Events for Children and Young People

Enter the prehistoric world with children’s TV superstar Andy Day and bestselling illustrator Steven Lenton on a fantastic magical dino-tastic adventure! Get ready to sing, draw, laugh and learn about some incredible dinosaurs – and hear about Andy’s new book series Dino Dad, illustrated by Steven: a laugh-out-loud adventure about Ruby and her dinosaur expert dad who has a magic ammonite shell which takes them to an incredible island, full of dinosaurs.

Please bring your own sketchbook and pencils to this event.

Two powerhouses of children’s literature captivate in this creative event bringing William Shakespeare’s work to life with the help of some special guests. Poet Michael Rosen and illustrator Chris Riddell, both former children’s laureates, have collaborated on Pocket Shakespeare: A Beginner’s Guide to the Best Bits of the Bard, a celebration of the words of Shakespeare.

In this event, Rosen will guide the audience through the Bard’s exploration of love, heartbreak, magic, superstition and more, including insults and one-liners, accompanied by Riddell, who’ll draw live on stage.

Philippa Gregory’s bestselling Normal Women has been adapted for teens! Join the international blockbuster author of The Other Boleyn Girl as she redefines the story of ordinary English women and asks why they are missing from 900 years of history. Hear some fascinating stories of highwaywomen, pirates, soldiers, inventors and rioters in this lively and interactive event.

The nation’s favourite storyteller, Michael Morpurgo, discusses his new book Cobweb with Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce. Cobweb is a powerful, moving adventure inspired by the extraordinary true story of the French Drummer Boy of Waterloo; a stunning tale of courage and kindness – a book about the bond between a girl and her beloved dog, about humanity, animals and the heartbreak of war.

Drop the mic! Award-winning teacher, Sky Kids superstar, World Book Day ambassador and viral book-rapping sensation MC Grammar heads to Hay to introduce his brand-new series, The Adventures of Rap Kid.

Get ready to meet Z, his beatboxing sidekick SFX, their super-slick teacher Mr G, and his dawg Pup Smoke, in a story about friendship, the power of words and finding your voice.

Grab your bling and your shades and make your way to this epic event jam-packed with jokes, bangin' tunes, wicked rhymes, a sick rap battle, and the greatest dance-off of all time!

Join the author of The Rachel Incident and All Our Hidden Gifts, Caroline O’Donoghue, to hear about her new fantasy romance with a sci-fi twist, Skipshock. When Margo boards a train to her new school, she could never have expected a time slip into the chill of an alien winter. Margo and Moon were on two different trains, in two different worlds. They never should have met – but they did. And now they are running out of time. Will Margo manage to find a way home, or will she choose to stay in a world where she may have found the only person with whom she would choose to spend eternity?

Caroline’s The Rachel Incident is being adapted for television by Universal Studios, and her hit podcast Sentimental Garbage has had over 9 million downloads worldwide.

Please bring your own notebook and pen to this event.

Award-winning historian and broadcaster Professor David Olusoga and Lecturer in Education Dr Yinka Olusoga introduce their book Black History for Every Day of the Year. This unique and vital celebration of Black history travels across the world from ancient times to the modern day.

Meet well-known figures and unsung heroes, learn about famous and lesser-known key cultural moments in history, sport, science, activism, music and more. Hear stories of hope, connection and creativity, alongside tales of racism, resistance and celebration – from the nineteenth century anti-slavery movement to World Wars I and II, to the Harlem Renaissance, Stormzy, Simone Biles and beyond. With an accessible story for every day of the year, here is a rich history that is relevant to us all.

We’re going on a bear hunt. We’re going to catch a big one. Will you come too? For a quarter of a century, readers have been swishy-swashying and splash-sploshing through this award-winning classic. Follow household favourite and former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen and wade through the grass, splash through the river and squelch through the mud in search of a bear. What a surprise awaits us in the cave on the other side of the dark forest!

Join David Lindo, also known as the Urban Birder, for a birding walk along the River Wye to celebrate his debut children’s book Fly. On the walk you’ll learn endless facts about the wildlife near Hay Festival and spot many birds, potentially even the elusive Kingfisher! Be sure to bring your binoculars if you have a pair for this special guided event.

