Hay Festival 2024

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.

Journalism is the pursuit of the truth, and that’s what Tom Burgis and Carole Cadwalladr have spent their careers working towards. But what happens when people don’t want the truth to get out? Burgis and Cadwalladr talk to writer Oliver Bullough about the society-changing work they have done, and how strategic lawsuits against public participation (known as SLAPPS) are increasingly being used to tie up journalists’ time and funds to stop their work.

For three years, Burgis followed a lead that produced his new book Cuckooland: Where the Rich Own the Truth. He hunted down oligarchs and traced vast sums of money flowing between multinational corporations, ex-Soviet dictators and the West’s ruling élites. Guardian writer Cadwalladr exposed Cambridge Analytica’s role in mass-harvesting data to influence elections in the UK and US. Bullough is author of Butler to the World: How Britain Became the Servant of Tycoons, Tax Dodgers, Kleptocrats and Criminals.

What do Billie Holiday, Irish fiddle music and reggae have in common? Which iconic pubs, clubs, community centres and record shops across the UK have inspired Black musical genres? What political and economic moments in history have shaped Black identity and experience in the UK and how, in turn, have these shaped contemporary British culture? At this event marking the publication of Boakye’s Musical World, George the Poet’s Track Record: Me, Music and the War on Blackness, and a major British Library exhibition, Beyond the Bassline: Black British Music, curated by Dr Gray and Dr Riley, our expert panel reflect on personal encounters with music as a political and shaping force, and on six centuries of African musical contribution to the UK and the world.

Steep yourself in the lives of characters living against the beauty, magic and history of Rome, as Jhumpa Lahiri takes you into her new collection of short stories. In Roman Stories, we meet a man who recalls a summer party that awakens an alternative version of himself, a couple haunted by a tragic loss who return for consolation, and an outsider family who is pushed out of the block where they hoped to settle.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lahiri discusses the collection, her love of Italy and her work as a bilingual writer and translator. She has been writing fiction, essays, and poetry in Italian since 2015 and is the editor of The Penguin Book of Italian Short Stories. Lahiri talks to Creative Producer Heather Marks.

A BBC Radio 3 lunchtime concert series marking the centenary of Gabriel Fauré’s death. In this second of four recitals recorded for broadcast, Charles Owen (piano) performs a programme including Fauré, Chopin, Chaminade and Ravel.

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).

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.

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.

Troy has fallen. After ten years of war, the Greeks make their way back to their own lands – but what homes now await them? Hay Festival President Stephen Fry is well known for his retellings of Greek myths – Mythos, Heroes and Troy are all bestsellers. Join him as he now directs his gaze to Odysseus, Agamemnon, Helen and Aeneas on their return from the Trojan War. The award-winning comedian, actor, presenter and director gives a pre-publication preview of the subjects of his next book.

‘The Singularity’ is how Silicon Valley likes to describe the ultimate break point in human history: when we will come face to face with machines that have minds of their own. But what if this has already happened? Hundred of years ago, human beings started building the artificial entities that now rule our world. They are called states and corporations: immensely powerful robots, able to take decisions and act for themselves. They have made us richer, safer, healthier and more capable – and they may yet destroy us. David Runciman distils for us over 300 years of thinking about how to live with artificial agency in The Handover: How We Gave Control of Our Lives to Corporations, States and AIs. Runciman is Professor of Politics at Cambridge University and host of the Past Present Future podcast. He talks to writer and journalist Sarfraz Manzoor.

The rewilder and the ecologist discuss the rival demands of reintroducing extinct species and of managing invasive ones. Britain’s favourite maverick rewilder Gow (Bringing Back the Beaver) has played a significant role in the reintroduction of the Eurasian beaver, the water vole and the white stork in England. He’s currently working on a reintroduction project for the wildcat, and in Hunt for the Shadow Wolf makes the case for the return of the wolf. Ecologist and environmental writer Warwick is well-known for his role as spokesperson for the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. In Cull of the Wild he investigates the ethical and practical challenges of one of the greatest threats to biodiversity: invasive species, which the UN Convention on Biological Diversity ranks as a major threat on a par with habitat loss, climate change and pollution. In conversation with Nicola Cutcher, investigative journalist, documentary maker, and freelance writer.

Damian Collins, the Conservative MP for Folkestone and Hythe and Nick Thomas-Symonds the Labour MP for Torfaen, leave Westminster behind to discuss their new biographies of David Lloyd George and Harold Wilson, and the unique perspectives brought by Members of Parliament as political historians. Lloyd George and Wilson were born outside of the establishment but rose to become the leading public figures of their time. The Welshman made the transition from social reformer to war leader, and in the process invented modern government. Wilson guided Britain through turbulent economic times in the 1960s and ‘70s, becoming the only 20th century leader to win four general elections.

Rivals in the Storm and Harold Wilson: The Winner reassess these two mercurial Prime Ministers who both fascinated and infuriated their contemporaries.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

American novelist James Baldwin is often called one of the best writers of the 20th century, and his writing, from essays to fiction to critiques, is still popular. But why is Baldwin still so well-read? And what makes his work – much of it rooted in his own experiences as a gay Black man who grew up in poverty in New York’s Harlem – so relevant still, to so many people? Our panel of experts take a look at Baldwin’s life and work, and address why his voice still resonates.

Mendez’s debut novel Rainbow Milk was shortlisted for the Jhalak Prize and the Polari Prize, among others. Irenosen Okojie’s novel Butterfly Fish and her short story collections, Speak Gigantular and Nudibranch, have won and been nominated for multiple awards. David Olusoga is a historian and the author of Black and British: A Forgotten History. Colm Tóibín’s most recent novel is The Magician, and he is the current Laureate for Irish Fiction. They talk to Creative Producer Heather Marks.

Fungi can change our minds, heal our bodies – and help us avoid environmental disaster. They are key players in most of nature’s processes. Biologist Merlin Sheldrake, author of the award-winning Entangled Life, takes us on a mind-altering journey into their spectacular world, and reveals how these extraordinary organisms transform our understanding of our planet and life itself. Sheldrake is a research associate of Vrije University, Amsterdam, and sits on the advisory board of the Fungi Foundation and the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks.

When do friends become enemies? And how intertwined are love and murder? Authors Lisa Jewell and Alex Michaelides discuss these questions and more as they celebrate their latest books. Jewell’s None of This is True follows podcaster Alix Summers, who meets her birthday twin Josie at her local pub, and soon discovers that Josie has a story to tell. As Alix records Josie’s strange and complicated life for a podcast, Alix begins to uncover some deeply hidden secrets. In Michaelides’ The Fury, reclusive ex-movie star Lana Farrar invites a small group of her closest friends for a weekend away on her small private island. There, old friendships conceal violent passions and resentments, and in 48 hours, one of the party will be dead.