Hay Festival

About Hay Festival

Hay Festival 2027 is scheduled for 27 May–6 June at Dairy Meadows, Hay-on-Wye, marking the festival’s 40th anniversary as an arts festival led by literature and ideas.

The event was dreamt up in Hay-on-Wye in 1987. Hay Festival Global became a charity in 2022, and the Hay-on-Wye edition runs from an 11-acre green field site on Brecon Road.

Lineup and Programme

The programme leans into literature, arts and ideas, with politics, science, music and comedy also in the frame.

The stage map is broad. Named spaces include Global Stage, Discovery Stage, Meadow Stage, Spring Stage, Exchange Marquee, Creative Hub, Writers at Work Hub, Hwb Awduron Wrth Eu Gwaith, MUBI Cinema, Bookshop Garden Marquee, Make & Take Hub, Garden Kitchen, St Mary’s Church and The Warren.

Across the programme, the data lists author talks and debates, book signings, family workshops and creative activities, pop-up music performances, film screenings and wellbeing/yoga sessions.

Who Is It For?

Hay’s core audience is readers, writers and culturally curious audiences, with family groups, school groups and 14–25-year-olds named in the festival’s audience material.

It is not age-restricted. Events after 9pm may not be suitable for under-12s, and comedy performances may not be suitable for under-16s. Children aged 11 and under must be accompanied; 9–11s may need sign-in/out for workshops.

The Venue and Site

Dairy Meadows sits on Brecon Road in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, laid out as a free-to-enter tented village with hard under-cover boardwalks.

The main site covers 11 acres. Venue capacities range from 40 to 1,730, while St Mary’s Church operates as a 170-capacity off-site venue.

Facilities include cafés and a food court, Festival and Family Gardens, a bookshop and gift shop, box office, accessible toilets and wheelchair access, a quiet room and an on-site cash machine.

Camping is handled through official camping/glamping partner Tangerine Fields, and the accommodation information lists campsites within walking distance of the festival site.

Travel

• Rail: Hereford railway station is about 21 miles from Hay-on-Wye.
• Road: The festival site is on Brecon Road, reached via the A438 between Brecon and Hereford.
• Nearby places: Hay-on-Wye is approximately 30 minutes from Hereford and 20 minutes from Brecon.
• Parking: Limited Blue Badge hard-standing spaces are available at the festival site. The closest car park is the Car Park at Hay in aid of Macmillan; parking is advance-booked and there is no overnight parking.