Please dress for the weather – wellies advised.

Where do you live? What does it look like? And why does your sense of home matter so much? Join Emma Barnett, BBC broadcaster and founder of nationwide colouring book company Colour Your Streets, along with her husband and co-founder Jeremy Weil, to draw and colour in places in your area that are important to you. All materials provided… just bring your imagination.

Join Liz Pichon, the bestselling and award-winning creator of Tom Gates, as she launches her new series, The Mubbles. Discover the Isle of Smile and find out what’s behind the uncertain curtain? There’ll be music, games and lots of doodling to do.

Pichon’s Tom Gates series has won the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, the Blue Peter Book Award for Best Story and the younger fiction category of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. In the twelve years since the series began, the Tom Gates books have inspired the nation’s children to get creative, whether through reading, drawing, doodling, writing, making, playing music or performing.

Please bring your own sketchbook and pencils to this event.

David Lindo, also known as the Urban Birder, is a writer, broadcaster, photographer and educator. Through his broad array of work, his goals are to inspire people to engage with birds in urban environments, and show how birding can be accessible to all. Join him in this exciting event to learn all about his work and his love of birding.

Lose yourself with Tahereh Mafi in her exhilarating return to the Shatter Me universe. Watch Me is the first book in a new series set ten years after the fall of The Reestablishment. Brimming with pulse-pounding action and torturous romance, it’s an explosive journey through a dystopian landscape, begging a desperate question – who are we when no one is watching?

James Anderson has infiltrated Ark Island. No outsider has breached the stronghold of the authoritarian regime, but James is in. In a prison cell, sure, but a win is a win. Rosabelle Wolff is tightly controlled – where constant surveillance is packaged as security, even emotions must be experienced with caution. When she’s given an order to kill, she never hesitates…

Join Alex Wharton, Children’s Laureate Wales, and be transported by creative electricity, joy and mystery. In this event poetry, rap and songs dance together as one. Combining his four collections of fizzy-dizzy words, he seeks to connect us, transport us and inspire a love of playful, curious and imaginative language.

Alex Wharton is an award-winning writer and performer of poetry for adults and children. His first book of poetry for children, Daydreams and Jellybeans, was shortlisted for the Wales Book of the Year Award, the Lollies Book Awards, and was named as a National Poetry Day Recommended Read.

Spend a special afternoon with author Michael Morpurgo and musician and actor Ben Murray, as they retell War Horse in this moving concert.

First published in 1982, War Horse is one of Morpurgo’s best known and most beloved books. It has gone on to be adapted for the stage in an award-winning production by the National Theatre and for the screen in a Steven Spielberg film.

Told from the perspective of a young farm horse Joey, it follows his story as he is taken from the fields of Devon to the Western Front after being sold to the British Army in 1914. With his officer, Joey charges towards the enemy, witnessing the horror of the frontline.

In this event, Morpurgo retells an abridged version of War Horse accompanied by music and songs from Murray, who previously played the Songman in the National Theatre production of the book.

How do you create world-changing television that resonates across generations? How do you bring ambitious, complex stories to life for global audiences? Join Jane Tranter, CEO of Bad Wolf and executive producer of award-winning television shows such as His Dark Materials, Industry and Succession, as she shares the journey behind her career – from navigating an ever-evolving television landscape, to setting up her own production company.

In this workshop-style event, Jane will draw on her extensive experience to offer invaluable insights and advice for aspiring storytellers looking to make their mark in the television industry.

This event is one of a Hay Festival series of sessions delivered by inspiring producers and practitioners from the creative industries, giving their insights, experience and advice on progression in their field.

Please bring your own notebook and pen to this event.

Join much-loved actor and activist Michael Sheen for a family event – more details to be shared soon.

Shimmy up to hear the ballroom star, Strictly Come Dancing judge and author Anton Du Beke talk about his new book for young readers with CBeebies presenter Maddie Moate.

