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Storymoja Nairobi 2013

Page  11 of 12
TalkChris Riddell

Event F61

Chris Riddell

A Mermaid’s Diary

–  Spring Stage
Read more

Join the much-loved author/illustrator of Ottoline and Goth Girl to dip a toe into the underwater secrets of his new fantasy adventure. In A Mermaid’s Diary, we meet shy mermaid Atalanta Scrimshaw, who lives a quiet life in the backwater of Sleepy Cove. But Atalanta must break out of her comfort zone when unscrupulous developers threaten to transform her home into a seaside golf resort.

The former Children’s Laureate will share insights into this tale full of his stunning illustration and signature allusive wit. Can Atalanta enlist her friends’ help to stop the development from destroying her home?

7+ years
Please bring your own sketchbook and pencils to this event.
Price: £9.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
TalkPaterson Joseph

Event F62

Paterson Joseph

Ten: Children Who Changed the World

–  Exchange Marquee
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Discover more about Black British history with actor and author Paterson Joseph, as he takes us back in time to meet ten inspiring, rebellious and brave children. Goddaughter to the Queen of England. Human rights activist. Librarian and author. Former slave… The ten were all born when slavery was still legal, but went on to change the world for the better, helping to secure their own freedom and the freedom of so many. Paterson will tell the stories of the ten aged ten, and answer the question: how did these inspirational people change the world?

Paterson is one of Britain’s best-loved actors (Vigil, Noughts & Crosses, Wonka, Peep Show) and author of award-winning historical novel The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho. Ten is his first book for children.

9+ years
Price: £9.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ActivityMake & Take Crafting

Event MT24

Make & Take Crafting

Saturday Afternoon Session

–  Make & Take Hub
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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.

3–11 years
Price: £7.50
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
PerformanceLove To Sing Choir

Event 351

Love To Sing Choir

Pop-up Music

–  Bookshop Garden Marquee
Read more

Enjoy this 20-minute open-air performance between events. Love To Sing, returning to Hay Festival following their upbeat performance in 2025, is a double gold award-winning, inclusive popular music choir based in Pembridge, Herefordshire. The choir promotes togetherness, fun, belonging and a shared passion for singing.

Free – drop in
TalkHugo Vickers talks to Alex von Tunzelmann

Event 352

Hugo Vickers talks to Alex von Tunzelmann

Queen Elizabeth II: A Personal History

–  Global Stage
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A major new portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II. Biographer and royal expert Hugo Vickers uses previously unseen sources and personal recollections to illuminate her life as never before. Join Vickers as he discusses the life of Queen Elizabeth II with author and historian Alex von Tunzelmann, from her childhood growing up in the shadow of the Blitz to her many years as the figurehead for our country. A brand-new perspective into one of the most significant figures in recent history.

Price: £18.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ConversationColm Tóibín talks to Toby Lichtig

Event 353

Colm Tóibín talks to Toby Lichtig

The News from Dublin: The Acclaimed Author’s New Novel

–  Discovery Stage
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An unmissable opportunity for literature lovers to hear from one of this generation’s most celebrated writers. Colm Tóibín talks about his new short story collection, The News from Dublin, with the Times Literary Supplement’s politics and fiction editor Toby Lichtig.

Transporting us across continents and eras, the collection captures the complexities of family dynamics, the pull of the past and the quiet revelations that define ordinary lives. Tóibín is author of many novels, including Long Island, an Oprah’s Book Club Pick, and Brooklyn, which won the Costa Book Award and was adapted for a BAFTA-winning film starring Saoirse Ronan.

Price: £16.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ConversationThe Climate Fiction Prize 2026: The Winner talks to Simon Savidge

Event 354

The Climate Fiction Prize 2026: The Winner talks to Simon Savidge

Narratives of Possibility in a Fast-changing World

–  Meadow Stage
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Be part of a powerful and inspiring discussion about dramatic climate stories that don’t just sound the alarm but help us imagine what it means to live, adapt and dream in a fast-changing world, driving us towards hope for the future.

