Hay Festival spotlights women
Hay Festival 2026 will feature female voices like writers Gisèle Pelicot and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, plus Emma Thompson and Malala Yousafzai [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/mar/09/gisele-pelicot-and-nazanin-zaghar-ratcliffe-among-hay-festival-2026-speakers]. Maggie O’Farrell (*Hamnet*) also discussed the Brontë sisters' influence on her work [https://independent.co.uk/tv/culture/maggie-o-farrell-hamnet-bronte-sisters-international-womens-day-b2931859.html].
The Hay Festival was founded in 1988 in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, a town already known for its many bookshops. Peter Florence and his parents, Rhoda and Norman, started the festival, which has grown into a major event in British culture. Bill Clinton famously dubbed it "The Woodstock of the mind" in 2001. The festival has significantly boosted the local economy, generating over £70 million in the past three years. In 2018 alone, it brought £25.8 million to the area and supported over 400 jobs. Approximately 41% of attendees stay in local accommodations for an average of four nights. Hay Festival 2026 will run from May 21 to May 31, featuring over 500 events. The festival includes talks, debates, readings, workshops, and performances. Aside from literature, the festival also includes musical performances and film previews. The 2020 festival was held digitally due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The shift to a digital format saw over 200,000 digital registrations. Despite the success of the digital format, organizers emphasize the importance of the physical festival for chance encounters and discovering new passions.
