Colm Tóibín, Rory Stewart and Cressida Cowell to headline 2024 Hay-on-Wye Festival programme

Colm Tóibín, Cressida Cowell, Elif Shafak and Jacqueline Wilson will be among the authors headlining the 2024 Hay-on-Wye Festival programme. They will be joined by a host of other guests, including authors Paul Lynch, Marian Keyes, Michael Morpurgo, Hisham Matar and David Nicholls, as well as politicians Theresa May, Andy Burnham and Rory Stewart, among many others.

The festival has unveiled the full programme for its 37th spring edition in Hay-on-Wye, with more than 600 in-person events, held between 23rd May to 2nd June 2024 – as well as a free schools programme on 23rd and 24th May. 

“In a year when more voters than ever in history will head to the polls, as at least 64 countries hold their elections, we present a programme to bring people together, respectfully exploring different perspectives and the power of storytelling to unite us," said Hay Festival Global c.e.o. Julie Finch. "With new venues on our free-to-enter Festival site and diverse new projects throughout the programme, this is a festival for everyone."

The literary programme features conversations with the soon-to-be-announced winners of the Swansea University Dylan Thomas and International Booker prizes, as well as the shortlisted authors of the Wales Book of the Year 2024 and Women’s Prizes for Fiction and Non-Fiction. Meanwhile, The Bookseller will present The Nibbies Salon, as novelist Katherine Rundell and her team share insights from the publishing journey. A new Climate Fiction Prize will also be launched live on stage this year.

Fiction writers including Sara Pascoe, Andrew O’Hagan, Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ and Jeanette Winterson will be discussing their new books, while fiction in translation will be spotlighted with author guests including Adania Shibli, Isabella Hammad and Sara Pascoe.

Crime and thriller writers speaking at the festival will include Anthony Horowitz, Reverend Richard Coles and Alex Michaelides, while historical fiction will be explored by A K Blakemore, Kate Mosse and Alison Weir. And in an event co-curated with The Queen’s Reading Room, Waterstones Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho will be joined by authors Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Cowell, delving into the history of children’s literature.

Priscilla Morris and Shafak will be talking to Lord Paul Boateng, vice patron of the charity Book Aid International, about the cost of libraries being targeted. Moreover, MP Chris Bryant will be in conversation with historian Wendy Moore and activist Alana Portero, discussing queer literature. 

There will also be previews of new work to be released later in the year, including by authors Jodi Picoult and Stephen Fry. Meanwhile, literary history will take to the stage as Anna Funder discusses the work of George Orwell, and authors Irenosen Okojie, David Olusoga, Paul Mendez and Tóibín will talk about James Baldwin’s impact, 100 years after his birth.

On each day of the festival, a spotlight will be dedicated to the best debut fiction, sponsored by the Hawthornden Foundation. Kaliane Bradley will be talking to Francis Spufford as part of this, while Holly Gramazio will talk to Naomi Alderman, and Andrew McMillan will be in conversation with Jackie Kay.

Poet Laureate Simon Armitage will present his latest collections, and Lemn Sissay will perform on stage. And in a walking event curated with the Black British Book Festival, poet, playwright and rapper Ashleigh Nugent, will invite audiences to write poems inspired by nature, while the creator and editor of The Poetry Pharmacy, William Sieghart, will be joined by guests – including Natascha McElhone and Dominic West – for an event of "connection, imagination and inspiration".

There are some new projects launching at the festival this year, including The Platform for new creatives and the daily News Review, which will offer analysis of the latest events. As part of the latter, each morning of the festival will see journalists, commentators, and leaders discuss the latest news live on stage.

The first Hay Festival Sports Day will also take place, while the climate crises will take centre stage at the Hay Festival Green. As well as in and around Hay-on-Wye, events will be held across eight stages in the free-to-enter festival site at Dairy Meadows, which also boasts a bookshop, market stalls, cafés and a new "Family Garden" for young readers.

The full programme, featuring many more events, is available to view online. Tickets are on sale now to Hay Festival Members, Patrons and Benefactors, and the general sale will begin at noon this Friday 15th March.