Hay Festival 2025 Full Programme

Bear can’t find his glasses. He must have left them at Giraffe’s house. On the way over, Bear sees all kinds of animals he didn’t notice last time: an elephant, a crocodile, a flamingo, a deer. And who’s this long spotty snake lying on Giraffe’s deckchair? Through his ingenious telling of this classic comical situation, Leo Timmers (Gus’s Garage, A Home for Harry) shows us how to enjoy the world through different eyes. Join Leo as he reads us his book and then guides you to create a drawing of your very own Bear.

Please bring your own sketchbook and pencils to this event.

How far would you go to find your way home? Find out with Zoology graduate Brogen Murphy, who’s turned their fascination with flora, fauna and clean technologies into a gripping tale of survival in the wilderness. Twenty-five years from now, no humans are allowed in the Wildlands – a vast area in Britain where wolves, lynx and bison roam free. The only exception is a high-speed train line that crosses right through the heart of the project.

Thirteen-year-old Astrid and her little sister, Indie, are onboard when their train slows to a brief, unexpected stop… and they find themselves accidentally left behind. They have only a rucksack, a phone without signal – and each other. As every wrong turn takes them deeper into the Wildlands, do they have the ingenuity and determination to survive?

Please bring your own notebook and pen to this event.

In this arts-based workshop you’ll use collage and printmaking techniques to design a Sirens of Sustainability character to protect our rivers, waterways and oceans.

University of Worcester staff and students from the Department of Illustration and the International Centre for the Picture Book in Society (ICPBS) return to Hay Festival with their engaging workshops to inspire young creatives. All materials and equipment provided – just bring your imagination!

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 into the story with now>press>play! In between events, try out this immersive audio adventure for all the family. Hear every sound, move with the action and feel the magic of storytelling come alive around you.

On a school trip to NASA, you and your classmates are accidentally sent on a mission to Mars. Over the 300-day journey, you have to guide the shuttle on its course, repair damage from a meteorite and learn how to survive in zero gravity. Will you ever make it back home?

The extraordinary courage of Gisèle Pelicot has changed how we see victims of sexual assault, and the trial of her husband Dominique Pelicot has gone down in history. Now, their daughter Caroline Darian bravely shares her story, offering a first-hand insight into the story of the Gisèle Pelicot trial, giving a voice to women who have been silenced and sharing how she and her mother are rebuilding their lives.

Darian talks to broadcaster and activist Jameela Jamil about the moment she found out her father was capable of some of the worst crimes imaginable and why she and her mother made their private trauma into a public fight. This courageous and important discussion highlights that shame should be placed on the perpetrators of sexual crimes.

Two gardeners reveal how connecting with their gardens helped them find solace and taught them how to live more sustainably. Poppy Okotcha and Kathy Slack discuss their own gardens, and share tips for sowing and growing your own plants, flowers and vegetables.

Okotcha’s memoir A Wilder Way chronicles her relationship with an ever-changing garden in Devon. She is a trained horticulturist and regenerative grower, and advocates for those who are underrepresented and marginalised in the world of horticulture and environmentalism. A regular contributor to the Royal Horticultural Society podcast, she was the ecological expert on Channel 4’s The Great Garden Revolution.

Slack’s Rough Patch draws readers into the world of the kitchen garden, revealing how she found refuge in a vegetable patch after she was forced to quit her high-flying career in London. She is a food writer, stylist, photographer and kitchen gardener who previously worked at Daylesford Organic Farm, before becoming a full-time writer and recipe developer.

Novelists Tessa Hadley and Rachel Joyce discuss their new work about sibling relationships and the hairline cracks that can appear in them, with critic and author Stephanie Merritt.

Hadley introduces her new novella The Party, which sees sisters Moira and Evelyn on the cusp of adulthood. When they meet two men with an intriguing air of sophistication, and are invited to a party, the sisters learn things about themselves and each other that shock them. Hadley is a winner of the prestigious Windham Campbell Prize for Fiction. Her stories appear regularly in the New Yorker.

In Joyce’s The Homemade God, family is everything – but as Goose and his three sisters search for answers about the death of their famous artist father, the things they learn about themselves, him and their new stepmother drive them apart before they can figure out his legacy. Joyce is author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, shortlisted for the Commonwealth Book Prize, longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and adapted for film in 2023.

Sample some tasty treats at this demo and tasting event with renowned chef Asma Khan. From her first appearance on Netflix’s Chef’s Table, Khan has entranced with the magic of her cooking, transporting audiences across timelines and continents through tales of the food she grew up with and memories of her hometown of Kolkata.

Her cookbook Monsoon is a masterclass in taste, texture and balance between the six Ayurvedic flavours (Tangy, Bitter, Hot, Sweet, Sour and Salty). Her mouthwatering recipes range from Paneer Tikka Skewers and Monsoon Pakoras to Tamarind Prawns and Aubergine with Poppy Seeds.

Khan is widely recognised for her role as a social change advocate in the food industry. Her restaurant Darjeeling Express is known for its unique blend of street food, comfort food from Calcutta and royal dishes from her Mughlai heritage. The food is cooked by an all-women team who began, like Khan, as home cooks. She talks to British-Nigerian broadcaster and food writer, Jimi Famurewa.

This thrilling event combines stories, classical music and art created live before your eyes. Author and illustrator James Mayhew (Once Upon a Tune) tells the stories of some much-loved pieces of music, accompanied by musicians and live drawing. Explore Debussy’s sunken city, be dazzled by Holst’s planets and fly like a Firebird with Stravinsky. Mayhew’s unique approach opens up great music for children and is exciting for parents too!

This much-loved musical conversation-starter asks its family audiences: 1) What kind of world would you like to be living in? and 2) What will you do to create that world?

