Headliners include actors Emma Thompson, Miriam Margolyes, Ashley Walters, Hugh Bonneville; activists Malala Yousafzai, Gisèle Pelicot, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe; writers Ian McEwan, Maggie O'Farrell, Ruth Ozeki, Samantha Harvey, Ocean Vuong, Val McDermid, Colm Tóibín, Fredrik Backman, Cressida Cowell, Tayari Jones, Douglas Stuart, Elizabeth Day, Elizabeth Strout, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Matt Haig, Siri Hustvedt; policy experts David Miliband, Nicola Sturgeon, Louise Casey; comedians Dawn French, Michael McIntyre, Sara Pascoe, Tim Minchin, Sandi Toksvig, Tom Allen, Greg Davies, Alan Davies, Paul Merton, Suki Webster; musicians Gwenno, Skin, Aled Jones and Manic Street Preachers; historians Alice Roberts, David Olusoga, Serhii Plokhy, Simon Schama; adventurer Bear Grylls; artist Charlie Mackesy; 'Uncanny' host Danny Robins; director Emerald Fennell; broadcasters Ian Hislop, Jamie Laing, Jeremy Bowen; poets Kae Tempest, Michael Rosen, MC Grammar; chefs Mary Berry, Prue Leith; psychologist Philippa Perry; lexicographer Susie Dent; computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee, and more.
Hay Festival has unveiled the full programme for its 39th spring edition in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, with more than 500 events over 11 days, 21–31 May 2026.
Tickets are on sale now to Hay Festival Membership+, Patrons and Benefactors at hayfestival.org/hay-on-wye. Priority booking starts at noon Wednesday 11 March before general booking opens Saturday 14 March.
Hay Festival Global CEO Julie Finch said:
“Hay Festival 2026 will open minds to exploring the world through great writers, performers, experts, and the next generation of artists and activists offering us creative inspiration and hope for a better future. As the UK Government’s National Year of Reading invites the country to Go All In for books, our tents are open to all, spaces where everyone is welcome to exchange ideas and inspiration. See you there!”
A series of new initiatives and fresh programming strands feature across the programme:
· My Life in Books events see celebrities open their personal libraries
· Heard at Hay Festival panels spark thought-provoking debates
· America 250 conversations reflect on the changing face of a nation
· The Pleasure List campaign celebrates the joys of reading
· New genre days spotlight bestselling fiction
· Barrel of Laughs sessions spotlight funny people with new books
· Book to Screen events showcase adaptations in The MUBI Cinema
· Debut Discoveries series spotlights new writing talent
· The Platform elevates new creatives
· Matters of Taste demos take food from page to stage
· Creative Industry Insights sessions engage budding young creatives
· South to North Conversations explore international perspectives
Alongside the best new fiction and non-fiction, our changing world is drawn into focus with commentary from leading politicians, economists, historians and scientists, while journalists and commentators will reflect on the UK’s recent local elections.
Nights at the Festival are given over to great music, comedy and entertainment with a renewed focus on innovative, immersive event experiences, while a host of free pop-up activities and performances will delight audiences between sessions.
Free to enter, the Festival’s Dairy Meadows site in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park will also offer a range of spaces for audiences to explore and enjoy between events, including the Bookshop, BBC Marquee, Wild Garden, Make & Take Tent, a host of exhibitors and market stalls, cafés, and the Family Garden.
PROGRAMME OVERVIEW
Ground-breaking fiction
Leading novelists share new work including Ian McEwan (What We Can Know), Ocean Vuong (The Emperor of Gladness), Helen Oyeyemi (A New New Me), Maggie O’Farrell (Land), Fredrik Backman (My Friends), Colm Tóibín (The News from Dublin), Ali Smith (Glyph), Sarah Moss (Ripeness), Sarah Hall (Helm), Matt Haig (The Midnight Train), Douglas Stuart(John of John), Ruth Ozeki (The Typing Lady), Dawn French (Enough), Richard Armitage (The Cut), Elizabeth Day (One of Us), Lionel Shriver (A Better Life), Samantha Harvey (Orbital), Tayari Jones (Kin), John Lanchester (Look What you Made me Do), Yvette Edwards (Good, Good Living), Brenda Navarro (Eating Ashes), Santanu Bhattacharya (Deviants), Kiran Millwood Hargrave (Almost Love), Jenny Fagan (The Delusions), Irvine Welsh (Men in Love), Mónica Ojeda (Electric Shamans at the Festival of the Sun), Renato Cisneros (The Distance Between Us), Claire Fuller (Hunger and Thirst), Elizabeth Strout (The Things We Never Say), Liz Nugent (The Truth About Ruby Cooper), Ardal O’Hanlon (A Plot to Die For), Ben Okri (Waking the Warriors) and Ruth Jones (By Your Side).
Writers and performers step into a new world of fiction with debut novels from psychotherapist Philippa Perry (Shrink Solves Crime), poet Kae Tempest (Having Spent Life Seeking), comedy superstar Tom Allen (Common Decency), broadcaster Clare Balding (Pastures New), broadcaster and historian Tony Robinson (The House of Wolf).
The classics come to life with ‘rockstar mythologist’ Natalie Haynes and her No Friend to This House one woman show, inspired by her feminist retelling of the Greek myths; Daniel Mendelsohn shares his new translation of The Odyssey; and writers Charlotte Cross and Mairi Kidd share their feminist retellings of Dracula and Frankenstein.
