About the festival

Hay Festival Cartagena promotes culture and social responsibility.

Literature, visual arts, cinema, music, geopolitics, journalism, the environment... all go together with dialogue and celebration. After nineteenth years, during which we have become one of the most important literary events in the Hispanic world, Hay Festival Cartagena de Indias 2025 will be our twentienth edition, and we will also celebrate with Hay Festival Medellín and Jericó.

• Local and international promotion of literature, debate, cultural exchange, education and development.

• Accessible and inclusive events with international artists.

• Social responsibility and education. Twenty per cent of the tickets are free to students. Hay Festival Joven is a programme of events just for students and Hay Festival Comunitario spreads the festival through the barrios. Sunday events are free of charge for all the citizens of the Bolivar Department

• Ongoing literacy and reading programmes.

• Partnerships with institutions, private and public enterprise, local and international companies, in order to maximize the impact of our model and to secure its accessibility for the local population.