Join Shea Ferren, Male Singer of the Year at the International Eisteddfod 2023, and Peace Child International’s David Woollcombe, for what may be the most consequential conversation you will ever have.

Driven by the magisterial songs of David Gordon (brother of Cat Stevens) and marking the 80th Anniversary of the United Nations, this show gets audiences to create a collective time machine to bring themselves back from two very different futures – one in which they follow UN guidance and create a safe, sustainable future, the other in which they don’t. If, as we hope, audiences choose the first option, the workshop focuses on answering the second question.

In this sustainable food session you’ll work with a rainbow of food and use all of your five senses to experience how it pops, snaps, smells and tastes. You’ll learn how a worm’s wiggle and a bee’s waggle help to create the ingredients we all love to eat. And you’ll travel through the stages of food’s fascinating journey, from its start as a seed in the soil, to the table via the dinner plate and everything – and everywhere! – in between.

Dr Michelle Darmody is a sustainable food education expert whose book Seed to Supper offers fun-packed ways for children to become better engaged with where food comes from.

In this arts-based workshop you’ll create a self-portrait, or a portrait of somebody or something else that you love, using DIY print-making processes, recycled materials and mixed media.

University of Worcester staff and students from the Department of Illustration and the International Centre for the Picture Book in Society (ICPBS) return to Hay Festival with their engaging workshops to inspire young creatives. All materials and equipment provided – just bring your imagination!

Drop in for this open-air performance with puppets, music and songs, for humans of all ages. A world premiere by Keith Temple, the show is created in tandem with music and art students at Kidderminster College.

Pod, the wilful Jack Russell terrier, has no idea that he’s a dog. Thanks to his scatter-brained owner, he’s grown up thinking he’s human… until a new addition to the family – Ella, the no-nonsense guinea pig – sets him straight on a few things. Pod begins to realise it’s not at all bad being a four-legged creature…

Join us for an exclusive guided tour led by one of our passionate volunteer guides during Hay Festival 2025. Our knowledgeable guides will take you on a captivating journey through the castle, revealing tales of medieval knights, royal intrigue and the castle’s remarkable restoration. As you explore the castle you’ll gain unique insights into the lives of those who once called this place home. The tour also offers breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside, providing the perfect backdrop for your visit.

Guided tours run daily at 11am and 2pm. Tour price includes entry into the Castle for a year including the current exhibition: 20th Century Welsh Artists.

The so-called culture wars seem to be everywhere we turn, covering racism, sexism, the Middle East and more. Vital debates are quickly drowned out by denunciations of ‘wokism’, ‘cancelling’ and ‘no-platforming’ on the one side and on the other charges of censorship and denial of free speech.

Renowned philosopher AC Grayling takes a look at the incendiary debate around culture, and argues that conflict arises not between competing rights but between interests and rights. This timely and important discussion offers nuance and consideration to one of the biggest issues changing the state of our public culture.

Grayling is founder and principal of the New College of the Humanities at Northeastern University, London, and its Professor of Philosophy.

When lockdown led busy professional Chloe Dalton to leave the city and return to the countryside of her childhood, the last thing she expected was to be the custodian of a newly born hare. In this heartwarming and life-affirming event, she talks to politician William Hague about finding the creature, alone and no bigger than her palm, and choosing to nurse it and give it a chance at survival.

Dalton is a writer, political adviser and foreign policy specialist. She spent over a decade working in the UK Parliament and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Raising Hare chronicles Dalton’s journey with the hare, from caring for it as a baby to preparing for its return to the wild.

Awarded for the best published literary work in the English language, written by an author aged 39 or under, the Dylan Thomas Prize celebrates the international world of fiction in all its forms. On the Prize’s 20th anniversary, join us to celebrate the 2025 winner in conversation with Elaine Canning, writer and Dylan Thomas Prize Director.

The longlist for the Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize 2025 is: Mosab Abu Toha, Forest of Noise; Emma Glass, Mrs Jekyll; Jo Hamya, The Hypocrite; Seán Hewitt, Rapture’s Road; Ferdia Lennon, Glorious Exploits Andrew McMillan, Pity; Lottie Mills, Monstrum; Ruthvika Rao, The Fertile Earth; Yael van der Wouden, The Safekeep; Rebecca Watson, I Will Crash; Eley Williams, Moderate to Poor, Occasionally Good; and Yasmin Zaher, The Coin.

Explore the rich national story of Wales and its dynamic relationship with the English borderlands. From medieval conflicts to modern-day connections, this panel delves into the people, places and politics that define Wales and its borders.

Connor Allen is a multidisciplinary artist, former Children’s Laureate of Wales and associate artist of The Riverfront in Newport. Hanan Issa is a writer, poet and artist, as well as co-founder of the Where I’m Coming From open mic collective. She is the current National Poet of Wales. Gwyneth Lewis is a former National Poet of Wales and wrote the words on the front of the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff. Mike Parker is author of All the Wide Borders and Wales Non-fiction Book of the Year 2020, On the Red Hill, an evocation of the queer rural. Bedwyr Williams is a Welsh artist, currently working on an artwork commission for National Trust Cymru.

Celebrate the breadth of Welsh identity through storytelling and poetry, and explore its shared heritage with England.

Join us for an afternoon with the much-loved Dame Jacqueline Wilson. Discover how she started her writing career, how she created some of her best-loved characters including Tracy Beaker and Hetty Feather, and hear all about her new book, a funny, heartwarming story returning to the world of Daisy and Lily.

Daisy and her sister are excited about going on holiday. But Lily uses a wheelchair, which can make trips to the seaside tricky. Especially with all that sand! Will Daisy, Lily and their neighbour’s dog Scruff get their ice cream-filled dream holiday and maybe even have a Seaside Sleepover?

There will be a BSL interpreter at this event