Hay Festival 2026

Ready the lead piping and have the arsenic to hand for this deliciously dark dissection of Agatha Christie’s trademark murder mysteries. To mark the 50th anniversary of her death, parish priest turned mystery author Richard Coles leads a witty and affectionate tribute to the writer who turned the English countryside into the most dangerous place on the map. Coles is joined by fellow Christie fans to explore how the ‘murder in the countryside’ genre was born – and why it’s proved so enduring.

For lovers of the craft of fiction, this is an unmissable discussion on how the modern Western novel became a global form, with three great writers. Kamila Shamsie, Tahmima Anam and Itamar Vieira Junior talk to Pankaj Mishra about the challenges and opportunities of representing a complex world and global identities in fiction.

Tahmima Anam is a Bangladeshi-British novelist best known for her Bengal Trilogy, which explores Bangladesh’s history, identity and diaspora through contemporary literary fiction. Her latest novel is Uprising.Shamsie’s Home Fire won the Women’s Prize for Fiction and her novels have been shortlisted for multiple awards. Brazilian author Itamar Vieira Junior was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize for Crooked Plow. Mishra’s latest book is The World After Gaza.

The session is hosted by Equator, a political and cultural magazine founded to tell stories traditionally neglected by Western narratives.

Comedian Suzi Ruffell presents a funny and moving evening about love, anxiety and whether our school days really were the best of our life. In conversation with Welsh comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Ruffell introduces her memoir Am I Having Fun Now?, which contains life advice from experts including Elizabeth Day, Dolly Alderton and Laura Bates about the tricky questions we all face.

Ruffell is an award-winning stand-up comedian, writer and presenter. Her podcasts include Out, on which she has interviewed LGBTQ+ luminaries including Dame Kelly Holmes, Hannah Gadsby, and the Reverend Richard Coles. Pritchard-McLean is a multi-award-winning comedian, satirist and writer.

Kick off your evening at Hay Festival with an adventure in cocktail artistry. In this session designed to pique your palate, botanicals experts from Hay Distillery will guide you through a tasting session, sharing some of the secrets of the craft and offering samples of delicious cocktails made from their exquisite small-batch spirits. Can you tell your quince from your apple and pear? Your rose from your rosemary, or your lemon balm from your lavender? Put your tastebuds to the test and bring your curiosity!

Hay Distillery is an award-winning micro distillery based in the heart of Hay-on-Wye. They distill, bottle and hand-label tiny batches of spirits, including their ‘fantastically feral’ Wild Knapp Gin and Dr Beaky’s London Dry gin, capturing the outstanding natural fragrances of the local landscape.

Join us for a surprise screening of an acclaimed book-to-screen adaptation, hand-picked by MUBI’s team of curators. Encounter a celebrated work of literature through its cinematic transformation – without prior knowledge, expectation or title. What unfolds is a rare opportunity to experience adaptation as discovery, where language gives way to image and narrative is met afresh. Come curious. Leave surprised.

Join Danny Robins for a special live recording of Britain's biggest paranormal podcast. He'll be joined by his regular sidekicks Dr Ciarán O'Keeffe and Evelyn Hollow to take a deep dive into some brand-new supernatural cases, from unearthly encounters to things that go bump in the night.

The virtuosic GBSR Duo, along with Taylor MacLennan on flute, play ‘Crippled Symmetry’ by American composer Morton Feldman. ‘Crippled Symmetry’ takes the form of a quiet, slowly moving, hypnotic sound world – this evening event in the great acoustic of St Mary’s Church in Hay will take you to another dimension!

The GBSR Duo are Siwan Rhys (piano and celeste) and George Barton (percussion), two of the UK’s finest young contemporary chamber instrumentalists. They have built their reputation on a combination of exceptional interpretations of the existing piano-percussion repertoire, committed performances of ambitious new commissions, and inventive collaborations. Taylor MacLennan is one of the leading flautists of his generation, renowned for his control, creativity and versatility.

This conversation between two icons makes for an unmissable evening of vivid reflections on the 1990s rock scene and what it means to be a woman in music. Melissa Auf der Maur, former bassist of rock bands Hole and the Smashing Pumpkins, and Skunk Anansie’s lead singer Skin come together for a frank and fascinating discussion that is a must-see for music fans. The pair discuss their memoirs, the cost of fame and influence, and their groundbreaking successes, with Tiffany Murray, author of My Family and Other Rock Stars.

Auf der Maur’s Even the Good Girls Will Cry: My 90s Rock Memoir recounts her story, including how she joined Hole, fronted by Courtney Love, shortly after the deaths of Kurt Cobain and Hole’s previous bassist. Skin, author of It Takes Blood and Guts, is one of the most influential women in British rock, has headlined Glastonbury and was championing LGBTQ+ rights at a time when few artists were out and gay.

An evening showcasing the best in contemporary poetry with award-winning poets Tishani Doshi and Len Pennie. Doshi performs a new piece combining poetry and moving image. Her most recent collection Egrets, While War is a lyric guide to grief and resilience, examining environmental loss, ancestral memory and more, with birds appearing throughout as subjects, symbols and messengers.

Pennie, who writes in both Scots and English, brings her charismatic presence and powerful Scots language delivery. She presents work from poyums annaw, a defiant and trailblazing collection of work that tackles ideas of patriarchy, gender-based violence and injustice.

Kick off your evening at Hay Festival with an adventure in cocktail artistry. In this session designed to pique your palate, botanicals experts from Hay Distillery will guide you through a tasting session, sharing some of the secrets of the craft and offering samples of delicious cocktails made from their exquisite small-batch spirits. Can you tell your quince from your apple and pear? Your rose from your rosemary, or your lemon balm from your lavender? Put your tastebuds to the test and bring your curiosity!

Hay Distillery is an award-winning micro distillery based in the heart of Hay-on-Wye. They distill, bottle and hand-label tiny batches of spirits, including their ‘fantastically feral’ Wild Knapp Gin and Dr Beaky’s London Dry gin, capturing the outstanding natural fragrances of the local landscape.

Sign up here for a masterclass in the art of burgers, BBQ and backyard culture with Anthony Murphy, Burger Chef of the Year 2023 and co-founder of the ultimate meat boutique, The Beefy Boys. While ‘Murf’ shares his barbecue skill and inducts you into the knack of the grill, you’ll devour a two-course tasting menu starting with an exclusive version of The Beefy Boys’ famous BBQ sharing platter.

This meaty medley will include the chef’s beef cheek, burnt ends, 12-hour smoked pork belly, 12-hour smoked brisket, hot link sausage and a slider version of the Butty Bach Burger, topped up with portions of BBQ beans, mac & cheese and creamy coleslaw. To round off the feast, sample a decadent, homemade brownie. A must for all griddled food fans and cookout converts!

A night of fast, funny and fabulous improvisation with Paul Merton and Suki Webster. Expect games, stories, songs and laugh-out-loud surrealism, all deftly conjured up on the spot and based on suggestions from you: the audience! These masters of comedy improvisation are joined by special guests, and guarantee a night of raucous entertainment.

Two voices, one upbringing and songs that feel like home. A fabulous opportunity to experience a unique evening of music from brother and sister Johnny and Lillie Flynn. Both are actors and musicians in their own right, but here perform together with harmonies shaped by a shared childhood filled with the same family records spinning in the background.

As they put it themselves: “We’ve always sung together. And we want to celebrate that in a simple way – with songs we love and the way our voices come from the same place and the same memories.” What they bring to the stage is gentle, unfussy and full of heart – a harmony that is grown, lived-in and deeply personal.