Colm Tóibín, Marlon James, Jeanette Winterson, Rory Stewart and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall are among those scheduled to appear at the Hay literary festival next year.
On Tuesday, the festival announced 29 “early-bird” events set to take place between 23 May and 2 June 2024 in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, described as a “taster” of the full programme released next year.
Tóibín will be discussing Long Island, the sequel to his Booker-longlisted Brooklyn, while James will mark 10 years since the release of his Booker-winning A Brief History of Seven Killings. Stewart’s event will focus on his bestselling book Politics on the Edge.
Organisers are “really keen to bring to the fore global themes and the impact of issues on the world” for next year’s festival, said CEO Julie Finch. “It’s very important for us to help people find solutions to the problems we’re facing”.
Compared to previous years, there will be “more of an emphasis on ‘Where are we going? What’s happening to our world, and how do we all contribute to it?’” said Finch, particularly given that “2024 is an election year in many ways”. However, the festival is “apolitical”, she added.
The festival is also running a series of “South to South” events throughout the year, featuring speakers from the global south, “which present a completely different perspective on the world”, and allows discussions of “really important issues such as such as the Israel-Hamas war”.
Asked how Hay will appeal to young people next year, Finch said that attracting a younger audience is “not an easy fix” and that “it’s not just about putting a young person’s favourite person on stage”. She added that appealing to younger audiences is a “problem for all” literature festivals and cultural organisations. “I don’t think it’s an unusual problem to have”. In 2023, musicians Dua Lipa, who has interviewed authors on her podcast, and Stormzy, who established publishing imprint #Merky Books, spoke at the festival.
Others appearing at next year’s festival include environmentalist George Monbiot, author and professor David Runciman, MP Wes Streeting, farmer James Rebanks, comedian Sara Pascoe and poet Jackie Kay.
Early-bird event tickets are on sale now to friends of Hay festival and go on general release at 12 noon, Friday 1 December. The full programme of events will be released in early spring.