Judge Simon Savidge welcomes the winner of the second Climate Fiction Prize to celebrate and examine why their novel has earned this prestigious award. Tracing climate fiction’s rapid emergence as one of the most vibrant and necessary spaces in contemporary storytelling, they’ll delve into the role fiction can play in helping us change climate futures by forging new cultural narratives. If creatives are the antennae of society, the winning novel and its themes tell us something profound about this moment in time.

Price: £15.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ConversationMaya Jordan talks to Richard Benson and Claire Malcolm

Event 355

Maya Jordan talks to Richard Benson and Claire Malcolm

The Working Class Library: Live Podcast

–  Exchange Marquee
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Experience a live recording of The Working Class Library, a podcast that explores and reclaims working class people’s contribution to literature. Join hosts Richard Benson, author of The Valley and editor of The Bee, and Claire Malcolm, CEO of New Writing North, in their quest to establish a new catalogue of working-class books that tell a different story to the established British literary traditions.

For this live edition of the podcast they will be joined by special guest, Mid Wales-based Maya Jordan, author of Chopsy: Resistance Tales of a Working Class Woman. Together they’ll discuss the Welsh classic Queen of the Rushes by writer Allen Raine, which celebrates its hundredth birthday this year.

The Working Class Library podcast is a venture of The Bee, a new magazine of writing by working class writers, published by New Writing North.

Price: £13.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ConversationBrin Pirathapan talks to Kitty Corrigan

Event 356

Brin Pirathapan talks to Kitty Corrigan

Matters of Taste: Elevate – Live Demonstration

–  Creative Hub
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MasterChef 2024 winner Brin Pirathapan blends British seasonal produce with tastes and techniques inspired by his Sri Lankan heritage, building flavour from the ground up in a live demo turning ordinary ingredients into something spectacular.

As the winner of “the best final in 20 years” according to judge John Torode, expect a more-than-entertaining afternoon where staple ingredients become meals packing some serious punch.

Pirathapan’s new cookbook, Elevate: Everyday Ingredients, Incredible Flavours is all about enriching the day to day. Think sticky pork rice bowls, warming curries, zingy salads and bold takes on classic desserts, with practical tips and pro techniques, so you can learn not just how to best cook a fish, but how to fillet it too. He talks to writer and editor Kitty Corrigan.

Price: £25.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ScreeningOslo, August 31st

Event 357

Oslo, August 31st

Book to Screen: Film Screening

–  MUBI Cinema
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A screening of Joachim Trier’s Cannes hit, a reworking of Louis Malle’s New Wave classic The Fire Within. This story of a young man’s fade-out is a triumph of sensitive insight and observation, a smart, sharp portrait that even finds within its heavy subject matter the chance for warmth.

Recovering drug addict Anders is given a day’s leave from his rehab center to apply for a job in the city. Over the course of one day and night, he tries to reconnect with his old friends and family in Oslo, where the ghosts of his past mistakes wrestle with the hope to see some future by morning.

Directed by Joachim Trier (2011). Film duration: 1 hour 35 minutes. Certificate 15.

15+ years
Price: £7.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
TalkCaryl Lewis

Event F63

Caryl Lewis

The Danger of Small Things

–  Spring Stage
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How can you use art to protest injustice and galvanise others to resist? Caryl Lewis has imagined some answers, in her suspenseful new YA novel about teens finding their voices in the darkest of times. Join Caryl as she discusses dystopia, destruction and defiance, and shares advice for young writers embarking on their own creative journey.

Caryl takes us into the near-future of The Danger of Small Things, a world where all the bees have died and young girls are taken to camps and made to pollinate by hand. Against this frighteningly real scenario, she explores how art and literature might yet save us.

14+ years
Price: £9.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ActivityThe Beefy Boys Pop-up Supper

Event 365

The Beefy Boys Pop-up Supper

A Masterclass and a BBQ Platter

–  Garden Kitchen
Read more

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!

