Discover more on site

The Festival site is free to enter, with music, sports activities, workshops and food demonstrations all on offer. Explore the exhibitors, cafés, street food options, book and gift shops, gardens and a dedicated family area open all day long.

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. Check out our exclusive and limited edition Hay Festival mug, plus brand new products for 2025. 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. The Family Garden offers a 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.

MUBI Cinema

This year, global streaming service MUBI brings its unique approach to film curation to the Festival, with new dedicated space on site. The MUBI Cinema invites you to experience some of the freshest MUBI releases (including Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days and Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun). In between ticketed feature screenings, the MUBI Cinema is free to access, offering a sample of the platform’s eclectic programming in the form of a curated selection of short films.

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 23 May to Sunday 1 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, near the Festival entrance. Cash withdrawals incur a charge. In town, you can withdraw cash from the cash point on Oxford Road and at the Post Office opposite.