Hay Festival 2019 Programme

The gardening historian and travel writer embarks on extraordinary journeys through Italy, exploring the curious past and present of citrus fruit, uncovering the origins of the Mafia among Sicily’s lemon groves and meeting Orthodox Jewish citron merchants in Calabria.

Did Britain stumble blindly into two world wars? The war historian compares preparations for both conflicts and argues that the lessons learned from the First were crucial to survival in the Second.

An open workshop to challenge and engage. Hosted by the Welsh university achieving the greatest levels of student engagement and energy reduction as part of the NUS Wales Live Greener programme 2014. The winning university was Swansea University.

Join national arts movement What Next? and leading figures from politics, media and the arts to discuss the role of culture in society. From the books we read to the music on the radio, from the games on our smartphones to the scripts of our favourite soaps, the arts impact our lives on a daily basis – but how much do we realise it, and what can we do to protect it? Audience participation vital! Not for broadcast.

FREE BUT TICKETED

Join the Telegraph's Chess Correspondent and International Master Malcolm Pein and Chess trainer from Chess in Schools and Communities for a chess extravaganza especially for children who are either new to chess or have played before.

Sessions will include simultaneous exhibitions, Yes2Chess internet chess matches, and a giant outdoor chess set. 

6-15 years

duration 45 mins

Free but ticketed

The eldest daughter of Edward IV would have ruled England but for the fact that she was a woman. At seventeen she was relegated from pampered princess to bastard fugitive, but the probable murders of her brothers, the Princes in the Tower, left Elizabeth heiress to the royal House of York, and in 1486 Henry VII, first sovereign of the House of Tudor, married her, thus uniting the red and white roses of Lancaster and York. Chaired by Peter Florence.

The chief executive of Compassion in World Farming uncovers the trend towards global mega-farming that he says is threatening our countryside, farms and food. The horsemeat scandal demonstrates that we no longer know for certain what is entering the food chain. Chaired by Rosie Boycott.

On the eve of the opening night of Schoenberg’s masterpiece Moses und Aron in Cardiff, WNO Artistic Director David Pountney develops a discussion with the academic and broadcaster Mona Siddiqui about the opera’s central theme – the inadequacy of language when communicating the absolutely spiritual.

Part of the One World Many Faiths series of events on faith and culture presented by Welsh National Opera and the Maimonides Interfaith Foundation.

Join the Telegraph's Chess Correspondent and International Master Malcolm Pein and Chess trainer from Chess in Schools and Communities for a chess extravaganza especially for children who are either new to chess or have played before.

Sessions will include simultaneous exhibitions, Yes2Chess internet chess matches, and a giant outdoor chess set. 

6-15 years

duration 45 mins

Free but ticketed

The Great British Bake Off star introduces her delicious home-cooking recipe trove Mary Berry Cooks and discusses her autobiography Recipe for Life in conversation with Sarah Crompton.

How did an eleven-year-old Catholic trainee priest from St Helens grow up to become the North West of England’s answer to Lenny Bruce? From Dickens adaptations to Benidorm and Ideal to the PG Tips ads, Vegas has become one of Britain’s best-loved comic actors.

The award-winning Egyptologist tells a story of ancient gods, pharaohs, emperors, adventurers, archaeologists and historians whose fates were all entwined with the river. Chaired by Paul Greatbatch.

With an ever-tightening public purse, how do we prioritise international development aid? The Director of the World Development Movement and the new CEO of Concern Universal talk to Andy Fryers.

The astrophysicist, Queen guitarist and songwriter presents the astonishing results of his collaboration with Denis Pellerin and Paula Fleming with a sensational 3D screening of the C19th French visionary dioramas depicting life in a strange parallel universe called Enfer – Hell.

The Italian chef celebrates his love of the great kitchen staple, with an exquisite understanding of food history and culture. He offers recipes and tips for the simplest home supper and the most sophisticated feast. He talks to Helena Attlee.

The best-selling novelist launches her compelling thriller – an art historian investigates the secrets of her life that are entwined with a passionate Battle of Britain romance.

How does the larynx produce sound? How does it control the pitch of the voice? And how are the throat and mouth manipulated to alter vocal register and quality? The wonders of the human voice – from the lost sound of the castrato voice and the ethereal tones of Mongolian throat singers to Bryn Terfel shaking the rafters of St David’s Hall. With sound recordings, video clips, animations and images. 

The Basque Country in the early 1980s was a nation beset by conflict, its economy in ruins. Three decades later and it’s a nation at peace and second only to Luxembourg in Europe’s prosperity stakes. And all this with an equality index on a par with Scandinavia. Come and hear how they did it from the man who led the country from the opening of the Guggenheim to the eve of ETA’s lasting ceasefire. What are the lessons for other countries? You may be surprised… Chaired by Adam Price.