Price: £55.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
PerformanceLove To Sing Choir

Event 358

Love To Sing Choir

Pop-up Music

–  Bookshop Garden Marquee
Read more

Enjoy this 20-minute open-air performance between events. Love To Sing, returning to Hay Festival following their upbeat performance in 2025, is a double gold award-winning, inclusive popular music choir based in Pembridge, Herefordshire. The choir promotes togetherness, fun, belonging and a shared passion for singing.

Free – drop in
ConversationMiriam Margolyes talks to Carys Eleri

Event 359

Miriam Margolyes talks to Carys Eleri

Barrel of Laughs: The Little Book of Miriam

–  Global Stage
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Join outspoken national treasure Miriam Margolyes for an unfiltered look at everything from arseholes and apostrophes to the Vagina Monologues and Zoom. She talks to Welsh actor, singer and writer Carys Eleri about The Little Book of Miriam, an A to Z guide to her irrepressible and unstoppable world. Expect nothing less than an afternoon of unbridled hilarity, extraordinary stories and profound wisdom from a life well lived.

Price: £22.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ConversationSathnam Sanghera talks to Aasmah Mir

Event 360

Sathnam Sanghera talks to Aasmah Mir

Tonight the Music Seems so Loud: The Life and Times of George Michael

–  Discovery Stage
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Spend an hour with British pop icon George Michael through the eyes of award-winning journalist and author Sathnam Sanghera, and be guided through the life, music and enduring legacy of one of Britain’s most loved recording artists. This is far more than a musical celebration – it’s a sharp, thoughtful exploration of fame, identity, sexuality, immigration, and belonging in Britain’s recent history.

Through personal reflections and cultural insight, Sanghera reveals why George Michael’s story continues to resonate a decade after his death, and with humour, heart, and fresh perspective, he illuminates the man behind the legend, and the society that shaped him. Sanghera talks to journalist and writer Aasmah Mir.

A must-attend Hay Festival conversation for fans, music lovers and anyone captivated by culture, identity and the art of storytelling.

Price: £18.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ConversationMasud Husain talks to Lucy Dallas

Event 361

Masud Husain talks to Lucy Dallas

Our Brains, Our Selves: What a Neurologist’s Patients Taught Him About the Brain

–  Meadow Stage
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What makes us who we are? Is it our background that creates our identities? Or our families, where we lived, how we were brought up and educated? The answer is all of the above, but more fundamental than any of these is our brain. Neurologist Masud Husain uses real-life examples of patients to show us how our brains create our identity and how that identity can be changed by brain dysfunction. Among his patients is a man who ran out of words, and a woman who stopped caring what others thought of her. Husain is professor of neurology and cognitive neuroscience at the University of Oxford and a practising clinician with over 30 years’ experience. He talks to TLS arts editor Lucy Dallas.

Price: £16.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ConversationGab Torr talks to Joelle Taylor

Event 362

Gab Torr talks to Joelle Taylor

Debut Discoveries: Hard Place

–  Spring Stage
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Meet Gab Torr, who discusses their debut novel with acclaimed poet Joelle Taylor. Hard Place is the story of Billy, whose new flatmates Sid and Rhoda are the kind of people who talk very seriously about taking accountability, adhering to the flat’s community guidelines and holding space for one another. Slowly Billy becomes enmeshed in their radical, vulnerable world, but as her past catches up with her, all must reckon with what they truly stand for.

Torr discusses writing about activism and queer experiences, and their writing journey so far. They are a 2021 London Writers Awardee, and their writing was longlisted for the 2023 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize.

Price: £12.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ConversationSophie Calon talks to Gwyneth Lewis

Event 363

Sophie Calon talks to Gwyneth Lewis

Long Going: A Daughter’s Memoir of a Dad Who Drank

–  Exchange Marquee
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The story of one man’s alcoholism and his daughter’s struggle to make sense of it. Journalist Sophie Calon watched as her father went from high-flying lawyer to homelessness in just four years. After pinballing between tents, homeless shelters and prison cells, he was found dead in Cardiff city centre aged just 55.

