An inspiring mix of writers and thinkers will take to the stage for Hay Festival’s first Birmingham event next month, including poet Bradley Taylor, entrepreneur Margaret Heffernan, journalist Helen Lewis, and science writer Adam Rutherford.
Taking place at The Old Rep Theatre in Birmingham on Thursday 24 July 2025, 7.30pm, ‘Hay Festival After Hours: Birmingham' promises a night of big ideas, performances, provocations and new thinking with a surprise line-up of emerging and established artists.
This is a chance to experience all the excitement of the world-famous Festival in one magical evening, a space where art forms collide and great minds meet.
Birmingham’s Bradley Taylor, winner of the 2024 Roundhouse Poetry Slam, will open the event with new poetry; followed by Margaret Heffernan on her new book Embracing Uncertainty: How Writers, Musicians and Artists Thrive in an Unpredictable World; and Helen Lewis on The Genius Myth: The Dangerous Allure of Rebels, Monsters and Rule-Breakers, in conversation with Adam Rutherford.
Tickets are on sale here and via oldrep.co.uk.
Founded in Hay-on-Wye, Wales in 1987, Hay Festival provides audiences with dynamic platforms to come together to share ideas, different perspectives and to provoke conversations that can create a better world.
Hay Festival Global CEO Julie Finch said:
“As we make our Birmingham debut, we are delighted to be welcoming this quartet of inspiring artists for some important conversations and provocations. As a charity, we believe culture is for everyone and work to create accessible platforms of free exchange all around the world. Our first Birmingham event opens a new chapter for us. It’s going to be a night to remember. See you there!”
The Old Rep Theatre Manager James Booth said:
“We’re very excited to welcome the world-renowned Hay Festival to The Old Rep Theatre. As a theatre with over 100 years of history within the cultural landscape of Birmingham, we're keen to support the benefits that literature and the arts can bring to the people of the Midlands. Hay Festival: After Hours is sure to be a lively and eclectic mix of speakers, perfect for all local lovers of story-telling magic.”
Hay Festival After Hours events take place thanks to the support of the Unwin Charitable Trust. Additional 2025 events will be announced later in the year.
Artist bios
Bradley Taylor is an award-winning performance poet born and based in Birmingham. In 2024 he won the Roundhouse Poetry Slam, the night of which was the biggest poetry slam in history, and in 2025 he releases his debut collection You Missed The Best Part with Verve Poetry Press. Bradley is also the co-host of The Big Gay Poetry Night alongside ML Walsh, which has featured poets such as Joelle Taylor, Kandace Siobhan Walker and Sanah Ahsan.
Margaret Heffernan is an entrepreneur, a CEO, and an author. She was named one of the Internet’s Top 100 by Silicon Alley Reporter in 1999, one of the Top 25 by Streaming Media magazine and one of the Top 100 Media Executives by The Hollywood Reporter. She is the author of several books including Wilful Blindness, which was shortlisted for the Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Best Business Book award. Her TED talks have been seen by over six million people.
Helen Lewis is a staff writer at The Atlantic. Her first book, Difficult Women: A History of Feminism in 11 Fights, was a Sunday Times bestseller and a Guardian, Telegraph and Financial Times book of the year. She is the writer and presenter of the BBC podcast series The New Gurus and Helen Lewis Has Left the Chat, and co-host of Radio 4’s Kafka vs Orwell and Strong Message Here.
Adam Rutherford is a science writer and broadcaster. Before his career in science journalism, he was an active researcher. He has a PhD in Genetics, a degree in evolutionary biology, is an honorary Research Fellow at University College London, and a former Editor at the journal Nature. He is the presenter of BBC Radio 4’s flagship science programme, Inside Scienceand many documentaries. His books include Creation – on the origin and future of life – and A Brief History of Everyone who Ever Lived: The Stories in our Genes.
Find out more and book tickets here.