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Hay Festival 2023

Our 2023 Festival took place 25 May - 4 June. The programme is listed below.

Most of the events are now available in our online archive Hay Player – please see individual listings for more details.

Page  11 of 20
ActivityMake & Take Crafting

Event MT14

Make & Take Crafting

Wednesday Lunchtime Session

–  Make & Take Hub
Read more

An opportunity to get crafting! Activities differ every day, including everything from print-making to junk modelling with recycled materials. Get messy and creative: your imagination is the limit.

Book for the session and you can drop in at any point during the 1.5 hour duration. Accompanying adults: please stay in attendance at all times, but you do not require a ticket.

3–11 years
This event has taken place
ConversationGary Lineker talks to David Olusoga

Event 191

Gary Lineker talks to David Olusoga

Sports Day: The Rest is Lineker

–  Global Stage
Read more

One of football’s most successful players ever, Gary Lineker’s latest act has seen him launch a podcasting empire. As founder of Goalhanger Productions, Lineker produces hit shows The Rest is History, The Rest is Entertainment, The Rest is Football and The Rest is Politics, adding much-needed nuance and insight into our national discourse. Join the England legend and Match of the Day presenter for a wide-ranging discussion of his career in sport, media and storytelling. He talks to historian and broadcaster David Olusoga.

This event has taken place
 
ConversationRose Tremain talks to Georgina Godwin

Event 192

Rose Tremain talks to Georgina Godwin

Absolutely and Forever

–  Wye Stage
Read more

The acclaimed author of The Road Home (winner of the Orange Prize), Music & Silence (winner of Whitbread Novel of the Year), and Lily (a Richard & Judy Book Club selection), Dame Rose Tremain talks to the Monocle Radio Books Editor about her piercing story of thwarted love and true friendship in 1960s London.

Marianne falls absolutely for Simon, whose cleverness and physical beauty hold the promise of a successful and monied future. But fate intervenes, Simon’s plans are blown off course, and Marianne is forced to bury her dreams of a future together. Seeming to underestimate her own worth, she nonetheless continues to seek the life she craves. But beneath his blithe exterior, Simon has been nursing a secret that will alter everything.

This event has taken place
PanelCharles Clarke, Lisa Stansbie, Justine Greening and Rachel Sylvester

Event 193

Charles Clarke, Lisa Stansbie, Justine Greening and Rachel Sylvester

A Manifesto for Education

–  Meadow Stage
Read more

What should a future government’s manifesto and action for education include? Join the conversation with two former Secretaries of State for Education and the Times political columnist, Chair of the highly influential Times Education Commission, together with Professor Lisa Stansbie, Pro Vice Chancellor Education, Culture and Society at University of Worcester, whose most recent independent, official inspection report of its teacher training provision begins: “Trainees benefit from an exceptional learning experience at the University of Worcester. This experience instils in them a deep-rooted commitment to making a difference to the lives of the children and young adults in the communities they serve.”

This event has taken place
PerformanceThe Platform

Event 194

The Platform

–  Exchange Marquee
Read more

The Platform is a new space for young, emerging artists to share their work with Hay Festival audiences. Spanning a diverse range of art forms, The Platform aims to elevate and develop outstanding creative artists at the start of their careers. Join us to discover and support some of the best young talent working in the UK today.

Free but ticketed
This event has taken place
PerformanceWriters at Work/Awduron wrth eu Gwaith

Event 195

Writers at Work/Awduron wrth eu Gwaith

Readings

–  Writers at Work Hub – Hwb Awduron wrth eu Gwaith
Read more

Hay Festival’s 2024 Writers at Work/Awduron wrth eu Gwaith give a public reading of their current work. An opportunity to experience the best Wales has to offer in fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Writers at Work is a creative development programme for emerging Welsh talent at Hay Festival.

Free but ticketed
This event has taken place
PerformanceLeonore Piano Trio and Lawrence Power

Event 196

Leonore Piano Trio and Lawrence Power

BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert 3

–  St Mary’s Church
Read more

A BBC Radio 3 lunchtime concert series marking the centenary of Gabriel Fauré’s death. In this third, and slightly longer, of four recitals recorded for broadcast, the Leonore Piano Trio and Lawrence Power (viola) perform Le Beau’s Piano Quartet in F minor, Op 28 and Fauré’s Piano Quartet No 2 in G minor, Op 45.

Recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3. Please arrive in good time.
This event has taken place
Performance

Event 412

Hay Festival 2024 – All-Stars Cricket Match

–  Hay-on-Wye Cricket Ground, Brecon Road
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Howzat? For the first time in Hay Festival Global history, the thwack of leather against willow replaces debate. Actor and author Stephen Fry puts down his pen to umpire the inaugural cricket match between a Hay Festival All-Star team and the local Hay Town team.

The Authors Cricket Team has a 100-year history with the likes of PG Wodehouse, AA Milne and Arthur Conan Doyle playing.. More recently, they’ve played against IPL players, the Vatican and the national teams of Japan and Iceland. Now Hay Festival Global is teaming up with The Authors to put out a side of writers and actors, with the odd professional cricketer filling in…

You can decide whether authors Adam Rutherford, Robert Macfarlane and Charlie Campbell’s batting is better than their writing, whether comedians Marcus Brigstocke and Carrie Quinlan’s bowling beats their jokes and whether musician and actor Johnny Flynn’s catching out-performs his acting. Joined by two professional cricketers – Claire Taylor and Azeem Rafiq – the Hay Festival All-Stars will battle it out against the mighty Hay Town team captained by John Sly.

Who will come out on top?

Please note there is no seating available - If bad weather prevents play, we will inform you via email.
This event has taken place
ConversationCressida Cowell

Event F45

Cressida Cowell

Which Way Round the Galaxy

–  Discovery Stage
Read more

Create fantasy worlds with Cressida Cowell! Plunge into the imagination of the multi-million-selling author and illustrator of How to Train Your Dragon as she introduces her latest fantasy adventure Which Way Round the Galaxy. She’ll help you create your own magical world and characters, all while illustrating live on stage. Bring along your ideas books to show Cressida at the signing.

8+ years
Please bring your own sketchbook and pencils to draw along in this event.
This event has taken place
ConversationPeter Wohlleben

Event F46

Peter Wohlleben

Be a Nature Explorer!

–  Spring Stage
Read more

Whether you’re in the forest, your own backyard or the city, there are so many exciting ways to engage with nature – and forester Peter Wohlleben has the best ideas for doing it. He has the knowledge, from pressing flowers, harvesting algae and skipping stones to observing spiders and even building your own mini sailboat. Learn how to decode nature’s messages, identify plants and animal tracks, record and preserve your finds and more, with Peter’s activities to help you explore the outdoors.

6+ years
Please bring your own notebook and pen or pencil to this event.
This event has taken place
WorkshopCircus Skills Workshop

Event W43

Circus Skills Workshop

With Citrus Arts

–  Creative Hub
Read more

In this workshop with expert tutors from Citrus Arts, you’ll learn the basics of juggling and object manipulation, skills that you can continue to practise and improve on your own at home. Try out hula hooping, diablo and more, in true Big Top style.

12+ years
No parent/carer attendance nor sign in/out is required.
This event has taken place
ActivityMountain Biking in the Wye Valley

Event 197

Mountain Biking in the Wye Valley

–  Meet at Drover Cycles in Hay
Read more

Join Polly Clark of Mountain Yoga Breaks and Lee Craigie of The Adventure Syndicate for a two-hour off-road bike ride in the beautiful Wye Valley. Clark and Craigie have enormous amounts of guiding and coaching experience, and they’re passionate about encouraging more people, especially women, to realise that mountain biking is for them.

To take part in this session you need to be able to ride a bike, but no off-road riding experience is necessary. The event will start and finish at Drover Cycles, Forest Road, Hay-on-Wye HR3 5EH.

Please arrive in good time for a punctual departure. We recommend wearing clothing you can move in easily. Bring a waterproof jacket, water and a snack. Bring your own bike and helmet or hire them from Drover Cycles at a special 25% discount – contact info@drovercycles.co.uk in advance. Limited capacity – please book to avoid disappointment.
This event has taken place
WorkshopFencing Workshop

Event W44

Fencing Workshop

With Fencing Cymru

–  Middle Garden
Read more

Draw your sabre and take on friends and family for the Hay Festival fencing crown in this have-a-go session with Fencing Cymru/Welsh Fencing. Learn the skills of this fast-paced Olympic sport in a safe and friendly environment before stepping onto the piste – en garde!