In her moving memoir Long Going, Calon tries to come to terms with her and her family’s grief, combining her narrative with letters and messages from her father, mother and siblings. Calon, who lives near Hay-on-Wye, speaks with searing honesty to poet and author Gwyneth Lewis.

Price: £15.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ActivityA Taste of Hay with Wild by Nature & Lucky Seven Brewery

Event 364

A Taste of Hay with Wild by Nature & Lucky Seven Brewery

Matters of Taste: Charcuterie & Beer Tasting

–  Creative Hub
Read more

Begin your evening at Hay Festival with some tasty artisan nibbles and drinks in this session showcasing two fantastic businesses local to Hay-on-Wye. Wild by Nature will guide you through a choice charcuterie board, while Lucky Seven Brewery samples some of their different styles of beer, explaining how these delicious products are made with sustainable farming techniques.

Wild by Nature practises regenerative farming in the Black Mountains. The idea for the business was born when Jake Townley and his brother-in-law Ed Dickson moved back to where they had grown up in the Welsh borders, with a shared desire to be closer to nature and to grow, cook and share the food from their farm.

Lucky Seven Brewery is an independent family brewery based in Hay-on-Wye, started in 2014 by Luke and Kelly Manifold. Brewing the beers that they love to drink, and exploring the flavours of different styles, they produce beers that highlight the quality of the ingredients.

Price: £25.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
PanelMaggie Aderin-Pocock, Simon Jenkins and Elif Shafak talk to Jeremy Bowen

Event 366

Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Simon Jenkins and Elif Shafak talk to Jeremy Bowen

Heard at Hay Festival

–  Global Stage
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Three brilliant speakers, all with something completely different to say. Enjoy the range and variety of Hay Festival packaged into one entertaining session. This evening, space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock says her destiny was always written in the stars, journalist Simon Jenkins asks whether America can survive Trump, and best-selling author Elif Shafak talks about the power of fiction to connect us all. Chaired by the BBC’s international editor, Jeremy Bowen.

Price: £20.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ConversationMaggie O’Farrell and Liza Marshall

Event 367

Maggie O’Farrell and Liza Marshall

Book to Screen: Hamnet – The Making of the Film

–  Discovery Stage
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How did a globally-celebrated novel become a multi-award-winning film? An extraordinary opportunity to go behind the scenes of Hamnet with author/screenwriter Maggie O’Farrell and producer and founder of Hera Pictures Liza Marshall to hear the secrets of creating one of the most acclaimed literary adaptations of recent times. O’Farrell takes you inside the process of translating her story to the screen, sharing the choices, challenges and discoveries that shaped the film. Marshall uncovers the collaborative magic that turned vision into reality. They’ll also talk tantalisingly about their next project together – based on O’Farrell’s new novel Land.

Price: £18.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ConversationEmma-Lee Moss (aka Emmy the Great) talks to Tiffany Murray

Event 368

Emma-Lee Moss (aka Emmy the Great) talks to Tiffany Murray

My Cantopop Nights: A Memoir

–  Meadow Stage
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Discover Cantopop in this story of pop music, identity crisis and Hong Kong with singer-songwriter Emma-Lee Moss, aka Emmy the Great. She talks to the author of My Family and Other Rock Stars, Tiffany Murray, about how, as an 11-year-old in Hong Kong in the summer of 1995, she discovered Cantopop (Cantonese pop music) and fell in love with it. But when her family moved to England and she suppressed her Hong Kong heritage, she suppressed her love for Cantopop too. Moss shares how rediscovering the music helped her rediscover her Hong Kong identity, and sings some of her favourite songs. Moss is a British-Chinese writer and musician who sings in English, Cantonese and Mandarin.

Price: £15.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ConversationMark Agnew and Mollie Hughes

Event 369

Mark Agnew and Mollie Hughes

Pushed to the Brink: Adventures in Resilience

–  Spring Stage
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Two daring, record-holding adventurers celebrate the human spirit and discuss staying resilient in the face of physical and mental crises.

