Actor and singer, Luke Evans switched on Hay-on-Wye’s Christmas lights on the evening of Friday, November 29.

Evans’ light switch on was part of his appearance at this year’s Hay Festival Winter Weekend.

The free switch-on event, co-hosted by Hay Town Council and Hay Chamber of Commerce, took place between 5–7pm in Memorial Square.

Attendees in the square were accompanied by carol singing, food, mulled wine and entertainment to kick off the Winter Weekend in style.

The crowd gave Luke Evans a help in hand with a ten second countdown before he lit up the town.

Evans is an actor and singer who began his career on the stage, performing in London’s West End in productions of Rent, Miss Saigon and Piaf before making his film debut in 2010. He has starred in the Fast & Furious franchise, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Dracula Untold, and as Gaston in Disney’s live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. On television he has starred in TNT’s The Alienist and alongside Nicole Kidman in Nine Perfect Strangers for Hulu.

As a recording artist, Luke has released two studio albums: At Last and A Song For You which hit the top five in the UK charts in 2022.

He was at the Festival to launch his new book, Boy From the Valleys: My Unexpected Journey, and was part of an event on the Friday following the lights switch-on.

In his intimate memoir, Luke takes readers behind the scenes of his career on the stage and screen. His story is a powerful tale of resilience, courage, and the pursuit of finding a sense of belonging and identity, but mostly (and hopefully) a story of inspiration.