Exclusive conversations celebrate the soon-to-be-announced winners of the Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize, International Booker Prize and the Climate Fiction Prize; while the Literary Pairs series, supported by the British Council, continues to spark unique exchanges as author Selma Dabbagh talks to poet, author and translator Elisa Díaz Castelo, Colombian writer Cristina Bendek talks to British author Shon Faye, and Lebanese author Rabih Alameddine joins British-Turkish novelist Elif Shafak on the importance of creating stories that give a platform to silenced voices.
Major literary anniversaries are celebrated: writer Richard Coles joins historian Sarah Churchwell and classicist Natalie Haynes to mark the 50th anniversary of Agatha Christie’s death; novelist Barbara Erskine marks 40 years of her bestseller, Lady of Hay; biographer Sara Wheeler marks 100 years since the birth of Welsh writer Jan Morris; and authors Vaseem Khan and Kim Sherwood discuss expanding the world of 007.
Editor of the new magazine Equator Pankaj Mishra convenes a panel of leading novelists – Hisham Matar, Kiran Desai andKamila Shamsie – to explore the challenges and opportunities of representing a complex world and global identities in fiction.
In the UK’s National Year of Reading, Hay Festival’s The Pleasure List campaign spotlights the joys of reading by crowdsourcing public recommendations for the ultimate reading pile. The One Show’s Alex Jones discusses the project live on stage with writers from across the Festival programme adding their top picks, while authors Ana Kinsella and Maria Semple discuss the best summer reads.
Debut Discoveries
On each day of the Festival a spotlight is dedicated to the best debut fiction, showcasing a selection of future award-winners alongside established authors, supported by the Hawthornden Foundation:
· Astrid Goldsmith (The Crystal Vase) talks to Neill Cameron
· Daniyal Mueenuddin (This is Where the Serpent Lives) talks to Sathnam Sanghera
· Eden McKenzie-Goddard (Smallie) talks to Kamila Shamsie
· Frances Crawford (A Bad, Bad Place) talks to Val McDermid
· Gab Torr (Hard Place) talks to Joelle Taylor
· Grace Murray (Blank Canvas) talks to Len Pennie
· Liam Higginson (The Hill in the Dark Grove) talks to Claire Fuller
· Stephanie Sy-Quia (A Private Man) talks to Sarah Moss
· Tanya Sweeney (Esther is Now Following You) talks to Liz Nugent
· YM Abdel-Magied (At Sea) talks to Jack Edwards
Genre takeovers
Spotlight days throughout the Festival celebrate the most popular fiction genres: Crime Day on Tuesday 26 May leads with bestselling crime writer Val McDermid who joins author Fflur Dafydd to introduce her latest book, Silent Bones; Graphic Novel Day on Wednesday 27 May is led by cartoonist Neill Cameron and a spectacular Phoenix Comic Book Draw-Off; Arts Day on Thursday 28 May is led by art historian Daisy Fancourt on The Art Cure; and Fantasy Day on Friday 29 May is led by Samantha Shannon (The Bone Season) and Saara El-Arifi (Faebound) on the power of otherworldly fiction, plus a special Romantasy spotlight featuring writers Imani Erriu (Fallen Stars), Hazel McBride (A Queen Crowned in Flames) and Rachel Winterbottom, publishing director for bespoke romantasy imprint, Wayward TxF.
Poetry, wordplay and the power of oracy
Leading poets share new work and old favourites, including Tishani Doshi (Egrets, While War), Len Pennie (poyums annaw), Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch (Milk Wood Memoir) and Joelle Taylor (Maryville), while four Royal Society of Literature Jerwood Poets première new collaborations co-conceived with musician Kathryn Williams – Karen McCarthy Woolf, Scott McKendry, clare e potter and Roseanne Watt – recovering myths from each corner of the British Isles.
Gala events see performers bring the spoken word to life: Michael Rosen offers a night of hope; The Poetry Pharmacy founder William Sieghart returns with Denise Gough, Natascha McElhone and Danny Sapani; WritersMosaic present an afternoon of poetry, film and Iranian music with writer and translator Shara Atashi, poet and author Sana Nassari, and poet and performer Marjorie Lotfi; and poet Nha Thuyên showcases an artistic exploration of two rivers – the Red River, which runs through Vietnam, and the River Wye, which runs through Wales – alongside poetry duo MontenegroFisher.
The joys of language take centre-stage with lexicographer Susie Dent on Words for Life; translator Daniel Hahn shares If This Be Magic: The Unlikely Art of Shakespeare in Translation; and World Poetry Slam Champion Harry Baker offers 100 Poems for the First 100 Days of Life.
Hay Festival backs the power of oracy – speaking aloud – in partnership with charity Poetry by Heart delivering a special spoken word gala, led by BBC broadcaster Amol Rajan with actors Emma Thompson, Larry Lamb, and Paterson Joseph, plus pupils from local schools.
My Life in Books
Public figures open their personal libraries in new My Life in Books events with headline conversations featuring actor Emma Thompson with writer and podcaster Elizabeth Day; chef, writer, and businesswoman Prue Leith with journalist Steve Jones; actor Hugh Bonneville; journalist Michael Buerk with fellow broadcaster Julie Etchingham; Have I Got News For You team captain and Private Eye editor Ian Hislop and journalist Decca Aitkenhead; and adventurer Bear Grylls and podcaster Jamie Laing.
Inside publishing
Conversations take audiences behind the scenes in the world of books as trail-blazing publisher, writer and activist Margaret Busby talks to author Bernardine Evaristo about her acclaimed memoir, Part of the Story; translator Daniel Hahn joins The Bookseller editor Philip Jones and agent Cathryn Summerhayes to discuss how to write a bestseller in the age of AI; Arvon Masterclasses offer exclusive writing workshops with leading names across the programme to inspire creativity, with insights from Helen Oyeymi and Lily Dunn; and in a special salon event, The British Book Awards (aka ‘The Nibbies’) sees journalist Katie Fraser talk to Natasha Bardon, publisher at HarperVoyager, and award-winning author Saara El-Arifi.
