Hay Festival has announced the free Schools Programme to open the spring edition in Hay-on-Wye, which takes place between May 22 and June 1, 2025.

The Schools Programme brings young people up close to award-winning writers, inspiring creatives and influential thinkers for a series of free, interactive events in person and online with support from the Moondance Foundation, Foyle Foundation, Rothschild Foundation and Old Possum’s Practical Trust.

Teachers and parents can explore the programme now at hayfestival.org/schools with booking open from Tuesday, March 4.

KS2 events on Thursday, May 22 include writers Katherine Rundell, Patrice Lawrence, Jasbinder Bilan, Louie Stowell, Jenny Pearson and Ross Welford; poet Anni Llyn; scientists Jules Howard and Ben Garrod; campaigner Lily Dyu; screenwriter and current Waterstones Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce; teacher and performer MC Grammar; and National Poet of Wales Hanan Issa.

KS3/4 events on Friday, May 23 feature broadcaster and political analyst Alastair Campbell; writers Matt Goodfellow, Nicola Davies, Anu Adebogun, Caroline O’Donoghue, Anthony McGowan, Liz Hyder, Christopher Edge, and Ravena Guron; historians Alice Roberts and Phillipa Gregory; singer-songwriter Casi Wyn; and former Children’s Laureate Wales Connor Allen.

For those who can’t access the free events in person, sessions will also be streamed free online, with closed captioning available in English at hayfestival.org/schools, and available free after the event on Hay Festival Anytime at hayfestival.org/anytime.

Over the past year,18,312 people have benefited from free Hay Festival events around the world with 6,315 pupils attending last year’s free events in Hay-on-Wye alone.

Julie Finch, Hay Festival CEO, said: “As a charity we exist to offer accessible platforms of cultural exchange. Our free Schools Programme opens that inspiration to young people across the UK.

“Ahead of our main programme launch next month, we are delighted to share the highlights for schools this spring with 26 dynamic sessions offering a world of different ideas and experiences in person and online.”

Hay Festival, one of the world’s leading cultural charities, was founded in Hay-on-Wye, Wales in 1987, providing audiences with dynamic platforms to come together to share ideas and different perspectives, provoking conversations that can create a better world. Working collaboratively with partners and communities across the world, the charity is a catalyst for change, whose bold, inclusive, imaginative approach makes a significant difference to people’s lives.

A selection of earlybird events are out now, including appearances from writers Fflur Dafydd, Matt Haig, Susie Dent and Elif Shafak; explorer Levison Wood, Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood, historian Tom Holland, actor Tuppence Middleton, R&B legend Billy Ocean, songwriter Tim Rice; and comedians Al Murray and Katherine Ryan.

Events will take place across eight stages in the free-to-enter Festival site at Dairy Meadows in the Bannau Bryncheiniog National Park, offering a range of spaces for audiences to explore and enjoy, including the Bookshop, BBC Marquee, Wild Garden, Make & Take Tent, a host of exhibitors and market stalls, cafés, and the Family Garden – as well as venues around Hay-on-Wye, including St Mary’s Church and Hay Castle.

Projects and themes woven through the programme will include the News Review each morning; the return of Hay Festival Sports Day on Wednesday May 28; South-to-South conversations; Hay Festival Green, prompting innovative solutions to the climate crisis; celebrations of 250 years of Jane Austen's birth and 20 years of Hay Festival’s work abroad; global collaborations with NBO Litfest in Kenya and Lviv BookForum in Ukraine; and a vibrant programme for families and young people throughout the half-term week.

Late nights at the Festival are given over to great music, comedy and entertainment, while a host of free pop-up activities and performances around the site keeps audience entertained between sessions.

The full programme of 600+ events will be released on March 11.