Mark Agnew was part of the first team to ever kayak the north-west passage, spending 103 days in the Arctic, after two previous failed expeditions. Strained to the limit, he experienced a mental health crisis and almost abandoned the water forever. In his book There Will Be Headwinds, Agnew charts an inspirational journey from failure to world record breaker.

Mollie Hughes has explored some of the wildest environments on earth. Aged 29, she skied more than 700 miles across Antarctica, through storm-force winds and temperatures as low as minus 45 degrees Celsius. Drawing from her book Breathe, she uses her extreme experiences and psychological research to share lessons that can be applied to more everyday challenges.

Price: £16.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
TalkFred Mills

Event 370

Fred Mills

Mega Builds: Ten Colossal Construction Projects That Will Change Our World

–  Exchange Marquee
Read more

YouTube sensation Fred Mills takes us on a journey through the most important industry in the world: construction. From the homes we wake up in to the transport infrastructure we use and the hospitals we rely on, construction has an impact on us all.

Mills, who founded the largest and most subscribed-to construction channel in the world with over 3.9 million subscribers on YouTube, charts the story of 10 mega projects reshaping our modern world in his book Mega Builds. This is an entertaining and fascinating front row seat to amazing feats of engineering, showing what will inform the future of the man-made world.

Price: £16.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ActivityA Taste of Hay with Wild by Nature & Lucky Seven Brewery

Event 371

A Taste of Hay with Wild by Nature & Lucky Seven Brewery

Matters of Taste: Charcuterie & Beer Tasting

–  Creative Hub
Read more

Begin your evening at Hay Festival with some tasty artisan nibbles and drinks in this session showcasing two fantastic businesses local to Hay-on-Wye. Wild by Nature will guide you through a choice charcuterie board, while Lucky Seven Brewery samples some of their different styles of beer, explaining how these delicious products are made with sustainable farming techniques.

Wild by Nature practises regenerative farming in the Black Mountains. The idea for the business was born when Jake Townley and his brother-in-law Ed Dickson moved back to where they had grown up in the Welsh borders, with a shared desire to be closer to nature and to grow, cook and share the food from their farm.

Lucky Seven Brewery is an independent family brewery based in Hay-on-Wye, started in 2014 by Luke and Kelly Manifold. Brewing the beers that they love to drink, and exploring the flavours of different styles, they produce beers that highlight the quality of the ingredients.

Price: £25.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ScreeningOrlando

Event 372

Orlando

Book to Screen: Film Screening

–  MUBI Cinema
Read more

A screening of Sally Potter’s fearless adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s supposedly unfilmable book – Orlando was nine years in the making. This restlessly rule-bending, gender fluid, time-travelling epic – starring a dazzling Tilda Swinton on typically shape-shifting form – remains an unmatched feat of queer filmmaking.

Young aristocrat Orlando begins a quest for love and freedom in the court of Elizabeth I as a man. He is granted favours and property by the queen who commands the nobleman to never change. Orlando completes the search 400 years later as a woman, shaking off their biological and cultural destiny.

Directed by Sally Potter (1992). Film duration: 1 hour 33 minutes. Certificate PG.

Price: £7.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ActivityThe Beefy Boys Pop-up Supper

Event 378

The Beefy Boys Pop-up Supper

A Masterclass and a BBQ Platter

–  Garden Kitchen
Read more

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!

Price: £55.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
PerformanceMichael McIntyre

Event 373

Michael McIntyre

Stand-up Comedy

–  Global Stage
Read more

Fresh from his tour, Macnificent, where he sold over 800,000 tickets worldwide, Michael McIntyre plays Hay Festival, performing some greatest hits and new bits. An exceptional opportunity to see McIntyre in an intimate venue in one of only a few shows he’ll perform in 2026.