Family, 6+ years
This event has taken place
ConversationJudi Dench and Brendan O’Hea

Event 198

Judi Dench and Brendan O’Hea

(Un)scripted: The Man Who Pays the Rent

–  Global Stage
Read more

Gain a rare insight into our greatest playwright by one of our greatest actors. Dame Judi Dench describes every Shakespearean role she has played throughout her seven-decade career in a series of intimate conversations with actor and director Brendan O’Hea (associate artist at Shakespeare’s Globe), inviting us to share in her triumphs, disasters and backstage shenanigans. Drawing on her memoir Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, interspersed with vignettes on mentors, critics, company spirit and rehearsal room etiquette, she discusses everything from the craft of speaking in verse to her personal interpretations of some of Shakespeare’s most famous scenes, all peppered with her mischievous sense of humour.

There will be no book signing following this event.
This event has taken place
ConversationNaomi Alderman

Event 199

Naomi Alderman

The Future

–  Wye Stage
Read more

The Women's Prize for Fiction-winning author of The Power introduces her new novel, in which a group of misfits plan an audacious heist with the future of the world at stake. When Martha Einkorn fled her father’s isolated compound in Oregon, she never expected to be working for a powerful social media mogul hell-bent on controlling everything. She may have left the cult, but if her father's apocalyptic warnings are starting to come true, how much future is left? Meanwhile, in a mall in Singapore, survivalist Lai Zhen flees from an assassin. She’s cornered and desperate. Suddenly, a piece of software appears on her phone telling her how to escape. But if those behind it can save her from danger, what do they want from her? Martha and Zhen’s worlds collide and set in motion an explosive chain of events. Alderman talks to Philippa Hall, presenter of the Quick Book Reviews podcast.

This event has taken place
ConversationRebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell

Event 200

Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell

These Heavy Black Bones

–  Meadow Stage
Read more

Aged 15, Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell was world number one in the 50m breaststroke. Over the next three years, she would become a double British champion, sports personality of the year in Kenya, and make the Great British Olympic team as the first Black woman to swim for Britain. She made history, but chose to walk away from it all. Ajulu-Bushell shares how she achieved victory and what it cost her to do so, physically and mentally. Laying bare the pressures of success and meditating on Blackness and identity, Ajulu-Bushell is honest and heartfelt. Lahiri talks to Creative Producer Heather Marks.

This event has taken place
ConversationGeri Halliwell-Horner

Event F47

Geri Halliwell-Horner

Rosie Frost and the Falcon Queen

–  Discovery Stage
Read more

Geri Halliwell-Horner – author, singer, producer and musician – joins us at Hay Festival for a celebration of Girl Power. Geri has created Rosie Frost, a new kind of hero for today’s young readers. She talks about her creative career, writing for children and the inspiration behind her adventure novel. Bring your questions for the Q&A with Geri.

10+ years
This event has taken place
ConversationJenny Valentine

Event F85

Jenny Valentine

Planet Joy

–  Spring Stage
Read more

Join award-winning author Jenny Valentine as she introduces you to Joy Applebloom, the optimistic hero of her A Girl Called Joy series. It's a cheerful, heart-warming story about family, friends and never being too small to make a difference. Expect quizzes, questions and lots of laughter.

7+ years
This event has replaced [F48] Laura Ellen Anderson
This event has taken place
WorkshopCircus Skills Workshop

Event W45

Circus Skills Workshop

With Citrus Arts

–  Creative Hub
Read more

In this workshop with expert tutors from Citrus Arts, you’ll learn the basics of juggling and object manipulation, skills that you can continue to practise and improve on your own at home. Try out hula hooping, diablo and more, in true Big Top style.

9–11 years
Parents/carers may attend (no ticket required), or sign children in/out.
This event has taken place
ActivityMake & Take Crafting

Event MT15

Make & Take Crafting

Wednesday Afternoon Session

–  Make & Take Hub
Read more

An opportunity to get crafting! Activities differ every day, including everything from print-making to junk modelling with recycled materials. Get messy and creative: your imagination is the limit.

Book for the session and you can drop in at any point during the 1.5 hour duration. Accompanying adults: please stay in attendance at all times, but you do not require a ticket.