Projects fostering global exchange come to the fore with writers Patrick McGuinness and Angharad Price in conversation with author and former Wales PEN Cymru director Dylan Moore for an exploration of how Welsh literature can forge renewed connections with European literary culture after a decade of post-Brexit isolation; a special screening of How to Build a Librarytakes us to Nairobi to witness how two Black women tackle the rebuilding of what was until 1958 a whites-only library, followed by a Q&A with the film’s director Maia Lekow and the founder of Book Bunk, Angela Wachuka; and Richard Benson, author of The Valley and editor of The Bee, joins Claire Malcolm, CEO of New Writing North, to discuss a new catalogue of working-class books that tell a different story to the established British literary traditions with special guest Maya Jordan.
As the UK’s National Year of Reading reaches its mid-way point, National Literacy Trust director Jonathan Douglas updates us on the Go All In campaign with a panel featuring content creator Jack Edwards and authors Joseph Coelho and Katherine Rundell; while The Times columnist James Marriot explores falling literacy rates with a conversation around his new book, The New Dark Ages.
Book to Screen – the art of adaptation
The MUBI Cinema returns to host daily screenings of acclaimed adaptations:
· Wuthering Heights, directed by Andrea Arnold (2011)
· Adaptation, directed by Spike Jonze (2002)
· Let the Right One In, directed by Tomas Alfredson (2008)
· Love and Friendship, directed by Whit Stillman (2016)
· Bright Young Things, directed by Stephen Fry (2003)
· The Secret Agent, directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho (2025)
· Mysterious Skin, directed by Gregg Araki (2004)
· 45 Years, directed by Andrew Haigh (2015)
· We Need to Talk About Kevin, directed by Lynne Ramsay (2011)
· Die My Love, directed by Lynne Ramsay (2025)
· The General, directed by Buster Keaton (1926)
· Zama, directed by Lucrecia Martel (2017)
· Oslo, August 31st, directed by Joachim Trier (2011)
· Orlando, directed by Sally Potter (1992)
· Queer, directed by Luca Guadagnino (2024)
· Hot Milk, directed by Rebecca Lenkiewicz (2025)
· No Other Choice, directed by Park Chan Wook (2025)
Conversations explore further the art of adaptation as director Emerald Fennell talks Wuthering Heights; author-screenwriterMaggie O’Farrell and producer Liza Marshall go behind the scenes on Hamnet; art historian Katy Hessel shows how art can best be represented on film; hosts James Briefel and George Pundek offer a live recording of their popular film podcast Pulp Kitchen; host of The Evolution of Horror podcast Mike Muncer gathers special guests including Empire journalist Becky Darke to explore the journey from page to scream; Notebook – MUBI’s biannual print magazine exploring the art and culture of cinema – presents a reading and conversation drawn from its essays and contributions; and some of TikTok’s most popular film buffs take stock of cinema in 2026, and share the new releases they’re looking forward to in The TikTok Film Club.
Lessons from the world of TV and film are shared as Adolesence writer Jack Thorne discusses the process of writing for TV; and director and animator Joanna Quinn takes us behind the scenes of the 2021 film Affairs of the Art.
BBC’s The Read takes centre-stage with a free, daily screening on the Festival site, spotlighting Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde with Reece Shearsmith, A Kestrel for a Knave with Christopher Eccleston, Frankenstein with Alex Kingston, 1984 with Sacha Dhawan; The 39 Steps with John Hannah; Wuthering Heights with Vinette Robinson; The Remains of the Day with Steve Pemberton; The Picture of Dorian Gray with Luke Thompson; and Persuasion with Monica Dolan.
Our world today – new global powers, changing economics
Global powers are interrogated as former White House staffer Cass Sunstein talks On Liberalism: In Defence of Freedom; author Jung Chang discusses the enduring importance of family and the politics of modern China; and David Miliband, former UK foreign secretary and now President of the International Rescue Committee, philosopher Susan Neiman, and international law expert Philippe Sands join Misha Glenny, host of the BBC’s In Our Time, to ask, 'Where does Europe fit into the new world order?'
Writers and thinkers explore global conflicts and the routes to peace as Palestinian writer Aziz Abu Sarah joining Israeli writer Maoz Inon to talk to broadcaster Lyse Doucet about their new book, The Future Is Peace; two veteran foreign correspondents Jon Lee Anderson and Lyse Doucet share lessons from Afghanistan; philosophers and authors Carlos Fraenkel and Susan Neiman look at how both the right and the left could benefit from concentrating on what unites us instead of what divides us; and Francesca Albanese, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, joins with Israeli architect Eyal Weizman to discuss the impact of the physical environment on how the conflict is playing out.
Russia’s changing role in the world comes to the fore as Pussy Riot’s Maria Alyokhina talks to investigative reporter Oliver Bullough about her memoir, Political Girl: Life and Fate in Russia; and author Jana Bakunina and lawyer Jamison R Firestone discuss Putin’s life and legacy with journalist Luke Harding.
Connected financial systems are explored as BBC News presenter Sophie Raworth interviews her sister, economist Kate Raworth, about the ground-breaking ideas in Doughnut Economics; Nobel Prize-winning economist Mariana Mazzucato talks The Common Good Economy; economist and academic Nicholas Stern explores the impacts of the climate crisis; and investigative reporter Oliver Bullough shares Everybody Loves our Dollars, an investigation into money laundering.
