Hay Festival 2026

Begin the day with a guided tour of Hay Castle led by its director, art historian Tom True. Explore the castle’s layered history, meet some of the characters who once shaped it and hear how it is being reimagined today as a place for ideas, art and thoughtful encounters. The tour includes time to experience the castle’s new interactive interpretation on the second floor, followed by coffee and pastries.

Coffee and pastry included in the ticket price. Meet in the Great Hall.

A lively and entertaining discussion to start your day. The BBC’s international editor, Jeremy Bowen, brings together a brilliant mix of actors and authors for an energetic debate on the day’s news. Bowen is joined by actor and writer Carys Eleri, veteran of stage and screen Miriam Margolyes, journalist and author of Empireworld Sathnam Sanghera and author of We Need To Talk About Kevin Lionel Shriver.

Everyone expected Palestinian Aziz Abu Sarah and Israeli Maoz Inon to be enemies. Instead, the peace activists and social entrepreneurs forged a bond of brotherhood, connected by their belief in equality, dignity and the idea that Palestinians and Israelis can work together peacefully for a better future. They talk to the BBC’s chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet about their book The Future Is Peace, a transformative journey across the holy land and a bold call for hope, humanity and empathy.

An ancient city brought vividly to life using extraordinary ancient sources, including acerbic letters between rival kings and bawdy drinking songs. Welsh academic Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones traces the history of the first metropolis from its foundation to world domination… and back to ruin. Babylon often appears more myth than history. But it was a real place teeming with life, a bustling mega-city which set the agenda for what civilisation meant. Llewellyn-Jones holds the chair in ancient history at Cardiff University and is author of Persians and The Cleopatras.

Come and listen to this year’s celebrated Hay Festival Writers at Work. This thrilling 2026 group of ten Welsh writers will share new fiction and poetry, in English and Cymraeg. See these rising stars at Hay Festival first!

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.

Take a journey into nature at night with brilliant young naturalist Dara McAnulty – author of Wild Child – and illustrator Barry Falls. They’ll walk us through nocturnal activity in five different habitats in Britain and Ireland – meeting hedgehogs and moths in the garden; bats, owls, foxes and badgers in woodland; glow worms on the coast; Manx Shearwater in the sky; and corncrakes, dormice and woodcock on the farm.

Learn about circadian rhythms, hibernation, echolocation, biofluorescence, murmurations, the dawn chorus and how to use the stars for orientation. Dara will share his tips on attracting wildlife and creating havens for nocturnal animals and insects, and shine a light on organisations doing their best to help wildlife to thrive. Dara and Barry talk to writer Kiran Millwood Hargrave.

Nibble on a witty new picture book that’s sure to become a firm family favourite. Mariajo Illustrajo is a Spanish author-illustrator based in the UK, whose playful and endearing books Flooded, Lost, I Hate Love Books and Oh, Carrots! have won a score of prizes and nominations.

Join Mariajo as she unveils her new story – where the mice are living happily under the floorboards until, one day, their peace is disturbed by some unexpected guests… humans! Curious, the mice set out to investigate and they find weird and wonderful human objects – maybe these guests are not so bad after all? But then our intrepid mouse narrator finds himself caught in a jar…

Come and learn how to make willow stars using willow grown in Herefordshire on the farm where The Cart Shed Charity operates. Simple weaving techniques will be taught and all participants will take home a star they have made from this beautiful, sustainable material.

The Cart Shed supports young people aged 10–25 and adults of all ages experiencing poor emotional wellbeing. Creative activities and emotional support given by skilled practitioners and clinicians empower people to overcome challenges and live life well. On Friday 29 and Saturday 30 May they’ll be demonstrating some of the techniques they use, on the Festival site.

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 delivered in partnership with Meadow Arts, 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 Meadow Arts BorderLands exhibition.

Come along on a relaxed and engaging guided walk exploring around the edges of Hay-on-Wye and enjoying its beautiful rural setting. Guided by Sarah Price, a professional walking guide who lives in Hay and knows its landscape intimately, this gentle walk of around three miles leads you out of the town and into scenic fields, peaceful woodland and along the historic River Wye.

Sarah will share stories of Hay’s past and present, and there will be space for pause and reflection, as well as a good chance of spotting some local wildlife. This walk is ideal for Festival-goers looking to stretch their legs, enjoy the countryside and experience a deeper sense of place.

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. Got 2 Sing Choir perform uplifting songs from top of the charts to golden oldies, with plenty of fun and laughter.

Best known for taking on two of the biggest roles in UK politics – Home Secretary and Chancellor – Sajid Javid comes to Hay Festival to share the story of his personal and political life. Introducing his memoir The Colour of Home, Javid gives an insight into his young life as the son of Punjabi immigrants growing up in the 1970s, surrounded by poverty and racism, and how he rose from adversity to top jobs in government. From tales of run-ins with the police to discussing how he felt constantly caught between two cultures, this is a raw and honest conversation about personal resilience, and the chance to get to know the man behind the headlines. He talks to journalist and writer Aasmah Mir.

A provocative new story of contemporary immigration, hostility and politics. In A Better Life, divorced mother-of-three Gloria signs up to take in a migrant as a lodger. Most of the family welcomes the new arrival. But Gloria’s son, Nico – resenting having to move back into his childhood bedroom at the age of 26 – is more sceptical. He grows increasingly hostile to his mother’s altruism and the ‘migrant crisis’ in general.

Shriver is the award-winning author of We Need to Talk About Kevin and the National Book Award finalist for So Much for That. She talks to journalist Nicola Cutcher.

Ever thought about the story behind the story? From a fragment of an idea to a hard copy in your hands, the journey of an award-winning book can have as many twists and turns as the tale between the pages itself. In this special salon series, The British Book Awards (aka ‘The Nibbies’) bring you authors in conversation with members of their publishing teams, shining a light on the creative process behind the best-loved books.

Join The Bookseller’s Katie Fraser as she unpicks the publishing process with Natasha Bardon, publisher at HarperVoyager, and award-winning author Saara El-Arifi, whose 2026 novel Cleopatra reimagines the story of the iconic Egyptian queen.

We’re having a party to celebrate Pooh turning 100! Come and join us for this special Winnie-the-Pooh family show, hosted by Waterstones Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce, co-writer of the film Goodbye Christopher Robin.

We’ll enjoy readings from special guests including: actor and Winnie-the-Pooh fan Emma Thompson; How to Train Your Dragon author/illustrator Cressida Cowell; Wonka actor Paterson Joseph; and Jane Riordan, author of the Winnie-the-Pooh prequel and sequel story collections written in the style of AA Milne.

Ottoline and Goth Girl author/illustrator Chris Riddell, who was inspired by the illustrations of EH Shepard, will be live illustrating throughout. This is a heartwarming show for the whole family to celebrate all things Winnie-the-Pooh in his 100th year.