Set in Britain during WW2, the book sees 10-year-old twins Harry and Rosie evacuated to live with their great uncle on the Lancashire coast. Missing the vibrancy of London and the dancers at the tearoom where their mother works, they throw themselves into a local Christmas show. But when Harry sees strange lights out on the treacherous mudflats, he and Rosie discover their new home is hiding huge secrets…

The author of Safiyyah’s War weaves a powerful story of friendship and family set during the violence and chaos of Indian partition, as two friends desperately try to make it to the right side of the border in time.

It’s 1947 in Lahore. Jahan and Ravi spend their days racing, wrestling and teasing each other. Jahan’s dad works for the British government and the boys hear snippets about the end of the British Raj and a partition of India. Tensions are rising throughout the city and beyond. Then word comes that there are only two days until the partition. Families must flee through desperate violence – will the boys ever see each other again?

Buckle in for a mind-blowing science ride with TikTok superstar Big Manny and children’s TV presenter Maddie Moate. Big Manny reveals all about physics, from sound waves to circuits and mad magnetism to fantastic friction. Want to bend water or build an electroscope? He’s your man. Maddie Moate takes a look inside everyday objects and marvellous machines to see how they work, from microwaves to smart speakers to supermarket checkouts, and explains why roundabouts make you dizzy!

Big Manny is a science-first content creator with a master’s degree in biomedical science. He has a combined following of 2.9 million on TikTok and Instagram. His latest book is Science is Lit: Awesome Electricity and Mad Magnets.

Maddie Moate is a BAFTA-winning presenter, star of CBeebies’ Do You Know? and non-fiction children’s author. Her new book is How Does it Work? Explore Machines and Objects, from Fridges to Fire Engines!

If you’re a keen detective in the making, join the award-winning comedian and meet Montgomery Bonbon, the world’s finest detective. Learn how to walk, talk and detect like a sleuth in this event for ages 7–11 – anyone over 11 should get the permission of a child before booking!

Alasdair Beckett-King studied at the London Film School, and since then he has performed critically lauded solo shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, written for BBC Radio, appeared on comedy panel shows such as Mock the Week, co-written an award-winning video game and created numerous viral sketches for social media, including an interactive whodunnit.

Where do you get started in comedy, as a writer, creator or performer? And what do you do when the industry wants you to be one thing, but your best work is spread across disciplines? Rachel Parris is a Bafta-nominated comedian and writer (The Mash Report, Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News For You) with experience of writing stand-up, radio comedy, TV satire and songs, as well as fiction and non-fiction books. She’ll discuss carving out your own unique path in a complicated and changing industry. Bring your own questions!

One of a Hay Festival series of sessions delivered by inspiring producers and practitioners from the creative industries, giving their insights, experience and advice on progression in their field.

Please bring your own notebook and pen to this event.

The activist and bestselling feminist writer introduces the second instalment in her epic Arthurian fantasy series. Sisters of Fire and Fury is a reimagining of the tales of the Arthurian Round Table through a feminist lens. Discover the Sisterhood of Silk Knights who live in a world of ancient feuds and glorious battles and who are determined to protect their community and right the wrongs of men.

Laura will share her original inspiration, her action-packed research at Knight school and why she hopes this novel will bring joy to feminists young and old. The founder of the Everyday Sexism Project has made waves in YA fiction with her Sisters of Sword and Shadow series, combining mythic elements with contemporary feminist themes.

Travel through time back to Ancient Egypt with the author of the Adventures on Trains and The Twitchers series. Discover how a trip down the Nile inspired her newest fast-paced adventure, the first in her new Time Keys series. Explore the Valley of the Kings, where the tombs of the Pharaohs can be found, unravel the ancient art of mummification, learn about heart scarabs, the Book of the Dead and the possible location of the lost tomb of Nefertiti. The perfect event for adventure enthusiasts, budding Egyptologists and time travellers!

Author/illustrator Huw Aaron performs a laugh-out-loud read-along of his new picture book Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob – because even monsters need a bedtime story! You can also join in a wild and wacky monster draw-along with Huw. Warm, funny… and slimy, Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob is a rhyming delight, ending with a kiss and sweet dreams for all.

Please bring your own sketchbook and pencils to this event.