A trio of espionage experts sort fact from fiction in the Festival’s first Spy Salon: Gordon Corera was the BBC’s security correspondent for two decades until 2024, and now co-presents the podcast The Rest is Classified, Charlie English is a former head of international news at the Guardian, and author of The CIA Book Club, and Daria Santini’s book A Woman Named Edith is a major new biography of the photographer and Soviet agent who recruited Kim Philby.
UK in focus
Reactive conversations will take stock of the latest news across the country as Adam Fleming from the BBC’s Newscastbrings together leading journalists and commentators to discuss, debate and dissect the day’s news; news panels woven throughout the Festival feature input from security expert Gordon Corera, former Conservative cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt, journalist Sathnam Sanghera, actors Carys Eleri and Miriam Margolyes, and novelist Lionel Shriver; while live recordings of topical news podcasts chew over the latest events: Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction features hosts Harriet Harman, Ruth Davidson and Beth Rigby, while Private Eye’s Page 94 features Ian Hislop, Helen Lewis, Adam MacQueen and Andrew Hunter Murray.
Following the local elections in May, a range of politicians, thinkers and writers will take stock of the changing landscape of British politics, including former Foreign Secretary and one-time Labour leadership contender David Miliband; Scotland’s former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon; former Labour cabinet minister Liam Byrne MP; parliamentary sketch writer John Crace talks The Bonfire of Insanities; and philosopher AC Grayling.
Personal stories from inside British politics offer lessons for the future as former UK Home Secretary and Chancellor Sajid Javid shares reflections on his life with his new memoir, The Colour of Home; crossbench peer Louise Casey shares lessons from inside high-profile UK public inquiries; and former Downing Street Director of Communications Guto Harri discusses why we’ve lost our loyalty to the traditional parties with Private Eye journalist Adam Macqueen, polling analyst Scarlett Maguireand former Conservative Cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt.
Four women who’ve dedicated their lives to frontline politics gather to talk gender equality: Ruth Davidson is the former leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Julia Gillard is the former Prime Minister of Australia whose ‘misogyny speech’ in Parliament became a global phenomenon, Harriet Harman is a Labour peer and the UK’s Special Envoy for Women and Girls, and Beth Rigby is political editor for Sky News.
Justice takes centre-stage as former president of the Supreme Court Brenda Hale shares a citizen’s guide to the criminal justice system; human rights barrister Alex Goodman KC joins Sir Max Hill KCB KC, former Director of Public Prosecutions (2018–2023), and Asad Rehman, Chair of Friends of the Earth, to interrogate the legal, ethical and societal limits of activism; while Ronan McCrea talks The End of the Gay Rights Revolution.
National security comes to the fore as Britain’s former ambassador to Washington Lord Darroch joins the Guardian’s foreign correspondent Luke Harding, and author and director of the European Council on Foreign Relations Mark Leonard to explore the UK’s military vulnerabilities.
Lectures
A trio of headline lectures set the agenda at Hay Festival 2026:
· Professor of Ukrainian History at Harvard Serhii Plokhy delivers the British Pugwash Lecture on The Nuclear Age;
· Broadcaster Jeremy Bowen delivers the Christopher Hitchens Lecture on War, Peace and the Pursuit of Truth;
· British-Nigerian historian, author, presenter and BAFTA-winning film-maker David Olusoga delivers the George Alagiah Lecture on the history and legacy of the British Empire and how colonial nostalgia is shaping geopolitics today.
America 250
The US Semiquincentennial – the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence – offers a moment to reflect on the changing face of a nation:
Writer and professor of American literature Sarah Churchwell and British-Nigerian historian David Olusoga are joined by author Sarah Pearsall to explore what US history can tell us about its future; Sarah Churchwell joins historian Simon Schama to consider how American and British literature diverged in the wake of revolution; and General Sir Tim Radford, who was second-in-command at NATO between 2020 and 2023, international writer for The New York Times Katrin Bennhold, and author and geopolitics specialist Tim Marshall, talk to The Atlantic’s Helen Lewis about the Trump Era.
Heard at Hay Festival
A new series of events on the 2026 programme celebrate the diverse mix of disciplines and perspectives to be found on the Hay Festival stages, gathering a dynamic trio of guests across the day’s programme to share their work:
· Climate Solutions – comedian and presenter Sandi Toksvig, novelist Ian McEwan and National Farmers’ Union former president Minette Batters, in conversation with climate journalist David Shukman.
· Past, Present and Future – historian Peter Jones, podcaster and entrepreneur Jamie Laing, and journalist Aleks Krotoski talk to journalist Decca Aitkenhead.
· Written in the Stars – space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock, journalist Simon Jenkins, and novelist Elif Shafaktalks to journalist Jeremy Bowen.
· The Numbers Game – mathematician Marcus du Sautoy, geneticist Adam Rutherford, and author Sophia SmithGaler talk to journalist Robert Nisbet.
South to North conversations
Supported by Open Society Foundations, Hay Festival’s international series of South to North Conversations continues to explore the issues facing the Global South:
· Prediction, Power and the Fight for the Future – Oxford professor Carissa Véliz shares insights from her book Prophecy with journalist Jamie Bartlett.
· Language, Memory and Community in the Face of Disaster – Bolivian writer Liliana Colanzi and Guatemalan author Eduardo Halfón discuss the ideas of collapse, language, kinship and memory that appear in both of their works.
· The Power of Fiction – Home Fire author Kamila Shamsie chairs a discussion on violence, female power and freedom with fellow novelist Tahmima Anam.
FLIP at Hay Festival 2026
Hay Festival will partner with FLIP (Festa Literária Internacional de Paraty) in 2026 to present and celebrate leading voices from Brazil. Literature, music, food and film from Brazil will be part of Hay Festival in 2026.
