Famous faces gather at festival to celebrate the joy of reading

The Hay Festival has provided a series of previews of its flagship event next year. Ian Lewis reports on some of the creative luminaries set to appear

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ORGANISERS of the Hay Festival have announced a number of figures set to appear at next year's festival as a teaser of what's to come at the popular annual celebration of arts and literature.

The fesival has released 44 early-bird events for its flagship edition next spring, taking place between May 21 and 31 in Hay-on-Wye.

Early headliners include broadcasters Jeremy Bowen, Amol Rajan and Lyse Doucet, as well as food writer Prue Leith and adventurer Bear Grylls. Comedians Michael McIntyre, Sara Pascoe and Alan Davies are also set to appear.

Novelists appearing at the festival will include Irvine Welsh, Ocean Vuong, Fflur Dafydd and Val McDermid.

The previews look forward to a dynamic programme of 600-plus events which will be announced in full next March, launching the best new fiction and nonfiction books while serving up a strong blend of entertainment, debate and creative inspiration for all ages.

Marking a major moment in the UK Government's National Year of Reading: Go All In campaign, Hay Festival 2026 will open access to the joy of books like never before, showcasing the central role they play in our culture with a series of new initiatives and experimental event formats.