In its 11th year, Hay Festival Querétaro sets out to understand the world we live in through the prism of identity, memory, democracy and community-building, 4-6 September 2026.
With more than 90 artists from 10 countries, the Festival will feature over 70 events including talks, poetry readings and lectures.
Discover the full programme and book tickets now at hayfestival.com/queretaro/
The programme will serve as a meeting point for some of the most influential voices in literature, journalism, philosophy, music, illustration and contemporary art, including Booker Prize winner Kiran Desai, columnists Alma Guillermoprieto and Darío Sztajnszrajber, singer and activist Vivir Quintana, feminist activist María Galindo, musician Emmanuel del Real, philosopher Carissa Véliz and writer Emiliano Monge.
In addition to the events on the main programme, Hay Festival Communitario will offer an extensive free programme for children and families in the Alameda Hidalgo park while university students will also enjoy Hay Festival Joven, an exclusive, free programme, thanks to the support of UAQ, UNAM Juriquilla, Tec de Monterrey and Universidad Anáhuac located on university campuses.
Global projects feature across the programme including South to North conversations; a documentary screening of How to Build a Library with Angela Wachuka - the story of restoring a former ‘whites-only’ library in Nairobi; and a project in collaboration with The General Archive of the Indies bringing new perspectives on the continents five centuries of history with writers from Spain and Latin America.
In association with local civil society organisations, Hay Festival presents a range of free talks and workshops across the city, taking place in children’s homes, youth and cultural centres. The Festival is also opening two ‘relaxed’ events for neurodivergent people and talks will be available in Mexican Sign Language (LSM).
Querétaro itself offers a majestic backdrop for events as the World Heritage City hosts sessions all over the city’s cultural venues and universities. The Casa Hay Festival SURA returns this year with twice as many events as last year. This year it will expand and serve as a venue for several events, including, for the first time ever, three live recordings of the Hay Festival Podcast. The SURA business group is the main partner of Hay Festival in Latin America.
Hay Festival Global CEO Julie Finch said:
“At a time of increasing global conflict, gathering writers and thinkers from over ten countries to explore community, identity, memory and democracy feels like the balm we need in this time of uncertainty. We’re thrilled to be reaching new audiences and championing a diverse range of voices. Come and join us for a world of different ideas, all – gathered in one place.”
Hay Festival Global international director Cristina Fuentes La Roche said:
“Over 11 years, this Festival has grown into something that the whole city can be a part of. We’re delighted that our outreach programmes have expanded across the city bringing some of the world’s best thinkers to as many people as possible whether that’s through our free programme for students, children and families or interpreted talks in sign-language (LSM). We’re very grateful to our artists, partners and supporters who have made this all possible. See you all soon!”
The programme in detail
In the field of literature and poetry, the festival will feature Kiran Desai, the youngest ever winner of the Booker Prize at the time (2006) for The Inheritance of Loss, alongside María Dueñas, one of the most important and widely read novelists in the Spanish-speaking world and poet and playwright Nick Makoha. From the UK, the 2026 winner of the Windham-Campbell prize Gwendoline Riley and one of Granta’s Best Young British Novelists, Eley Williams, feature in the programme. Peruvian author Jeremías Gamboa and American author Catherine Lacey present their most recent works, El principio del mundo and El libro moebius. Pol Guasch discusses Reliquia, a non-fiction account of the absence of a father who took his own life, while fellow Spaniard Manuel Marsol will present El cielo en una estancia, in which he also pays tribute to his father. Elaine Vilar Madruga (Cuba) discusses La piel hembra, set in a mystical jungle inhabited by women.
From the national literary scene, Emiliano Monge stands out with his collection of short stories En lengua privada, as does Liliana Blum, who will discuss the reissue of one of her most beloved novels: Pandora. The journalist and writer Lydia Cacho will present her first work of fiction for adults: Un halcón bajo mi ventana, a coming-of-age novel about the power of tenderness and friendship. The novelist, editor and workshop leader Martín Solares, is the author of El fantasma de las novelas, an essay in which he proposes quick and creative tools for unravelling the secrets of narrative.
Also taking part, are the Mexican Rosa Ramírez Mazaheri and Iveth Luna Flores, whilst Gilraen Earfalas, one of the most popular poets among young people, offers a poetry recital based on her latest collection, De anatomia poetica, during an intimate evening.
The Eccles Institute at the British Library event will bring together Mexican author Daniel Saldaña París, winner of the 2020 Eccles Institute & Hay Festival Global Writer’s Award, and the Spanish author Javier Serena, in a conversation about their most recent novels: El baile y el incendio and Apuntes para una despedida. The Talento Editorial programme will bring together the organisers of three independent publishing projects: Originaria, Editoria Modernas el Embudo and Taller Editorial de las Flores Raras.
On journalism, one of the continent’s leading columnists, the Mexican Alma Guillermoprieto, with Óscar Martínez and Gabriela Warkentin, discuss the state of journalism in the region. And British journalist Shaun Walker examines the history of Russian/Soviet espionage in the context of today’s war.
Musicians light up the evenings with feminist icon Vivir Quintana who reveals her life of resistance, heritage, activism and music alongside Emmanuel del Real, one of the key members of the Mexican rock band Café Tacvba.
Conversations around feminism and activism are led by Maria Galindo one of the most outspoken figures in Spanish-language feminism and an active-member of Mujeres Creando (Women Creating). The feminist digital thinker and activist Julia Didriksson reflects on the role of the digital world as an escape from romantic failures.
Philosophy is explored as Dario Sztajnszrajber dismantles the normative idea of love as well as Spanish philosopher Santiago Beruete who invites us to seek out spirituality through nature.
“Blindly trusting AI makes us more vulnerable” - says British-Mexican philosopher Carissa Véliz - from the University of Oxford. “Whoever controls AI will control the world” - warns researcher Pedro Salazar Ugarte. Both experts will share their insights in a discussion on Artificial Intelligence from either side of the Atlantic.
The urban planner behind the ‘15-minute city’ concept, Carolos Moreno, delivers a lecture on the city of Querétaro, in which he discusses the city’s challenges and the opportunities.
Hay Festival Querétaro is supported by the Municipality of Querétaro, The State Department of Tourism and Culture, SURA and PROFEST.
The Festival’s global partners include Acción Cultural Española (AC/E), the British Council, the Open Society Foundations, CAF, British Library’s Eccles Institute for the Americas, the Institut Ramon Llull, UNAM, Playground, La Lista, and media partners BBC Mundo, RTQ and El País.