Hay Castle Events

As well as tours and exhibitions, we hold a variety of events here at Hay Castle. You can see upcoming events and buy tickets below. For our past events listings please click here.
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Small Breeds - Big Encounters

Be your own David Attenborough - meet adorable animals

Venue: Hay Castle Lawn
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Some of the inhabitants of The Small Breeds Farm Park in Kington are coming to Hay Castle for a visit.

Our lawn will be welcoming some of the smaller animals including pygmy goats, sheep and guinea pigs who will be handled by Small Breeds staff who can introduce you to them and help with safe and careful petting.

These animals are used to the public as they are part of the farm park in Kington and meet people every day.

They will be taking up residence on the lawn from 11am until 2pm on Sunday July 12th.

This is a Free Event.
FREE EVENT
Small Breeds - Big Encounters
Small Breeds - Big Encounters
Small Breeds - Big Encounters
Small Breeds - Big Encounters
Small Breeds - Big Encounters
Small Breeds - Big Encounters

Try your Hand - Craft Buffet

Kids workshop for creative kids

Venue: Clore Learning Space
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Get creative at our fun-filled craft buffet workshop, perfect for kids aged 6 and upwards. Children can explore a variety of hands-on craft stations, choosing from painting, collage, beads, junk modelling and more. With plenty of colourful materials and friendly guidance, kids are free to mix, match and design their own unique creations at their own pace.
A relaxed, imaginative space where creativity takes the lead and every child leaves with something special, they’ve made themselves.

All resources provided

Parental supervision required throughout the session.
6+
Price: £6.00
Try your Hand - Craft Buffet

Try your Hand at...Tetrapak Printing

11+ kids/teens workshop

Venue: Clore Learning Space
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Discover art and architecture in our Tetrapak Printing Workshop inspired by the unique features of Hay Castle, designed for ages 11 and up. Participants will learn how to transform recycled Tetrapak cartons into printing plates, etching and inking designs based on the castle’s towers, arches, and textures.
Combining creativity with a touch of history, this hands-on session encourages young artists to experiment with printmaking techniques while exploring the character of historic architecture. Each participant will create their own striking prints to take home.

All resources provided
11+
Price: £6.00
Try your Hand at...Tetrapak Printing

Try your Hand at...Wings of Colour, Birds of the Castle

6+ Kids workshop

Venue: Clore Learning Space
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Join us for a vibrant, hands-on art workshop inspired by the feathered residents of Hay Castle’s gardens and surrounding countryside. Using recycled cardboard as your canvas, you’ll sketch and cut out bird shapes based on local species—think cheeky robins, elegant swallows, and bright goldfinches—before bringing them to life with bold, joyful colours and patterns. Perfect for all ages and abilities, this session blends creativity with a touch of nature study, leaving you with a unique, hand-painted bird to take home or display.

All resources provided Parental supervision required throughout the session.
6+
Price: £6.00
Try your Hand at...Wings of Colour, Birds of the Castle

Try your Hand at...Junk Journalling

11+ kids workshop

Venue: Clore Learning Space
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Unleash your creativity in this fun, hands-on workshop designed especially for young makers aged 11yrs plus! Using your own sketchbook as a base, you’ll explore the art of junk journalling — transforming everyday scraps, papers, and found treasures into a unique, personal masterpiece. Learn playful techniques like collage, stamping, and pocket-making. Perfect for budding artists who love to mix, match, and make their mark!

All resources provided
Price: £6.00
Try your Hand at...Junk Journalling

Try your Hand at...Cosmic Colours

Venue: Clore Learning Space
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Join us for a fun, hands-on art and science adventure! In this creative workshop for ages 6+, young artists will use watercolours and rubbing alcohol to create magical, swirling planet designs that look like they’ve come straight from outer space.

As we paint, we’ll explore fascinating STEM facts about our solar system — from the stormy stripes of Jupiter to the icy blues of Neptune — and discover how colour, texture, and chemistry can bring these worlds to life on paper. Children will leave with their own unique “planet” artwork and a head full of cosmic curiosity.

All resources provided

Parental supervision required throughout the session.
6+
Price: £6.00
Try your Hand at...Cosmic Colours

Try Your Hand...Found Poetry Art

11+ kids workshop

Venue: Clore Learning Space
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Step into the creative heart of Hay Castle and explore the magic of words and images in this hands-on workshop designed for ages 11 and up. Inspired by the Borderlands exhibition, participants will discover how to transform fragments of text from old books, newspapers, and letters into striking found poetry. Guided by an artist-facilitator, you’ll learn techniques to layer your poems with visual elements—collage, ink, and mixed media—creating unique artworks that reflect the shifting identities, histories, and landscapes of the borderlands. By the end of the session, you’ll leave with a one-of-a-kind piece that blends literature and art, and a deeper connection to the stories that shape the spaces between worlds.

