Hay Festival unveils free school events with Coelho, Boakye and Grylls

Hay Festival has unveiled a packed roster of free events for schools as part of this year’s spring edition of the event, featuring the likes of Children’s Laureate Joseph Coehlo, Jeffrey Boakye and adventurer Bear Grylls.

The free Programme for Schools will take place on 25th and 26th of May, kicking off the wider festival, which runs 25th May to 4th June. Priority booking is now open now to all state schools in Wales. 

KS2 events on Thursday 25th May include writers Matt Goodfellow, Dr Ranj, Pamela Butchart, Chae Strathie, Abi Elphinstone, Emma Carroll, Boakye and SF Said as well as poet Mererid Hopwood, Coelho, Grylls and space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock.

On Friday 26th May, KS3/4 events feature writers Anthony McGowan, Dr Shini Somara, Nicola Davies, Patrice Lawrence, Nikesh Shukla, Chris Vick, Candy Gourlay and Laura Dockrill as well as economist Tim Harford and activist Laura Bates.

For those who can’t access the free events in person, sessions will also be streamed free online, with closed captioning available in Welsh and English here, and available free after the event on Hay Player.

Last year’s Programme for Schools at Hay Festival saw more than 14,000 attendances from primary and secondary schools across England and Wales, while digital events over the past three years have reached more than 160,000 pupils with free events online according to the organisers.

Julie Finch, Hay Festival c.e.o, said: “Following last week’s programme launch, we are delighted to share the line-up for our free Programme for Schools at Hay Festival 2023. As a charity, we are committed to broadening cultural accessibility and boosting reading for pleasure through dynamic, interactive events and year-round projects. Our Programme for Schools is an annual highlight and we cannot wait to welcome thousands of young people, in-person and online, to join us for these days of inspiration and hope.”

The Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles, said: “It’s fantastic to see Hay Festival’s free spring programme for schools, inspiring pupils with in-person and online workshops with writers and poets. I look forward to seeing lots of young people getting involved and finding their passion for creative writing and reading.”