Literature
May 2015Hay on Wye Literary Festival
The world's biggest literature festival draws writers, critics, filmmakers, musicians, comedians, historians, scientists, environmentalists and politicians to an otherwise sleepy little town famed for its second-hand bookshops.
Famously described by visitor Bill Clinton as 'the Woodstock of the mind', this literature and arts festival, dating back to 1987, takes over the Welsh town of Hay-on-Wye, picturesquely set in the Brecon Beacons National Park, for ten days in May and June.
As well as book-related events featuring internationally acclaimed authors such as John Updike and Margaret Atwood, it includes debates, art exhibitions, live music, film previews and a children's programme.
Hay, which has a population of just 1,500, evolved into the world's first 'book town' in the 1970s and now boasts around 40 second-hand and antiquarian bookshops attracting half a million visitors a year.
Previous key writers and performers have included Judi Dench, Jennifer Saunders, Stephen Fry, Arianna Huffington, Quentin Blake and Jacqueline Wilson.
Full programme details are available on the website.