Sold out
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ScreeningMichael McIntyre: SOLD OUT ON STAGE – NOW LIVE ON SCREEN

Event 374

Michael McIntyre: SOLD OUT ON STAGE – NOW LIVE ON SCREEN

Stand-up Comedy

–  Discovery Stage
Read more

Due to overwhelming demand, tickets for Michael McIntyre’s live show have completely sold out. But we’ve created one more way to be part of the moment. Join us for a live screening of the event, streamed directly from the main stage to an additional Festival venue. You’ll enjoy the show in real time, surrounded by fellow Festival-goers, sharing the laughter as it unfolds.

Fresh from his tour, Macnificent, where he sold over 800,000 tickets worldwide, Michael McIntyre plays Hay Festival, performing some greatest hits and new bits.

Price: £15.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ConversationJason Burke talks to Oliver Bullough

Event 375

Jason Burke talks to Oliver Bullough

The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970s

–  Spring Stage
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An immersive and jaw-dropping look at a network of radical extremists who terrorised the West in the 1970s with intricately-planned plane hijackings and hostage-takings. Jason Burke, the Guardian’s international security correspondent, talks to investigative journalist Oliver Bullough about figures including Leila Khaled, with her jewellery made from grenade rings, the hard-drinking Carlos the Jackal, in shades and designer suits, and the radical leftists of the Baader-Meinhof Gang.

Burke has been a foreign correspondent for almost 30 years. His book The Revolutionists draws on decades of research and previously classified documents, as well as original interviews with hijackers, spies and more. He takes us into the world of the book, and the people he met while writing it, and assesses a seismic decade that transformed the modern world.

Price: £16.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ConversationNigel Planer talks to Toby Lichtig

Event 376

Nigel Planer talks to Toby Lichtig

Barrel of Laughs: Young Once – A Life Less Heavy

–  Exchange Marquee
Read more

Comedian and actor Nigel Planer offers a wildly entertaining and gloriously sideways glimpse into a remarkable life and work. Planer’s varied career includes creating characters such as Neil the Hippy from the iconic 1980s programme The Young Ones, appearing in shows including Blackadder, voicing Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books, and writing over 100 episodes of The Magic Roundabout.

Drawing on his memoir Young Once, Planer shares stories from his life in conversation with Toby Lichtig, fiction and politics editor at The TLS. From receiving éclair related injuries to being bullied into BandAid by Bob Geldof, and gatecrashing a rave with Robin Williams, he explains why you should never give up on looking for your Happy Ever After.

Price: £16.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ActivityTom Gilbey talks to Tiffany Murray

Event 377

Tom Gilbey talks to Tiffany Murray

Matters of Taste: Thirsty – 100 Great Wines and Stories

–  Creative Hub
Read more

Sip a glass of wine as you listen while Tom Gilbey lays out the joy, hilarity and humanity of the drink. Gilbey’s family were the first Brits to buy a Bordeaux Chateau in 1875, while Gilbey himself ran the London marathon while blind tasting 25 wines.

He talks to author Tiffany Murray about the wine minefield – the rules, the swirling, sniffing, old-world-new-world debate. Let the internet’s most charismatic wine expert show you how to choose and talk about wine, without sounding pretentious.

Price: £25.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
PerformanceKaren McCarthy Woolf, Scott McKendry, clare e potter and Roseanne Watt with Kathryn Williams

Event 379

Karen McCarthy Woolf, Scott McKendry, clare e potter and Roseanne Watt with Kathryn Williams

The Clearing

–  St Mary’s Church
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Join this year’s four Royal Society of Literature Jerwood Poets for a première of new collaborations co-conceived with musician Kathryn Williams. The four poets – Karen McCarthy Woolf (England), Scott McKendry (Ireland), clare e potter (Wales) and Roseanne Watt (Scotland) – have produced works which recover myths from each corner of the British Isles.

