dance, song, and knock-about comedy, it’s the perfect introduction to Shakespeare for those encountering his work for the first time.

BA Acting students from Hereford College of Arts bring this fantastical 400-year-old tale to life. Gasp at the magical exploits of the fairies, chuckle at the antics of the four young lovers as they get lost in an enchanted forest, and laugh at the calamitous acting of Bottom and his theatre company as they desperately try to entertain the Duke on his wedding day.

Holly Jackson talks to Samantha Soar

The Reappearance of Rachel Price

Tuesday 28 May 2024, 1pm –  Wye Stage

Holly Jackson discusses her new novel The Reappearance of Rachel Price with TikToker Samantha Soar, giving us clues on how she crafts such fiendishly compelling crime thrillers. Holly is the UK’s Number One YA author of 2023 and the mastermind behind the bestselling series A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (soon to be a major BBC 3 series).

Supported by TikTok

About Face Theatre Company

The Red Dress

Tuesday 28 May 2024, 1pm–1.30pm –  Spring Stage

Based in the traditions of fairy tale, The Red Dress is a story about a young girl’s journey into adulthood and her changing relationship with her mother. This magical story is brought to life as the pages of a giant book unfold, performed by actors working beautiful, small-scale puppets and props. An intimate piece of theatre featuring a stunning set and choreographed to an evocative soundtrack, The Red Dress is a timeless tale of growing up with a surprise on every page.

About Face Theatre Company devises original work, often using puppets and masks, which tours to festivals and theatres in the region. The actors in About Face all have learning disabilities and bring a unique view of the world into the work they do.

Oops Rabbit Workshop

With Jo Ham

Tuesday 28 May 2024, 1pm –  Creative Hub

Craft your own original Rabbit artwork in this creative workshop for all the family. Enter the joyful world of Jo Ham’s Rabbit – select your favourite HAM print featuring the iconic character and then let your imagination soar to create your own Yippee!, Uh-Oh! or Oops! moment. You can add landscapes, new characters, colourful props and more using paint, pens, stickers and craft materials, with help on hand from Jo and the HAM team.

MC Grammar

Tuesday 28 May 2024, 2.30pm –  Wye Stage

Wowza! The nation’s favourite rapping teacher and the star of the Sky Kids’ smash Wonder Raps is back. So grab your hats, shades, chains and raps and get ready to read and rhyme with MC Grammar LIVE! MC Grammar uses rap to teach kids cool facts about the world. Set to earworm tunes, his fun, comedic raps help you learn by stealth.

Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England

Preet Chandi

The Explorer’s Guide to Going Wild: Find Adventure Anywhere

Tuesday 28 May 2024, 2.30pm –  Spring Stage

Prepare for excitement with World Record-breaking adventurer ‘Polar’ Preet Chandi, who was named 2023 Explorer of the Year by the Scientific Exploration Society. Her first book for young people is a must-read if you love to explore. Preet shares tales of her own expeditions around the world, giving practical advice on how to plan your own exploits (even on your own doorstep). She covers everything from how to camp in the wild, navigate through a new landscape and master bushcraft skills – it’s guaranteed to inspire you to a half term full of activity!

Please bring your own notebook and pen or pencil to this event.

The Cheat Book Cartoon Workshop

With Ramzee

Tuesday 28 May 2024, 2.30pm –  Creative Hub

Do you have lots of creative ideas, but you're not sure how to get them down on paper? Join award-winning storyteller, cartoonist and author/illustrator of The Cheat Book, Ramzee, in this interactive draw-along where he'll guide you step-by-step through the process of taking ideas and turning them into your own unique creations. Learn how Ramzee created his main character, Kamal, who is on a hilarious journey from invisible to invincible at school. Can Kamal successfully cheat his way onto the cool table?

Please bring your own sketchbook and pencils to draw along in this event.

Make & Take Crafting

Tuesday Afternoon Session

Tuesday 28 May 2024, 2.30pm–4pm –  Make & Take Hub

An opportunity to get crafting! Activities differ every day, including everything from print-making to junk modelling with recycled materials. Get messy and creative: your imagination is the 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.