The collaboration is part of the UK/Brazil Season of Culture 2025-26, a year-long cultural programme between the two countries led by the British Council and Brazil’s IGR designed to strengthen and build cultural connections between the UK and Brazil.
FLIP was devised by Liz Calder, co-founder of Bloomsbury Publishing, and Brazilian architect Mauro Munhoz, using the Hay Festival as a model. It started in 2003 and has gone on to be a leading literary festival in South America, taking place every July in the coastal town of Paraty in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
Highlights of the series include Chilean writer Daniela Catrileo and Brazilian anthropologist Hanna Limulja with British Library curator Polly Russell on how dreaming is a form of indigenous resistance and hope; and Brazilian writer Milton Hatoum in conversation with journalist and translator Ángel Gurría-Quintana.
Science, technology and the future of AI
The latest developments in Artificial Intelligence are interrogated in conversations with journalist Karen Hao on Empire of AI; Jamie Bartlett on How to Talk to AI; Nate Soares, co-author of If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies with Eliezer Yudkowsky, on why superintelligent AI could be catastrophic for our species; journalist Aleks Krotoski on The Immortalists; tech journalist Madhumita Murgia on Code Dependent; and computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee on This Is for Everyone: Reclaiming the web in the age of AI.
Technology’s impacts on our humanity are explored as neuroscientist Hannah Critchlow talks The 21st Century Brain; science writer Adam Rutherford talks A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived; Turi King talks The Secrets of our DNA: How Genetics has Changed the World; and inventor Ijeoma Uchegbu takes us on a fun and informative deep dive into the world of chain reactions that underpin our everyday existence.
Political impacts of the tech revolution come to the fore in conversations with Tim Wu, Columbia Law School Professor of Law, Science and Technology, Sarah Wynn-Williams, former Facebook Director of Global Public Policy, and investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr, the reporter who exposed the Cambridge Analytica scandal, discuss the power of the tech companies; Kenyan social entrepreneur Linda Kamau discusses the opportunities and challenges facing women carving out careers in technology across Africa; and leading game industry expert George E Osborn exposes how dictators, populists and violent extremists are using video games to influence the world around us.
Inspiring life stories
Campaigners share how the power of storytelling can help build movements of change: Iraq war veteran Owain Mulliganshares The Accidental Soldier; Gisèle Pelicot shares A Hymn to Life: Shame Has to Change Sides; Jenny Evans shares her fight for justice after being sexually assaulted, Don’t Let it Break You, Honey; novelist Francesca Rhydderch recounts her struggle for a neurological diagnosis in It Might not be True: A Memoir of Life and Love; and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe tells broadcaster and psychologist Dr Sian Williams about the healing powers of creativity.
Public figures share lessons from their lives as Malala Yousafzai talks Finding My Way; actor and rapper Ashley Waltersshares his new memoir, Always Winning; comedian and composer Tim Minchin calls for more creativity in our lives with You Don’t Have to Have a Dream; journalist Sophie Calon talks homelessness; the nation’s favourite weather presenter Carol Kirkwood discusses her next chapter; and colleagues and friends Sophie Raworth and Jeremy Bowen discuss Raworth’s inspiring – and dramatic – journey from the BBC Breakfast sofa to pounding the pavements as a marathon runner.
Sports stars share lessons from the pitch: rugby stars James Haskell and Mike Tindall join broadcaster Alex Payne to talk team work; former Premier League footballer Michail Antonio and investigative journalist James Bloodworth share an urgent conversation about modern masculinity.
Acclaimed writers turn their art on their lives as Lea Ypi shares her memoir, A Life Reimagined; Siri Hustvedt shares Ghost Stories, her personal memoir of grief; WritersMosaic director Colin Grant draws out candid and moving stories of migration from Suzanne Harrington (The Liberty Tree), Eric Ngalle Charles (Homelands) and Amanada Vilanova (Hurricane Diaries); winner of the Eccles Institute & Hay Festival Global Writer’s AwardJarred McGinnis shares his memoir There is no Meant to Be; and scholars, podcasters and best friends Ana Garriga and Carmen Urbita lift the veil on monastic life.
Health and wellness
Stories from inside the NHS offer new perspectives on healthcare with former A&E doctor and leading mental health advocate Alex George joining comedian Sara Pascoe to explore the perennial question: 'Am I Normal?'; public health expert Devi Sridhar is in conversation with science writer Dan Davis on her latest book How not to Die (too Soon); cartoonist and GP Dr Ian Williams discusses his new graphic novel, The Sick Doctor, telling his experience of cancer treatment; and leading endocrinologist Dr Saira Hameed, author of Signals, explores about how hormones write life’s masterplan.
Gut health takes centre-stage as Tim Spector talks Fermentation; doctors Kamran Abbasi, editor-in-chief of the British Medical Journal, and Chris van Tulleken, author of Ultra-Processed People, expose the networks between government and big business and argue that hidden influences are having a huge impact on public health.
Mental health comes to the fore in conversations with Claudia Hammond on Overwhelmed: Ways to Take the Pressure Off; forensic psychiatrist Dr Gwen Adshead on stories of transformation after trauma; broadcaster and psychologist Dr Sian Williams shares The Power of Anxiety; and long-time-anxious-person Gemma Correll shares her graphic novel Anxietyland.
Growing old gracefully comes under the Festival spotlight as wellbeing expert Liz Earle speaks to chef, writer, and businesswoman Prue Leith; neurologist Masud Husain uses real-life examples from his patients to show how our brains create our identity; and psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz sheds light on the universal experience of love and its ups and downs, in conversation with author and psychologist Claudia Hammond.
