Hay Festival has announced the programme for its 25th Winter Weekend.

The 2024 edition of the popular event will bring writers and readers together in Hay-on-Wye, from November 28 - December 1.

Over four days, more than 70 acclaimed artists take part in over 60 events, launching the best new fiction and non-fiction, exploring creative solutions to some of the biggest challenges of our time, and spreading festive joy in conversations, candle-lit storytelling, comedy, music, and workshops.

Guests include novelists Ali Smith and Paula Hawkins; actors Rupert Everett, Paterson Joseph and Luke Evans; broadcaster and campaigner Carol Vorderman; former Australian PM Julia Gillard; statistician David Spiegelhalter; classicist Natalie Haynes; poet Theresa Lola; Uncanny host Danny Robins; foreign policy specialist Chloe Dalton; comedians Russell Kane and Vic Reeves; broadcaster Cerys Matthews; musician Arun Ghosh; supervet Noel Fitzpatrick; and historians Sarah Clegg and Jonathan Dimbleby.

Events will take place in a specially built 350-seater marquee in the grounds of Hay Castle, in the Castle’s Clore workshop space, plus venues around town, including St Mary’s Church, The Poetry Bookshop, and North Books.

The Festival’s bookshop, open daily from 9am, will stock featured titles and gifts, plus host regular book signings and a special display from Festival partner Visit Seattle.

Part-funded by the UK Government via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the Festival weekend sees the Welsh booktown’s independent shops, cafés and markets offer a warm welcome to Festivalgoers within the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.

Digital media partner TikTok will support Hay Festival Winter Weekend for the first time, hosting some of the UK’s top creators while supporting development opportunities for young creatives within the team. 

Select events will be livestreamed to audiences around the world through the Festival’s online pass, on sale now at hayfestival.org/onlinepass.

Hay Festival Global CEO Julie Finch said: “New ideas, joy and hope – what better ingredients for a year-end festival to wrap one year and help us spring into the next? We’ll offer a world of different experiences at Hay Festival Winter Weekend 2024, sharing a heady dose of entertainment alongside some bold visions for the future.

“Returning to the centre of Hay-on-Wye in the grounds of Hay Castle, we’ll build on the success of last year’s sold-out event by offering access to more Festivalgoers than ever, live and online. Join us!”

Poet and performer Theresa Lola said: “Hay Festival is a global platform that is part of the fabric of what keeps publishing and the work of writers alive. They have consistently connected writers with audiences around the world, bringing about a wholesome exchange that inspires, prompts new possibilities, and opens us to new perspectives.

“During my first visit to Hay Festival, I read the work of Maya Angelou as part of a celebration event, so I am delighted to be part of this year’s programme bringing my own poetry collection. The weekender in Wales is perfectly placed to stimulate and heat us up over the winter.”

Broadcaster and writer Danny Robins said: “I'm thrilled to be appearing at Hay Festival Winter Weekend. I've had some really fun times at Hay Festival recording live episodes of Uncanny for BBC Radio 4 in the sparkling summer sun, and now it feels very fitting to be returning to Hay-on-Wye as the nights draw in and a chill fills the air to be discussing the serious business of ghosts to coincide with the paperback release of my book Into the Uncanny.

“I can promise an evening that makes you think and sends a little shiver down your spine.”

Discover the full programme now at: hayfestival.org