Pizza-making Workshop

Kitchen Garden Pizza

Tuesday 28 May 2024, 3pm –  Family Garden

Come to the Family Garden for a pizza masterclass with Kitchen Garden Pizza. In this one-hour session your imagination and creativity will be fed along with your belly! You’ll get your hands messy with freshly grown and foraged ingredients, make and top your own dough and observe the pizzaioli at work at the wood-fired oven. And while you wait for your pizza to cook, you can decorate your own pizza box!
Dairy-free and gluten-free options available

Benjamin Dean talks to Jack Edwards

How to Die Famous

Tuesday 28 May 2024, 4pm –  Spring Stage

Peep through the lens of an undercover teen journalist following the lives of Gen Z’s rich and famous… In conversation with the internet’s resident librarian Jack Edwards, award-winning author Benjamin Dean (The King is Dead) draws on his previous career as a celebrity journalist, examining the dark underbelly of showbiz. Come and get the low-down on his deliciously dark and addictive thriller.

On the face of things, Abel is Hollywood’s latest teen star, but in fact he’s on a mission to expose the entertainment industry and the part it played in his brother’s ‘accidental’ death. He soon discovers that beneath the glittering surface of fame lies a darker world of secrecy, scandal and murder.

Supported by TikTok

The Cheat Book Cartoon Workshop

With Ramzee

Tuesday 28 May 2024, 4pm –  Creative Hub

Do you have lots of creative ideas, but you're not sure how to get them down on paper? Join award-winning storyteller, cartoonist and author/illustrator of The Cheat Book, Ramzee, in this interactive draw-along where he'll guide you step-by-step through the process of taking ideas and turning them into your own unique creations. Learn how Ramzee created his main character, Kamal, who is on a hilarious journey from invisible to invincible at school. Can Kamal successfully cheat his way onto the cool table?

Please bring your own sketchbook and pencils to draw along in this event.

Pizza-making Workshop

Kitchen Garden Pizza

Tuesday 28 May 2024, 4pm –  Family Garden

Come to the Family Garden for a pizza masterclass with Kitchen Garden Pizza. In this one-hour session your imagination and creativity will be fed along with your belly! You’ll get your hands messy with freshly grown and foraged ingredients, make and top your own dough and observe the pizzaioli at work at the wood-fired oven. And while you wait for your pizza to cook, you can decorate your own pizza box!
Dairy-free and gluten-free options available.

Jess French

The Animal Body Book

Wednesday 29 May 2024, 10am –  Meadow Stage

Are you a budding veterinarian or fascinated by animals? Animals come in all shapes and sizes, and they are just as different on the inside as they are on the outside. Come and explore how animal bodies work, and the amazing things they can do, with children’s author, TV presenter and vet Dr Jess French. From a whale’s enormous heart and an owl’s sensitive ears, to a tortoise’s tough shell and an insect’s unusual eyes, Jess will take you through her favourite weird and wonderful animal facts and answer curious questions.

That’s Not My…

Storytelling Adventure

Wednesday 29 May 2024, 10am –  Spring Stage

Enjoy the touchy-feely delights of Dog, T-Rex, Mermaid, Penguin and lots of That’s not my… friends in this sensory storytelling adventure for little ones. Led by incredible professional storyteller George Hoyle, with fun songs, bubbles and more...

Ready, Steady, Music! Workshop

Wednesday 29 May 2024, 10am –  Creative Hub

Get your Hay day off to a brilliant start with our daily Ready, Steady, Music workshops! With different activities each day, these interactive, fun-filled sessions for mini musicians will have you tapping sticks, roaring like dinosaurs, flying with unicorns, dancing with scarves, playing with parachutes and much more. Come and meet our puppets, explore our instruments and be accompanied by the beautiful sound of the cello.

Pizza-making Workshop

Kitchen Garden Pizza

Wednesday 29 May 2024, 10am –  Family Garden

Come to the Family Garden for a pizza masterclass with Kitchen Garden Pizza. In this one-hour session your imagination and creativity will be fed along with your belly! You’ll get your hands messy with freshly grown and foraged ingredients, make and top your own dough and observe the pizzaioli at work at the wood-fired oven. And while you wait for your pizza to cook, you can decorate your own pizza box!
Dairy-free and gluten-free options available.

Make & Take Crafting

Wednesday Morning Session

Wednesday 29 May 2024, 10am–11.30am –  Make & Take Hub

An opportunity to get crafting! Activities differ every day, including everything from print-making to junk modelling with recycled materials. Get messy and creative: your imagination is the 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.

Fencing Workshop

With Fencing Cymru

Wednesday 29 May 2024, 11am–1pm –  Middle Garden

Draw your sabre and take on friends and family for the Hay Festival fencing crown in this have-a-go session with Fencing Cymru/Welsh Fencing. Learn the skills of this fast-paced Olympic sport in a safe and friendly environment before stepping onto the piste – en garde!