McCarthy Woolf’s verse novel Top Doll was a Guardian Book of the Year and shortlisted for the TS Eliot and Jhalak Prizes. McKendry’s poems have appeared in the Poetry Review, Stinging Fly and more. In 2024 he was chosen by Paul Muldoon as Ireland Chair of Poetry’s Poet of Promise. Potter is a poetry therapy practice trainee, has translated for the National Poet of Wales, and was a Hay Festival Writer at Work. Watt is a writer and filmmaker from Shetland. Kathryn Williams is a singer-songwriter with 17 albums under her belt, and has been nominated for the Mercury music prize, among others.

Price: £16.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
PerformanceLlareggub Brass Band

Event 380

Llareggub Brass Band

In Concert

–  Meadow Stage
Read more

Round off your evening with a fresh and lively dollop of funky brass music, invoking eclectic styles from New Orleans marching bands through to Bronx-inspired Hip Hop and closer-to-home Welsh language pop music.

Paying their debt to the age-old tradition of brass bands from the slate mining villages of North Wales, Llareggub Brass Band rise from the ashes of the past to deliver an energetic performance and enough hwyl to get you dancing!

Formed by band leader Owain Roberts in 2015, the band has released several studio albums and EPs. They have toured internationally, and won a BAFTA Cymru award for their documentary Cyrn ar y Mississippi (‘Horns on the Mississippi’).

Price: £20.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
Hay Castle eventDirector’s Breakfast Tour of Hay Castle

Event HC33

Director’s Breakfast Tour of Hay Castle

Battles, Borders, Books – and Breakfast

–  Hay Castle
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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.

Price: £20.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
PanelEdward Stourton and Guests talk to Bronwen Maddox

Event 381

Edward Stourton and Guests talk to Bronwen Maddox

America 250: We Need to Talk About Trump

–  Global Stage
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Armed ICE agents on America’s streets, an apparent contempt for the rule of law – just how far has President Trump strayed from the principles enshrined in the Declaration of Independence? 250 years ago, it promised equality and freedom for all and put these rights under the government’s protection. Broadcaster and author of Made in America Edward Stourton argues many of Trump’s policies are deeply rooted in American history. He and other guests talk to Bronwen Maddox, director of think tank Chatham House, about how the US got here and what we do about it.
Price: £20.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ConversationRabih Alameddine and Elif Shafak talk to Daniel Hahn

Event 382

Rabih Alameddine and Elif Shafak talk to Daniel Hahn

Voices That Will Not Be Silenced

–  Discovery Stage
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How writers can give a voice to those who need it. Two authors talk about why they weave themes of gender, violence, identity, social justice and human rights into their work. Lebanese author Rabih Alameddine and British-Turkish novelist Elif Shafak talk to writer and translator Daniel Hahn about the importance of creating stories that give a platform to silenced voices.

Alameddine’s 2025 National Book Award-winning The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) is a darkly comic family saga celebrating love across six decades, through the unbreakable attachment of a son and his mother. Shafak’s latest novel, There Are Rivers in the Sky, connects the lives of three strangers across time and space through the everlasting influence of two rivers, the Tigris and the Thames.

Price: £16.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ConversationDiarmaid MacCulloch talks to Francine Stock

Event 383

Diarmaid MacCulloch talks to Francine Stock

Lower than the Angels: A History of Sex and Christianity

–  Meadow Stage
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In a single lifetime, Christianity has witnessed one of the most extraordinary about-turns in attitudes to sex and gender in human history, bringing liberation for some and fury and fear for others. Oxford University professor Diarmaid MacCulloch places recent changes into the 2,000-year-long tale of Christians trying to make sense of sexual desire. MacCulloch is author of the award-winning A History of Christianity, adapted into a six-part BBC television series. He talks to broadcaster Francine Stock.

Price: £15.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
PerformanceThe TLS Podcast Live

Event 384

The TLS Podcast Live

With Alex Clark

–  Exchange Marquee
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Join writers and editors of the Times Literary Supplement along with special guests for a live recording of their weekly podcast on books and culture.

