Malala Yousafzai and Gisèle Pelicot lead a star-packed Hay Festival 2026 lineup as the world-famous event kicks off today. Here is your full guide to the biggest Hay on Wye events today.
The annual Hay Festival begins today in the picturesque Welsh border town of Hay-on-Wye, launching an ambitious eleven-day programme that promises to blend literary excellence with urgent contemporary debate.
Running until the end of the month, the world-renowned arts and literature event will host more than five hundred gatherings at its Dairy Meadows site, drawing some of the biggest names in Hollywood, global activism, and contemporary fiction.
Organisers have promised a flagship edition this year, designed to celebrate the joy of reading while tackling the most pressing issues of the modern age.
Today’s opening line-up sets a high bar for the rest of the week, featuring an early showcase event with Poet Laureate Simon Armitage alongside actor Sir Tony Robinson, presenter Dallas Campbell and best-selling author Katherine Rundell. Sir Tony is also slated to give a highly anticipated solo talk later this evening regarding his debut adult historical novel The House of Wolf .
READ MORE: Profound love story makes history by winning the 2026 International Booker PrizeREAD MORE: Greatest novel of all time named – and it’s not Pride and Prejudice or War and Peace
While the tech world will be watching the global stage as the inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, delivers a keynote lecture This is for Everyone: Reclaiming the Web in the Age of AI , on reclaiming the digital space in the accelerating age of artificial intelligence.
As the festival progresses into the bank holiday weekend, the star power will intensify. Among the top-tier headliners anchoring the entertainment programme are screen icon Emma Thompson is in conversation with Elizabeth Day and comedy legend Dawn French will be in conversation with Richard Coles.
In a bid to balance lighter cultural moments with serious global discourse, the festival will also welcome international figures of immense courage. Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai will return to the stage to speak on human rights, whilst French activist Gisèle Pelicot is expected to draw one of the largest audiences of the week as she discusses her globally publicised anti-sexual violence advocacy.
Want to hear the latest books news and reviews from The Mirror’s resident bookworm? Follow Aimée Walsh on Tiktok and Instagram
Literary enthusiasts will have the chance to hear directly from contemporary fiction giants, with bestselling authors Maggie O’Farrell, Ian McEwan, Douglas Stuart and Matt Haig all scheduled to launch and discuss their latest works.
Current affairs and politics will also take centre stage during a series of fiery cross-party debates featuring prominent political figures, including Nicola Sturgeon, Penny Mordaunt, and David Miliband.
Beyond traditional talks, the festival remains a massive broadcasting and entertainment hub. BBC Radio 4 will record live on-site episodes of flagship shows like The News Quiz and Loose Ends throughout the week, while arena-selling comedians Michael McIntyre and Sara Pascoe provide late-night entertainment.
Music fans are equally catered for, with Welsh rock royalty James Dean Bradfield and Nicky Wire of the Manic Street Preachers appearing on stage to discuss their definitive history interspersed with live music elements. With the festival site free to enter and events ticketed individually, the town of books is once again ready to become the centre of the cultural universe.
Love reading? Join Dr. Aimée Walsh and our community of fellow readers in the Mirror Book Club to dive deeper into the books everyone is talking about.