Matters of Taste
Food and drink events come to life as the Matters of Taste series returns, offering audiences unique demos led by innovative chefs, home cooks and food writers.
Chef, food writer and stylist Georgina Hayden shares recipes from her new cookbook MEDesque; MasterChef 2024 winner Brin Pirathapan discusses his Sri Lankan-inspired cookbook, Elevate: Everyday Ingredients, Incredible Flavours; chefs Ixta Belfrage and Bel Coelho offer a tour around the food of Latin America; Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall talks High Fibre Heroes; Susan L Schwartz offers flavours from her new book A Guide to Drinking in Venice; and Tom Gilbey talks Thirsty – 100 Great Wines and Stories.
Demos from Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer of Honey & Co; Claire Thomson of the 5 O’Clock Apron podcast; and tastings with local producers at Slow Food Cymru Wales, Hay Distillery, Black Mountains Botanicals, Artistraw Cider, Neal’s Yard Creamery, Wild by Nature, Lucky Seven Brewery and The Beefy Boys.
Hidden histories
New insights are unearthed and lessons for the present day are drawn from the past as historians share their latest research: author Ben Macintyre explores the secretive history of espionage in Spies, Lies and Skulduggery; Damien Lewis offers a rollercoaster ride through some of the most dramatic and daring escapes executed by the SAS during the Second World War; and Andrea Wulf shares The Traveller: The Revolutionary Life of George Forster and his Search for Humanity.
Established narratives are challenged as writers Elodie Harper and Janina Ramirez interrogate the stories of misunderstood, ignored and forgotten women; Diarmaid MacCulloch shares Lower than the Angels: A History of Sex and Christianity; broadcaster and writer Zakia Sewell joins fellow historian David Olusoga to discuss British history and a view of the nation’s identity; and writers Sacha Coward, Emily Garside and Jason Okundaye talk Queerness: A Hidden History.
Pivotal figures in history are reviewed with Hugo Vickers on Queen Elizabeth II: A Personal History; Thant Myint-Udiscusses the legacy of his grandfather, U Thant, the longest-serving Secretary-General of the United Nations; Antony Beevor talks Rasputin and the Downfall of the Romanovs; the Guardian’s international security correspondent Jason Burkeshares The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists who Hijacked the 1970s; James Holland talks The Visionaries: The Making of the Post World War II Order in the West; and Ben Gazur shares a sweeping journey through A Short History of the World in 50 Tyrants.
Ancient civilisations speak to the present as Welsh academic Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones traces the history of Babylon, the first metropolis, from its foundation to world domination; Alice Roberts explores the fall of the Roman Empire with Domination; and Assyriologist Selena Wisnom on The Library of Ancient Wisdom.
Local history comes to the fore as journalist James Hanning explores the history of the town of books with The Bookseller of Hay, gathering local writers and booksellers; and Bill Laws shares The Story of the Herefordshire Pomona.
Natural wonders
Leading travel and nature writers celebrate the natural world as founder and director of Black Mountains College Ben Rawlence talks Think Like a Forest; geographer and travel writer Nicholas Crane explores the hidden history of Britain’s coast-to-coast web of walkways with nature journalist Nicola Cutcher; writers Cal Flyn and Charles Foster discuss awe and wonder; and poet Bethany Handley shares My Body is a Meadow: Finding Freedom in the Outdoors.
On the eve of Oak Apple Day, nature experts explore the distinguished folklore of the oak tree with Oaklore author Jules Acton, Guardian country diarist Anita Roy and Tamara Ullyart of The Woodland Trust in conversation with Andrew Simmsof the New Weather Institute.
Personal passions for the outdoors take centre-stage as two daring, record-holding adventurers – Mark Agnew and Mollie Hughes – celebrate the human spirit and discuss staying resilient in the face of physical and mental crises; Sarah Ravenshares A Year of Cut Flowers: A Life of Growing and Arranging for All Seasons; and food writer Mary Berry reveals her second great love – gardening – as she talks My Gardening Life.
There are unexpected discoveries as seaweed expert, director of the Food Programme at the Lloyd’s Register Foundation and senior adviser on the oceans to the United Nations Global Compact Vincent Doumeizel discusses The Power of Plankton; stargazer Sheila Kanani offers a tour of the night sky; journalist Beth Gardener talks to the Observer’s climate editor Jeevan Vasagar about plastics; and Andy Cato, co-founder of Wildfarmed, a Grammy-nominated musician and one half of Groove Armada; Philip Lymbery, global CEO of Compassion in World Farming International; and Deborah Meaden, business leader and fellow of the WWF, speak to journalist and Countryfile presenter Sean Fletcher about the future of farming.
Meanwhile, off-site Wayfaring Walks see writers, tree wardens and ecologists lead guided tours of the spectacular countryside within the Bannau Brycheingiog National Park team; and Farm Walks give Festivalgoers a chance to get closer to local rural life.
Get creative
Leading experts explore the benefits of creativity as philosopher Margaret Heffernan leads an agenda-setting discussion about its huge importance; artistic director of the Serpentine Galleries Hans Ulrich Obrist discusses the extraordinary power of art to inspire us; Mesopotamia expert Dr Selena Wisnom teaches the art of writing in cuneiform.
New exhibitions are spotlighted as art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon uses newly discovered archives to paint a vivid picture of the life of artist Johannes Vermeer; art historian Simon Schama explores the history of selfies; and poet Gwyneth Lewis, conservator Fiona McLees and curator Lucy Wood celebrate the life and work of the quietly radical Welsh painter Gwen John on the 150th anniversary of her birth.
