Hay Festival has announced the free Schools Programme to open its flagship spring edition in Hay-on-Wye, which takes place 21–31 May 2026.
The Schools Programme brings young people up close to award-winning writers, inspiring creatives and influential thinkers for a series of free, interactive events in person and online with support from the Moondance Foundation, Rothschild Foundation and Old Possum’s Practical Trust.
Teachers and parents can browse the programme now at hayfestival.org/schools with booking open from 9am GMT on Wednesday 25 February 2026.
KS1 events on Thursday 21 May – a new pilot initiative for 2026 – feature Children’s Laureate Wales Nicola Davies with poet and writer Joseph Coelho.
KS2 events on Thursday 21 May feature Bardd Plant Cymru Siôn Tomos Owen; writers Katherine Rundell, Emma Carroll, Lee Newbery, Maz Evans, Jeffrey Boakye, C M Lewis and Athena Kugblenu; poet Joseph Coelho; and rap star MC Grammar.
KS3/4 events on Friday 22 May feature writers Matt Goodfellow, Yassmin Abdel-Magied, Patience Agbabi, Sarah Crossan, Manjeet Mann, Melanie Owen, Nathaneal Lessore, Bernardine Evaristo, Curtis Jobling, and Iszi Lawrence.
For those who can’t access the free events in person, sessions will also be streamed free online, with closed captioning available in English at hayfestival.org/schools, and available free after the event on Hay Festival Anytime at hayfestival.org/anytime.
Over the past year,18,688 people have benefited from free Hay Festival events around the world with 6,725 pupils attending last year’s free events in Hay-on-Wye alone.
Julie Finch, Hay Festival CEO, said:
“As a charity we exist to offer accessible platforms of cultural exchange. In the UK’s National Year of Reading, our free Schools Programme offers an open door to the world for young people across the UK. Ahead of our main programme launch next month, we are delighted to announce these 22 dynamic sessions offering a world of different ideas and experiences in person and online. Join us!”
Clare Reihill, The Old Possum’s Practical Trust Grants Trustee, said:
“Hay Festival consistently leads the way in breaking down the boundaries between writer and reader. The free schools programme at Hay Festival each spring does exactly this for children, who get to meet and interact with writers, as well as listening to them read their work live. Discovering that writers aren’t remote figures one only sees on dust-jackets and TV, but actual human beings, is a great experience for young readers – and nothing benefits literature more than young readers being encouraged in their love of books and authors. Old Possum’s Practical Trust are absolutely delighted to support Hay Festival in this initiative.”
Hay Festival, one of the world’s leading cultural charities, was founded in Hay-on-Wye, Wales in 1987, providing audiences with dynamic platforms to come together to share ideas and different perspectives, provoking conversations that can create a better world. Working collaboratively with partners and communities across the world, the charity is a catalyst for change, whose bold, inclusive, imaginative approach makes a significant difference to people’s lives.
Forty-five earlybird events are out now for Hay Festival 2026, the charity’s flagship edition, teasing the full programme to come Monday 9 March.
Artist statements
“I’m delighted (and excited) to be returning to Hay Festival this year to take part in the 2026 schools programme. Right now, encouraging children and young people to read widely is more important than ever and it really is a privilege to be back at the festival celebrating stories and literature. As an author, educator and father, I know first-hand how books have the power to transform lives. My session will definitely be part of this wider mission, inviting schools to dive into a world of adventure, time travel back to the 1990s, and explore music and fun with Kofi and his friends.”
– Jeffrey Boakye
“I’m utterly delighted to be returning to the Hay Festival this coming May to talk about all my work as an author, illustrator and animation creator. We'll delve into my EMMY-nominated Netflix show, WOLF KING, visit my chilling folk horror, WYRDWOOD, and introduce audiences to my latest historical fantasy novel, VAMPIRE EMPIRE: RED TIDE, where a trio of unlikely teens are caught up in a war between vengeful gods and undead vikings. This talk is sure to be a bawdy, bloody riot!”
– Curtis Jobling
“I am so thrilled to be invited back to Hay Festival - it’s always the bookish highlight of my year. And during the National Year of Reading, it seems more timely than ever to connect young readers with stories that they will love.”
– Lee Newbery
“Saying yes to one of the biggest summer literature festivals was the easiest decision I could ever make. Anywhere that there are children and young people excited about books is a lovely place to be. And I'm secretly hoping Dame Judi Dench will be there again this year.”
– Nathanael Lessore
“I’m really excited to be coming back to the Hay Festival Schools Programme. I’ve taken part before and it was a genuinely brilliant experience. These sessions can have a real impact on students, and it’s a privilege to be part of a programme that connects young people so directly with writers, ideas and creative thinking.”
– Manjeet Mann
“Hay Festival is where stories quite literally leap off the page. What better way to inspire young minds in 2026, the National Year of Reading?”
– Emma Carroll
“Visiting schools is always brilliant, but Hay Festival takes it to a new level – providing authors like me the wonderful opportunity to connect with hundreds of students from a variety of schools from all across the UK. The students are always so engaged, full of insightful (and sometimes hilarious) questions… And every author knows you have the chance to change the life of a young person that day, in that tent. What better way to encourage a love of reading? I cannot wait to share Silverbrook!”
– Yassmin Abdel-Magied