Free – drop in
WorkshopCharacter and Story Writing Workshop

Event 385

Character and Story Writing Workshop

With Alexandra Pringle, Alex von Tunzelmann and Faiza S Khan of Silk Road Slippers

–  Creative Hub
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Come and join three editing and publishing experts for an unmatched opportunity to refine your creative writing ideas. Silk Road Slippers writing courses are for writers of all levels, and have been described by the Financial Times as “a revelation”.

You’ll complete a short writing exercise, then share your work for immediate constructive feedback. The Silk Road Slippers team – publishing legend and former Bloomsbury editor-in-chief Alexandra Pringle, best-selling author and historian Alex von Tunzelmann and editorial consultant Faiza Khan – will address style, substance and storytelling. This intensive yet welcoming environment will help you take your creative skills to the next level.

Price: £70.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ScreeningShort Film Screenings

Event 386

Short Film Screenings

–  MUBI Cinema
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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.

Free – drop in
WorkshopMagical World of Tea: Sip, Savour & Blend

Event 387

Magical World of Tea: Sip, Savour & Blend

Hay Festival 2026 x Bird & Blend Tea Co.

–  Garden Kitchen
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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!

Price: £25.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ActivityWayfaring Walk 19: The Local Landscape

Event 388

Wayfaring Walk 19: The Local Landscape

With Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Guides

–  Meeting Point on Festival Site
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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.

Please wear appropriate footwear and outdoor gear. Walk level: moderate.
Price: £20.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
PerformanceAbout Face Theatre Company

Event F64

About Face Theatre Company

Just Visiting

–  Spring Stage
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Just Visiting is a heartening and humorous piece of theatre, woven from real memories and explored through storytelling and puppetry. A gentle dance through grief to discover joy and meaning.

About Face is a professional learning disability theatre company based in Herefordshire, which has developed a reputation for highly creative, unusual, and thought-provoking work. Created from the actors’ own stories, this show captures grief from many angles; personal yet universal, poignant and funny. Audiences are invited to laugh, cry and connect with the most human experience which unites all of us.

12+ years
Price: £10.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ActivityMake & Take Crafting

Event MT25

Make & Take Crafting

Sunday Morning Session

–  Make & Take Hub
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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.

3–11 years
Price: £7.50
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
Hay Castle eventBorderLands Exhibition & Hay Castle Entry

Event HC34

BorderLands Exhibition & Hay Castle Entry

–  Hay Castle
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Step inside Hay Castle – a border stronghold shaped by myth, power and reinvention. Visit the current BorderLands exhibition 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 BorderLands exhibition.

Price: £7.50
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
ActivityGuided Wellbeing Walk for Creative Women

Event 389

Guided Wellbeing Walk for Creative Women

With Sarah Price and Elizabeth Simpson

–  Meeting Point on Festival Site
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Join professional walking guide Sarah Price and Elizabeth Simpson of Elizabeth Simpson Coaching for a guided circular walk through the stunning surroundings of Hay-on-Wye. Designed for creatives and anyone seeking fresh thinking, this walk will help you step out of the ordinary and into inspiration.

Along the route, Elizabeth will introduce nature-based coaching exercises to enhance creativity and problem-solving. You’ll set an intention for the walk, engage in sensory awareness practices and use simple breathwork techniques to unlock clarity. Through mindful observation and interactive exercises, you’ll explore new perspectives on a creative challenge or personal goal. By the end of the walk, you’ll have shifted your mindset, released limiting thoughts and gained fresh insights – whether you’re working on a book, facing a decision or simply seeking renewed energy.

Please wear appropriate footwear and outdoor gear. Walk level: easy.
Price: £20.00
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
Hay Castle eventGuided Tour of Hay Castle & Hay Castle Entry

Event HC35

Guided Tour of Hay Castle & Hay Castle Entry

Explore Hay Castle with a Tour Guide

–  Hay Castle
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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.

Price: £12.50
Booking fees are calculated at 5% per order, with a minimum charge of £3.50 and capped at a maximum of £10.
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