HAY-ON-WYE is bracing itself for a busy week with not one, but two festivals in the town.

Hardy perennial Hay Festival (May 24-June 3) will be drawing all the national headlines with its usual stellar line-up, while just up the road popular “philosophy and music” festival HowTheLightGetsIn (May 25-28) will be returning for the first time in two years.

Top billing at Hay Festival, will be taken by Chelsea Clinton, daughter of Bill and Hillary, who chats to Devi Sridhar about global health in the Tata tent on Saturday, June 2 and to Alex Jones about women who changed history on Sunday, June 3 in Oxfam Moot.

Before then there will be a whole galaxy of stars appearing, ranging across fields such as politics, arts and literature, philosophy, science, comedy and music.

Among them are environment secretary Michael Gove, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, feminist guru Germaine Greer, authors Margaret Atwood, Jilly Cooper and Salman Rushdie, God denier Richard Dawkins, TV presenter Melvyn Bragg, historian Simon Schama, singer-songwriter Imelda May and many, many more.

The festival kicks off today (Thursday, May 24) with its schools programme and Hay on Earth, a nod to the many issues surrounding the environment. The BBC will also be broadcasting from its tent at Hay Festival, with live transmission from its flagship Today programme.

Among local names getting a look in will be Horatio Clare, Hugh Purcell, and Owen Sheers. Former Oasis manager Alan McGee, who lives near Hay, and songwriter Jim Elliott will be talking about how to write a hit record in the BBC tent on Tuesday, June 29.

Jim Elliott, who is based in the Black Mountains, has written hit songs for musicians of the calibre of Will Young, Leona Lewis, Kylie Minogue, Olly Murs, Ellie Goulding.

Meanwhile, providing an alternative offering nearby will be HowTheLightGetsIn, which this year is exploring the theme of ‘Darkness, Authority and Dreams’.

Boasting over 500 events and artists across 12 stages, HowTheLightGetsIn will bring many of the world’s leading thinkers to debate “cutting edge” ideas alongside a mix of music, comedy and culture.

Among the highlights this year is The Philosophy Dinner with columnist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, who will be asking why we still need democracy even when we don’t like what it brings.

Mock The Week regular James Acaster will be topping the comedy While The Meaning of Life Debate will feature psychologist Steve Taylor, philosopher and author Julian Baggini and comedian Helen Lederer.

Author Noam Chomsky will be discussing the 2018 theme of Darkness, Authority and Dreams with writer Mark Lilla and economist Deirdre McCloskey.

Not to be missed will be the chance to see Ed Miliband and Geoff Lloyd airing a live episode of their podcast ‘Reasons To Be Cheerful’.

Musical highlights include a performance by the Blanaevon Male Voice Choir and a ‘riverside disco’ presented by Alfresco Disco.

If neither of those are your thing then a cabaret performance by ukulele-strumming Tricity Vogue, which featured at the Edinburgh Fringe, might well be.

For the full programme of what’s on at Hay Festival visit: www.hayfestival.com/home.

For HowTheLightGetsIn visit: https://hay.htlgi.iai.tv/.