Hay Festival Global has today signed its first partnership agreement with Norwegian arts museum and cultural institution Kunstsilo to create Hay Festival Kunstsilo Norway, a new books and ideas festival to take place in Kristiansand, Norway. The festival is a partnership between Hay Festival and Kunstsilo, made possible through the generous support of the AKO Foundation.
Taking place 5–8 August 2027, the debut edition of Hay Festival Kunstsilo Norway will gather some of the world’s greatest writers and thinkers for conversations, workshops and activities in Kunstsilo and venues around Kristiansand.
Created in a former grain silo dating from 1935, located on the archipelago of Odderøya in Kristiansand, Kunstsilo opened in May 2024. It has rapidly become an international destination and a flagship arts and culture institution in southern Norway.Kunstsilo was awarded the prestigious Prix Versailles World Title in the category World’s Most Beautiful Museums in December 2025 and is home to the world’s largest collection of Nordic modernism.
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, different perspectives and to provoke conversations that can create a better world.
Through this new partnership agreement, Hay Festival Global will continue to expand its reach and impact, adding a new location to its annual schedule of events. The Festival will represent a major addition to the range of cultural and educational activities available in southern Norway.
Hay Festival Global CEO Julie Finch said:
“As an international charity, we reach millions of people every year through our one-of-a-kind Festivals, Forums, programmes, and digital platforms. As we explore ways to grow this impact further, we are delighted to sign this new partnership agreement as the basis for a Festival edition in Norway – an important new chapter in the Hay Festival journey.”
Kunstsilo CEO Maria Mediaas Jørstad said:
“It is a tremendous privilege to welcome one of the world’s most celebrated literary festivals to Kunstsilo and Kristiansand. Together with Hay Festival Global, we look forward to bringing together national and international voices for a weekend filled with inspiring ideas, engaging conversations, outstanding talks, and unforgettable cultural experiences. An art museum is a vital institution for artistic freedom and freedom of expression, and a literary festival brings these values directly to us. We are deeply grateful to AKO Foundation, whose support has made it possible to bring the festival to Kunstsilo and Kristiansand.”
AKO Foundation CEO Philip Lawford said:
“AKO Foundation is pleased to support the inaugural Hay Festival Kunstsilo Norway. We believe strongly in the importance of reading, literature and story-telling. The Foundation previously supported the Caine Prize for African Writing; it is the primary funder of the AKO Storytelling Institute at University of the Arts London; and is the inaugural funder of the Children’s Booker Prize. As the principal philanthropic supporter of Kunstsilo, we are delighted to facilitate its partnership with Hay Festival.”
Over the past year, Hay Festival has delivered 12 editions in seven countries: Colombia, Peru, the USA, Mexico, Spain, Ukraine and the UK. A total of 1,585 individual events featured 1,955 artists with 368,648 tickets sold and 1.4M web views. Meanwhile, year-round education and outreach programmes reached 18,688 people.
The world’s greatest writers, thinkers and performers have taken to the Festival’s stages over the years, including Arthur Miller, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood, Arundhati Roy, Naomi Klein, Edward Said, Alice Walker, Hugh Masekela, Jimmy Carter, Seamus Heaney, Zadie Smith, Dua Lipa, Stormzy, Nadine Gordimer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Martin Amis, Paul McCartney, Desmond Tutu, Jane Fonda, and Hillary Clinton.
Festival events for 2026 are in full swing. Earlier this year, there were editions in Medellín and Cartagena, Colombia, and in Seville, Spain, while the Festival’s Kenyan collaboration – Nairobi Litfest – took place earlier this month.