Artforms collide with exciting results for storytelling as graphic novelists Scarlett and Sophie Rickard and Myfanwy Tristramdiscuss writing about protest; writer and cartoonist Becky Barnicoat talks while she draws as she introduces her graphic novel memoir Cry When the Baby Cries; artist, illustrator and author Charlie Mackesy shares Always Remember: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and the Storm; internationallycelebrated choreographer and director Sir Wayne McGregor tells us how and why we should master our physical intelligence, in conversation with Dr Gus Casely-Hayford, director of V&A East; the award-winning podcast What’s Your Map? comes to the stage with host Jerry Brotton turning maps into theatre, asking writers Tim Marshall, David Olusoga and Emma Jane Unsworth to unfold and discuss a map that’s special to them.
Comedy and Barrel of Laughs fiction
Laughter comes in the form of new comedy shows from Michael McIntyre, Matt Forde, Sara Pascoe, Alan Davies, Chloe Petts and Paul Merton and Suki Webster’s Improv Show; while Off the Kerb Productions present the Hay Festival Comedy Club with Tom Allen, Fatiha El-Ghorri, Limahl Germain, Suzi Ruffell and Jack Skipper; lifelong friends Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins offer a live recording of their hit podcast; and Austentatious return with their improvised Jane Austen show.
Comedians entertain as they present their latest books with Suzi Ruffell with her memoir, Am I Having Fun Now?; comedian-who-cooks George Egg shares stories from his new cookbook, The Snack Hacker; Rhys James on You’ll Like it When you get There; Nigel Planer on Young Once; Sandi Toksvig offers up an evening of stories from her latest book, Friends of Dorothy; and Dead Ringers actor Jess Robinson shares an interactive evening of storytelling, song and performance.
Real-life stories inspire raucous discussion with Cally Beaton on her manifesto for middle age, Namaste Motherf*ckers; friends Kathy Lette and Arabella Weir share lessons from their decades-long friendship; comedian Lou Beckett on Lessons From a Default Parent; Ben Elton on his memoir, What Have I Done?; writer and doctor Matthew Hutchinson shares his memoir, Are you Really the Doctor?; Alan Davies shares his new memoir, White Male Stand-Up; Greg Davies offers a race through his life, 58 years in 58 Minutes; and Miriam Margolyes offers up highlights from The Little Book of Miriam.
Traitors stars Clare Balding, David Olusoga and Harriet Tyce gather to explore what makes a good villain, in conversation with psychologist Philippa Perry.
Music, folklore and late-night entertainment
There are main stage live sets from Gwenno, Johnny Flynn & Lillie Flynn, The Amy Winehouse Band, The Poozies, Llareggub Brass Band, Marshall Gilmour Webbs while Welsh legend Aled Jones closes the Festival.
Audiences are encouraged to get musical in free pop-up performances around the Festival site with Got 2 Sing Choir, Love to Sing Choir, Hay Shantymen, South Powys Youth Music, Abergavenny’s Synergy Choir, and harp and flute duo Anna Lockett and Jill Horner aka Kairos. Meanwhile, Father David Wyatt, Vicar for Hay, Llanigon, Clyro and Capel-y-Ffin in the Black Mountains Ministry Area, leads Evensong at St Mary’s Church; star of Netflix’s Building the Band, vocal coach Juliet Russell offers her Song in an Hour masterclass; and neuroscientist Catherine Loveday reveals how singing actually works in the brain in conversation with psychologist Dr Sian Williams.
Classical fans have much to enjoy as four BBC Radio 3 lunchtime recitals at St Mary’s Church explore the music of Edvard Grieg and others, featuring Claire Booth (soprano) and Anna Tilbrook (piano); Alexander Ullman (piano); and Guy Johnston (cello) and Mishka Rushdie Momen (piano). Plus, there are concerts from Will Barnes Quartet and Leo Gandelman Quartet; an unmissable evening with renowned cellist-singer Sarah Smout; storytelling with Welsh harpist Catrin Finch; virtuosic GBSR Duo – Siwan Rhys (piano and celeste) and George Barton (percussion) join Taylor MacLennan (flute) to play Crippled Symmetry by American composer Morton Feldman; and author and playwright Michael Morpurgo is joined by actor Jenny Agutter and the world-renowned Brodsky Quartet in a unique celebration of music, poetry and the natural world;
Late night folklore events blend storytelling and performance as musician, actor and author Joey Batey dives into his new novel It’s Not a Cult before taking to the stage with his band The Amazing Devil for a special acoustic performance; writers Tom Bullough, Lucie McKnight Hardy and Sadia Pineda Hameed tell new stories from Wales, including specially commissioned work from the latest issue of Folding Rock magazine; star of BBC’s Uncanny Danny Robins offers up an exclusive evening of Hay-on-Wye ghost stories; meanwhile writer and actor Tama Matheson joins pianist Clare Hammondfor an emotional performance about the life and work of the composer Andrzej Panufnik.
New event formats shake up the evening programme with conversation and music from Manic Street Preachers’ James Dean Bradfield and Nicky Wire;
Conversations with music lovers lift the curtain on the business of entertainment as Dexy’s Midnight Runners frontman, Kevin Rowland, speaks to bestselling novelist Irvine Welsh about his memoir, Bless Me Father; stars of the 1990s rock scene Melissa Auf der Maur and Skin share their new memoirs; Emma-Lee Moss (aka Emmy the Great) talks My Cantopop Nights: A Memoir; journalist Sathnam Sanghera reflects on the legacy of music legend George Michael and his impact on his own life with Tonight the Music Seems so Loud; and journalists and broadcasters Samira Ahmed and Stuart Maconiediscuss their shared love of The Beatles.