3–11 years
This event has taken place
PerformanceMeet Muffin the Mule

Event HC11

Meet Muffin the Mule

–  Hay Castle
Read more

Come and meet Muffin the Mule and his friends, and enter the enchanting world of puppets brought to you by Will McNally, grandson of Jan Bussell and Ann Hogarth. Muffin and other characters from the BBC television programme will be appearing to celebrate Muffin’s new book, Muffin and the Passage of Time, written by Benjamin James Huxley. During the show Will McNally will talk about how Muffin the Mule became famous, while entertaining the children and taking the parents and grandparents on a trip down memory lane.

Family
This event has taken place
ActivityWild Swimming in the River Wye

Event 201

Wild Swimming in the River Wye

–  Meet at By the Wye
Read more

Come for a wild swim in the Wye with adventure and wild swimming specialist Angela Jones. The author of Wild Swimming the River Wye is passionate about protecting and respecting the river, its environment and wildlife. She shows how to engage in wild swimming with love and respect, testing the water for cleanliness and observing when it’s safe, before leading a guided wild swim session. Beginners and seasoned swimmers alike will gain a wealth of knowledge, including tips on acclimation, water safety, equipment, technique, reading the river and undercurrents.

You will meet Angela on the banks of the river at By the Wye Glamping Site, HR3 5RS, located just past the main bridge into Hay on the B4351
(What3Words : lifestyle.waving.cavalier).

The session starts at 3pm and ends at 5pm at the river.

There is no parking at the swim site, please park in one of the designated car parks around town.
Age 16+
Please bring swimming gear and towel. Water shoes essential and wetsuits optional. There are no changing facilities by the river, so don swimming costumes in advance, worn under loose clothing. Please do not don wetsuits in advance. Bring a thermos or drink and warm clothes for after the swim. Wetsuits can be provided on loan for £5 with prior notice – contact angela@swimwildwye.co.uk.
This event has taken place
WorkshopPizza-making Workshop

Event W46

Pizza-making Workshop

Kitchen Garden Pizza

–  Family Garden
Read more

Come to the Family Garden for a pizza masterclass with Kitchen Garden Pizza. In this one-hour session your imagination and creativity will be fed along with your belly! You’ll get your hands messy with freshly grown and foraged ingredients, make and top your own dough and observe the pizzaioli at work at the wood-fired oven. And while you wait for your pizza to cook, you can decorate your own pizza box!
Dairy-free and gluten-free options available.

4+ years
Parents/carers must attend but do not need a ticket.
This event has taken place
ConversationKenny Ethan Jones, Wendy Moore and Alana S Portero in conversation

Event 203

Kenny Ethan Jones, Wendy Moore and Alana S Portero in conversation

The Queer Experience

–  Wye Stage
Read more

From manifesto to biography and from historical fiction to coming-of-age story, four authors of books centring on queer people discuss their work. Kenny Ethan Jones’ book Dear Cis(Gender) People is a powerful call to arms empowering cisgender people to be better allies. Wendy Moore’s Jack and Eve tells the real story of a jobbing actress who became Emmeline Pankhurst’s chauffeur and mechanic, and the daughter of a Scottish baron, who became public faces of the suffragette movement. Alana S Portero is a Spanish writer, poet and transgender activist whose novel Bad Habit explores coming of age in 1980s Spain, a place of vast social inequality but also one where social change was possible, and all moderated by Welsh lesbian writer Rachel Dawson whose novel, Neon Roses has been short-listed for Wales Book of The Year.

This event has taken place
ConversationJudy Murray

Event 204

Judy Murray

Sports Day: The Wild Card

–  Discovery Stage
Read more

The Scottish National Coach and mother of champions Jamie and Andy brings her debut thriller to Hay Festival. The former Scottish international tennis player is not new to publishing – her memoir Knowing the Score was a Sunday Times bestseller – but with The Wild Card she’s served up an ace in the world of fiction. Join her for a first-hand account of her story about an ambitious player who puts her promising tennis career on hold to have a baby. Years later, a surprise entry to Wimbledon sweeps her up in a world she thought she’d left behind. But could the greatest comeback of all time destroy everything she’s sacrificed to protect? Murray talks to QI writer and podcaster James Harkin.

