Hay Festival has today announced the full programme for its 19th edition in Segovia, Spain, taking place 12–15 September 2024 with a series of special events in the run-up.
Discover more and book events now at hayfestival.org/segovia
Launching the best new fiction and non-fiction, while engaging with the world’s biggest challenges, the programme takes a fresh look at the world with award-winning writers and journalists, artists and designers, global policy makers and innovators in conversations and activities.
More than 139 artists feature in the programme, including writers Eley Williams, Tamara Duda, Jente Posthuma, Juan Tallón, Emilio del Río Sanz, François-Henri Désérable, Reyes Monforte, Julia Navarro, Karina Sainz Borgo and Xavier Güell; poets Ernesto Delgado, Luis Alberto de Cuenca, David Galán Redry and Elvira Sastre; CERN’s artistic curator Ana Prendes; neuroscientists Susana Martínez-Conde and Ignacio Morgado; biochemist Carlos Lopez-Otin; neurophilosopher Pilar Cortada; mathematician Marcus du Sautoy; leadership coach Sally Helgesen; philosopher Erica Brenner; AI specialist Francesca Bria; human rights lawyer Muller Stuart KC; filmmaker Mariana Torres; designer Miguel Leiro; and more.
Major Hay Festival Global projects, including the South to South conversations, Lviv BookForum collaboration and Eccles Institute partnerships, feature across the programme, forging essential global connections across borders. Meanwhile, 35 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Goethe-Institut of Madrid partners Hay Festival Segovia with a special installation in the city.
Outreach and education programmes across the region, including free events in universities for students and workshops in local prisons, continue to open access to Festival inspiration more widely, while some sessions will be broadcast live online, maintaining Hay Festival Global’s commitment to digital accessibility.
Segovia itself presents a majestic backdrop for events as the UNESCO World Heritage-listed city offers plenty to enjoy beyond the Festival stages, from the soaring Roman aqueduct to the fairytale-inspiring castle, Alcázar.
Hay Festival Global CEO Julie Finch said:
“At a time of upheavals across Europe and the wider world, we connect artists, thinkers and dreamers with audiences in Segovia this September to explore the biggest questions of our times with inspiration and hope. Events in Segovia are open to everyone, with extensive outreach and engagement in libraries, universities and prisons. Join us.”
Hay Festival Segovia director Sheila Cremaschi said:
“Hay Festival Segovia 2024 is ready to welcome the world in an open exchange of bold new thinking and action. This year’s programme seeks to reimagine a world of differences where borders fade, without limits for creativity. We are grateful to the artists, partners and supporters who make this happen and look forward to seeing you all soon.”
The programme in detail
Great literature is showcased as renowned writers share new work, including Eley Williams, Alfonso Goizueta, Jente Posthuma, Juan Tallón, Emilio del Río Sanz, François-Henri Désérable, Gustavo Martin Garzo, Alberto Olmo, Julia Navarro, Blanca Baltés, Carlos Aganzo, Reyes Monforte and Xavier Güell; rhythm and wordplay weave their way across the Festival stages in events featuring poets Ernesto Delgado, Luis Alberto de Cuenca, David Galán Redry and Elvira Sastre; meanwhile the annual garden poetry performance sees local writers join Festival guests for a series of readings and there’s a special performance to celebrate the work of Norwegian author Jon Fosse, winner of the 2023 Nobel prize in literature.
Latest thinking in climate solutions, science and tech is shared in conversations with CERN’s artistic curator Ana Prendes; climate activist Sara Abad; neuroscientist Susana Martínez-Conde; biochemist Carlos López-Otín; economist Francesca Bria; philosophers Pilar Cortada and Erica Bennen; AI expert Francesca Bria; tech entrepreneur Xavier Ginesta; mathematician Marcus du Sautoy; scientist Carlos López Otín; digital expert Francesca Bria; psychologist María Esclapez; and IE president Diego de Alcázar.
Global affairs come under the spotlight in debates with writers and thinkers, including human rights lawyer Muller Stuart KC; philosopher Santiago Iñiguez de Onzoño; journalists Sonsoles Ónega, Teodoro León Gross, Jorge Bustos, Carlos Franganillo,
Manuel Jabois, Karina Sainz Borgo, Anna Bosch, and Cayetana Guillen Cuervo; academic and lawyer Soledad Atienza; and leadership expert Sally Helgesen. Meanwhile the Festival’s Lviv BookForum series continues with a spotlight on Ukrainian writer Tamara Duda.
Festival exhibitions take over the city’s galleries as photographer Leticia Díaz de la Morena presents De cerca nadie es normal, while historian Dominica Contreras explores the history of Segovia’s iconic aqueduct.
World-famous creatives share insights into their craft in conversations with Sonar Festival founder Ricard Robles; director José Carlos Plaza; filmmaker Mariana Torres; poet Hugo Martín; designers Simoneta Gómez-Acebo, Belén Llamas Ferrier and Miguel Leiro; artist Clara Carvajal; and more.
And 35 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Goethe-Institut of Madrid partners Hay Festival Segovia with a special installation.
The Festival takes place with the support of funders and partners including AC/E Fundación Banco Sabadell, Ayuntamiento de Segovia, Junta de Castilla y Leon, AECID, Diputacion de Segovia, Fundación IE University, Fundación Telefónica, Reino de Países Bajos, British Council, Embajada de Reino Unido, Ministerio de Cultura de España, Goethe-Institut, Institut Francais, Aida ONG, CAF, Loewe and Visit Portugal.