All resources provided
11+
Price: £6.00
Try Your Hand...Found Poetry Art

Try your Hand...Wand Making

6+ Kids workshop

Venue: Clore Learning Space
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Try Your Hand – Wand Making

Bring your creativity to life at Hay Castle! In this fun, hands-on workshop for children aged 6+, participants will make their very own wooden magic wand and decorate it with colourful paints, ribbons, and sparkles. Each child can design a wand that reflects their own magical style. Whether it’s bright and bold or soft and shimmering, every creation will be one-of-a-kind — a perfect keepsake to take home and treasure.

All resources provided

Parental supervision required throughout the session.
6+
Price: £6.00
Try your Hand...Wand Making

Try your Hand... 3D Rook Bird Box

11+ workshop

Venue: Clore Learning Space
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Step into the magical world of creativity and let your imagination soar. In this hands-on workshop for children aged 11+, you’ll design and build your very own 3D box shaped like a majestic rook or any bird you like. Using card, paint, and markers, you’ll craft wings that open and close, bringing your rook to life. Perfect for budding artists and makers who love a mix of history, imagination, and a touch of engineering.

All resources provided
Price: £6.00
Try your Hand... 3D Rook Bird Box

Try your Hand...Map Making

6+ workshop

Venue: Clore Learning Space
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Set sail on an adventure of creativity! In this hands-on workshop, children aged 6+ will design and craft their very own treasure maps. Using simple techniques to “age” paper — like tea-staining and gentle crumpling — they’ll give their maps an authentic, timeworn look. Then, with a sprinkle of imagination, they’ll plot mysterious islands, hidden treasures, and secret landmarks, bringing their unique worlds to life. By the end, each young explorer will take home a one-of-a-kind map ready for their next big quest!

All resources provided

Parental supervision required throughout the session.
Price: £6.00
Try your Hand...Map Making

Try your Hand...Perspective Drawing Techniques

11+ kids workshop

Venue: Clore Learning Space
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Bring your drawings to life with single-point perspective! In this fun, hands-on workshop designed for children aged 11 and up, we’ll explore simple techniques to create depth and dimension in your artwork — from roads that stretch into the distance to buildings that seem to pop off the page.
Each child will receive their own pencil set to use during the session and take home, so they can keep practising their new skills long after the workshop ends. Perfect for budding artists who want to add a new creative tool to their repertoire!

All resources provided
Price: £6.00
Try your Hand...Perspective Drawing Techniques

Farmyard Circus

Farm-life inspired circus spectacle on the lawn

Venue: Hay Castle Lawn
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A warm and cheery, family-friendly, farm-life inspired circus spectacle, the Farm Yard Circus comprises group acrobatics, juggling, theatre, and live music. This high-energy boot-stomping show brings fun and energy to Hay Castle.


Expect a bewildering display of group acrobatics and juggling using hay bales, wheelbarrows, a tractor tyre, and even an old scarecrow! The show is set to a score of old-time tunes and raucous rhythms that will bring the cows home, played live throughout.
Farm Yard Circus began creating work together in March 2019. We are a company of 9 circus performers and musicians, focused on creating outdoor circus theatre performances set and based around life on a farm.

Adult ticket - £12.00
Under 16s - £7.00
Family ticket - £30.00

Two shows on Sunday 30th August - 11:30 am and 2.30pm
Adult Ticket 11:30
£12.00
Under 16's 11:30
£7.00
Family Ticket (2+2) 11:30
£30.00
Adult Ticket 2:30
£12.00
Family Ticket (2+2) 2:30
£30.00
Under 16's 2:30
£7.00
Farmyard Circus
Farmyard Circus
Farmyard Circus
Farmyard Circus

A Child's Christmas

Double Bill of two Christmas Stories

Venue: Great Hall
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A Child's Christmas is a double bill of two wonderful Christmas stories by two famous Welshmen - Dylan Thomas and Richard Burton.

Dylan Thomas ‘A Child's Christmas in Wales’ is back! We’re delighted to welcome Lighthouse Theatre back to the Castle with their wonderful evocation of a child's delight at the festive season.

Dylan Thomas and Richard Burton are icons of twentieth century Wales. They have produced stories about Christmases in Wales that rival Charles Dickens’ short stories about Christmas in nineteenth century England. In some ways Thomas and Burton can be accused of inventing Christmas in exactly the same way Dickens is responsible for creating the Christmas that we enjoy so wholeheartedly.

For all of that, however, Burton and Thomas were actors whose love of words shines through these two short but heart-warming stories.

Described by the South Wales Evening Post as ‘a joy’, this ‘Welsh Icons Xmas show’ performed by two actors has proved hugely popular - Join Lighthouse as they conjure up Christmas in the air....



£14.00
£8.00 concessions

7.00pm

Night Out
Child's Christmas Adult
£14.00
Child's Christmas Under 16
£8.00
A Child's Christmas
Opening Times

Open 10am to 5pm,
seven days a week.

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©2025 Hay Castle Trust
Hay Castle Trust. Registered in England & Wales. Company no. 07639471. Registered Charity no. 1144524.
Hay Castle Trading Limited. Registered in England & Wales. Company no. 11407016.
Made possible with National Lottery Heritage Fund

Hay Castle
Oxford Road
Hay-on-Wye
HR3 5DG

01497 820079
info@haycastletrust.org

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