This event has taken place
ConversationHenry Engelhardt talks to Antonia Garrett-Peel

Event 205

Henry Engelhardt talks to Antonia Garrett-Peel

Be a Better Boss

–  Meadow Stage
Read more

There is no one who has a bigger impact on the mood of a workplace than the boss. But how do you ensure you’re one of the good ones, and not a figure that everyone complains about? Starting with his own background, Henry Engelhardt shares his advice on how to be a better boss, in conversation with Antonia Garrett-Peel, Senior Writer at Management Today. With almost 50 years’ working experience, starting with Poochie’s Hot Dogs at age 13, Engelhardt is a founder and CEO emeritus of Admiral Group, based in Cardiff. It is the largest private car insurer in the UK and the only FTSE 100 company in Wales.

This event has taken place
PerformanceThe Platform

Event 206

The Platform

–  Exchange Marquee
Read more

The Platform is a new space for young, emerging artists to share their work with Hay Festival audiences. Spanning a diverse range of art forms, The Platform aims to elevate and develop outstanding creative artists at the start of their careers. Join us to discover and support some of the best young talent working in the UK today.

Free but ticketed
This event has taken place
ConversationMichael Heseltine talks to Matthew d'Ancona

Event 459

Michael Heseltine talks to Matthew d'Ancona

State of the nation

–  Global Stage
Read more

On the eve of a General Election, former Deputy Prime Minister the Rt Hon the Lord Michael Heseltine CH joins us for a state of the nation discussion with journalist Matthew d'Ancona. Lord Heseltine enjoyed one of the most colourful and creative careers of late 20th-century British politics. If the top office at Westminster eluded him, nothing much else did. He was a Cabinet Minister in various departments from 1979 to 1986 and 1990 to 1997 and Deputy Prime Minister from 1995 to 1997. He later served as an advisor to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Growth, and as a Commissioner on the National Infrastructure Commission (October 2015 to March 2017). He is the founder and Chairman of the Haymarket Group. Together with his wife he has created an outstanding garden around their home in Northamptonshire and co-authored Thenford: The Creation of an English Garden.

This has replaced event 202 with Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram
This event has taken place
 
TalkBen Martynoga

Event F49

Ben Martynoga

Explodapedia: Rewild

–  Spring Stage
Read more

Plunge into the science of rewilding with biologist and author Ben Martynoga. He celebrates nature and the incredible ways it keeps us alive, and explores how we can welcome the wild on a personal and epic scale. River-nurturing wolves, tree-toppling beavers, climate warrior whales and even genetically-engineered woolly mammoths could all help us protect, revive and restore our planet to its full glory. Come and take an inspiring look at how we can rewild life so that nature – and humankind – flourishes for a long time to come.

12+ years
Please bring your own notebook and pen or pencil to this event.
This event has taken place
WorkshopCircus Skills Workshop

Event W47

Circus Skills Workshop

With Citrus Arts

–  Creative Hub
Read more

In this workshop with expert tutors from Citrus Arts, you’ll learn the basics of juggling and object manipulation, skills that you can continue to practise and improve on your own at home. Try out hula hooping, diablo and more, in true Big Top style.

7-9 years
Parents/carers must attend but do not need a ticket.
This event has taken place
WorkshopPizza-making Workshop

Event W48

Pizza-making Workshop

Kitchen Garden Pizza

–  Family Garden
Read more

Come to the Family Garden for a pizza masterclass with Kitchen Garden Pizza. In this one-hour session your imagination and creativity will be fed along with your belly! You’ll get your hands messy with freshly grown and foraged ingredients, make and top your own dough and observe the pizzaioli at work at the wood-fired oven. And while you wait for your pizza to cook, you can decorate your own pizza box!
Dairy-free and gluten-free options available.

4+ years
Parents/carers must attend but do not need a ticket.
This event has taken place
PerformanceMeet Muffin the Mule

Event HC12

Meet Muffin the Mule

–  Hay Castle
Read more

Come and meet Muffin the Mule and his friends, and enter the enchanting world of puppets brought to you by Will McNally, grandson of Jan Bussell and Ann Hogarth. Muffin and other characters from the BBC television programme will be appearing to celebrate Muffin’s new book, Muffin and the Passage of Time, written by Benjamin James Huxley. During the show Will McNally will talk about how Muffin the Mule became famous, while entertaining the children and taking the parents and grandparents on a trip down memory lane.

Family
This event has taken place
Page  11 of 20