Hay Festival has unveiled the full programme for its 38th spring edition in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, with more than 600 events over 11 days, 22 May–1 June 2025.
Headliners include activists Yulia Navalnaya, Mary Trump, Caroline Darian; actors Jameela Jamil, Michael Sheen, Stephen Fry; artist Grayson Perry; writers Elif Shafak, Hanif Kureishi, Robert Harris, Sharon Horgan, Hisham Matar, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Madeleine Thien, Jesse Armstrong, Eimear McBride; broadcasters Susie Dent, Stacey Dooley, Lorraine Kelly, Katie Piper; journalists Mona Chalabi, Jon Sopel; former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci; National Poet of Wales Hanan Issa; Poet Laureate Simon Armitage; chef Yotam Ottolenghi; historians Alice Roberts, Anne Applebaum, William Dalrymple, Kehinde Andrews, Tom Holland; children’s favourites Jacqueline Wilson, Julia Donaldson, Cressida Cowell, Katherine Rundell, Liz Pichon; farmer James Rebanks; rugby star Dan Biggar; neuroscientist Russell Foster; musicians Paloma Faith, Billy Ocean and Brian Eno; comedians Miranda Hart, Sara Pascoe, Mark Watson, Katherine Ryan, Kiri Pritchard-McLean; and more…
Tickets are on sale now to Hay Festival Members, Patrons and Benefactors at
hayfestival.org/hay-on-wye.
General sale begins at noon this Friday 14 March.
Launching the best new fiction and non-fiction books, while sharing insights around the biggest global issues, the programme sees more than 600 artists, policy makers, pioneers and innovators take part from around the world.
Hay Festival Global CEO Julie Finch said:
“Over the past 12 months, we’ve seen the speed at which our world can change and the high stakes for our times.
“Here’s a Hay Festival programme to tackle our shared challenges head-on with purpose and hope, celebrating new ideas and the power of storytelling to improve our lives.
“Woven throughout you’ll find our core themes for 2025 – the impacts of AI, health and wellbeing, new political orders and intergenerational exchanges – plus, as we celebrate 20 years since our first overseas event, we open more global exchange through new platforms. This is a festival for everyone. Join us in a world of different ideas.”
Hay Festival President Stephen Fry said:
“I am delighted to be returning to Hay Festival – one of my favourite places on earth – to talk about my new book, Odyssey, and join debates and discussions across the Festival field.
“Besides the fun and joy of gathering to share stories, it is also the antidote to disinformation and division. There is space for everyone in this carnival of ideas and I hope to see you there.”
Events offer something for all, beginning with the free Schools Programme, 22–23 May, and including a vibrant strand for families throughout.
Special projects and new initiatives in the programme include:
• The Platform spotlights young creative talent
• Hay Festival Green proposes innovative solutions to the climate crisis
• The new MUBI Cinema showcases storytelling on screen
• The News Review engages with the day’s top headlines
• Hay Festival Sports Day returns on Wednesday 28 May
• Debut Discoveries showcases new writing talent
• Matters of Taste demos spotlight great food writers and local produce
• Creative Industry Insights sessions engage budding young creatives
• Inaugural lectures celebrating George Alagiah and John Caldon
• South to North Conversations explores issues facing the Global South,
supported by Open Society Foundations
Nights at the Festival are given over to great music, comedy and entertainment, while a
host of free pop-up activities and performances will amaze audiences between sessions.
Events take place across eight stages in the free-to-enter Festival site – which offers a
range of spaces for audiences to explore and enjoy, including the Bookshop, Wild
Garden, Make & Take Tent, a host of exhibitors and market stalls, cafés and restaurants, and the Family Garden where young readers can kick-start their creative journeys – plus immersive performances all week at St Mary’s Church.
Collaborations with Arts Council England, the BBC, Black British Book Festival, Pen to
Print, Living Knowledge Network, Reaching Wider and Inclusive Books for Children make
this one of the most accessible Festival editions yet. And the Festival will be streamed live online with a selection of sessions continuing the commitment to digital accessibility.
More details – https://www.hayfestival.com/hay-on-wye/home
