Discover more on site
Everyone is welcome on the Festival site – it’s free to enter. There are cafés, lots of street food options and a restaurant, exhibitors, book and gift shops, gardens and a dedicated family area open all day long. No need for a ticket, just come and hang out.
Festival Bookshop
Relax and browse in our large and airy bookshop space. We stock books by all authors attending the Festival and more, and host book signings after events. You’re also welcome to bring one book that is not purchased from the Festival Bookshop per person for signature. Open from 9am daily.
Festival Gift Shop
Choose perfect gifts for your friends and family, and perhaps a treat for yourself. Our Hay Festival t-shirts and hoodies are bestsellers every year, and our wide range of stationery is great for doodlers and scribblers. We’ve got new stuff for 2024 including beanies, tote bags, backpacks and a brand new Hay Festival mug in an exclusive edition designed by Jesse Eve Watkins. You can also buy gift vouchers which can be used for items from the shop during the Festival and online afterwards at hayfestival.org/shop, or for tickets to Festival events.
Festival & Family Gardens
The Festival gardens provide the perfect place to relax with a book, a coffee or a picnic and meet friends between events. This year we’ve created a dedicated family space on site where younger Festival-goers can play, and there is plenty to keep children busy.
Music around the site
Look out for musicians playing in half hour bursts in the Bookshop Garden. On Saturdays 27 May and 3 June, Got 2 Sing Choir perform contemporary, uplifting songs with plenty of fun and laughter. On Monday 29 May the Rolling Home Band bring some traditional and contemporary folk. And on Tuesday 30 May Hay Shantymen sing rollicking shanties.
Members welcome
Discover the benefits of joining Hay Festival as a Member, Patron or Benefactor. Come to the membership desk in the Box Office for a chat or to join on the spot. Find out more about becoming a Member.
Wellbeing
Take a break from events and connect with yourself through the practice of yoga at Hay Festival. Our collective of wellbeing experts provide a nurturing and peaceful space. Classes run 8am–9am on the Festival site, every morning from Friday 24 May to Sunday 2 June. Beginners and experienced students are most welcome. Classes have limited capacity so booking is essential.
Cash machine
You’ll find a cash machine with banking facilities on site, next to the Canteen. Cash withdrawals incur a charge. In town, you can withdraw cash from the cash point on Oxford Road and at the Post Office opposite.