Family and Young Adult events
There’s more than ever for families to enjoy at Hay Festival in the dedicated family area, featuring creative hubs, event venues and a family garden full of free activities to inspire.
Major events celebrate icons of children’s literature as actor Hugh Bonneville joins writers Karen Jankel and Michael Morpurgo to celebrate 100 years of Michael Bond, creator of Paddington; actor Emma Thompson joins writers and illustrators Cressida Cowell, Paterson Joseph, Chris Riddell, Jane Riordan and Frank Cottrell-Boyce to mark 100 years of Winnie-the-Pooh; plus Michael Moropurgo talks Black Beauty.
Festival events on stage inspire the next generation of readers with new fiction from Cressida Cowell (How To Train Your Dragon School), Liz Pichon (The Brilliant World of Tom Gates), Chris Riddell (A Mermaid’s Diary), Reverend Richard Coles(A Heist Before Bedtime), Mikey Please (The Cave Downwind of the Café), Hugh Bonneville (Rory Sparkes and the Elephant in the Room), Elgan Rhys and Mared Roberts (The Five), Alex Falase-Koya and Paula Bowles (Marv and FunFair Fright), Stephen and Anita Mangan (Welcome to Weird Street), Rob Biddulph (The Moonhaven Chronicles), Petr Horacek (Blue Monster), MG Leonard (The Impossible Gladiator), Luke Pearson (Hilda Twig: Hide from the Rain), Nicola Davies (Skrimsli), Anders Sparring and Per Gustavsson (The Pinchers), David Solomons (Spyglass: Mastermind of Mayhem), Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé (The Heirs), Sophy Henn (I Want Everything), Louis Stowell (Loki), Alasdair Beckett-King (Montgomery Bonbon: Scandal on the Stage), Beth Reekles (For Real This Time), Laura Ellen Anderson (Star Kitties!), Aoife Dooley (Squid Squad), Ed Vere (No Hugs Please), A.F. Steadman (The World of Skandar), Serena Patel(Pia’s Pet Club), David Litchfield (The Bear and the Piano), Olaf Falafel (Far Out Five), Jim Smith (Poo Diary), Kiran Millwood Hargrave (The Ship of Strays), Anna Fiteni (The Wicked Lies of Habren Faire), Mariajo Ilustrajo (Unexpected Guests), and Alice Roberts (Wolf Mountain).
There are lively performances as former Children’s Laureate and poetry icon Michael Rosen and award-winning rap teacher and viral sensation, M C Grammar, present a riotous celebration of words; while comedian Russell Kane offers his new show, When Brian met Terry; Danny Robins offers Do You Believe in Ghosts?; and there’s a special Little Miss Christie & Mr Poirot storytelling event.
The world around us comes into focus in science and history events for young readers featuring Sheila Kanani (This Book will Make you a Scientist), Hannah Critchlow (Brainwave), Punam Krishan (You and Your Body and The Superhero's First Aid Manual), Katy Hessel (The Story of Art without Men), Dara McAnulty and Barry Falls (A Wild Child's Guide to Nature at Night), Adam Allsuch Boardman (An Illustrated History of UFOs), Dr Ranj (Dr Ranj’s Human Body Encyclopedia), and Susie Dent (The Roots We Share).
Teen readers gain inspiration from YA writers including Holly Jackson (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder), Juno Dawson(Survival Show), Wren James (The Victors), Bea Fitzgerald (A Beautiful Evil) and Caryl Lewis (The Danger of Small Things).
Young Festivalgoers are encouraged to get creative in the Make & Take Tent throughout the Festival, while there are workshops and interactive events with dynamic creatives including art lovers Russell Tovey and Robert Diament on Art School; writers Nicola Davies, Jenny Valentine; comedians Kiri Pritchard McLean and Melanie Owen.
A new Creative Industry Insights series gives young people the chance to quiz successful artists including screenwriter Jack Thorne, actor Paterson Joseph, and producer Jay Hunt; plus, there are interactive workshops with Theatr Cymru, Kitsch n Sync, Beryl Productions, Cartshed and University of Worcester.
Learning and engagement
Two free Schools Programme days open proceedings on Thursday 21 May (KS1/2) and Friday 22 May (KS3/4), blending live performance, workshops and storytelling in specially curated sessions:
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 C 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.
Meanwhile, a range of education initiatives – Hay Festival Academy and Youth Group workshops – engage hundreds more off stage.
Emerging artist spotlights
Hay Festival 2026 offers a unique opportunity to see the rising stars of creative industries in action: The Platform events spotlight young performers and new work; Writers at Work events spotlight 10 Welsh writers with new fiction and poetry; and Hay Writers Circle Live showcase talent from the town.
Join in online
A curated selection of Festival sessions will be streamed live online throughout the 2026 event, with the Online Festival Pass, continuing the Festival’s commitment to digital accessibility.
Community partnerships
Community partnerships with Inclusive Books for Children, The Cart Shed, Hereford Community Foundation, Reaching Wider, and more, will make this one of the most accessible Festival editions yet with targeted projects to attract harder-to-reach communities, while a plethora of new sustainability measures will help to tackle the environmental impacts of running a festival.
Hay Festival Medals
Winners of the Hay Festival Medals 2026 will be celebrated on stage. Awarded annually since Britain’s Olympic year (2012), and crafted locally by silversmith Christopher Hamilton, the Hay Festival Medals draw inspiration from the original Olympic medal given for poetry. Past winners include Margaret Atwood, Alice Oseman, Ruth Jones, Salman Rushdie, John le Carré, Elif Shafak, Mererid Hopwood, Ahdaf Soueif and Miranda Hart.