Hay Castle Events

Buy tickets here for events being held in Hay Castle.

Seed swop on the castle lawn

Free community event

Venue: Hay Castle Lawn
Read more

Join us for a free community event on the lawn!

Too many lettuces, not enough courgette plants? Bring along any spare seedlings or plants you may have and take away other people's extras. Nothing spare? Please still come.

Also, to swap - bring any seeds suitable for planting at this time of year, cuttings and a tray, bag or box to take things home in.

Let's get Growing will be joined by Tools For Self Reliance Cymru with a selection of preloved and restored garden tools for sale and On The Verge with their wonderful wild flower seeds and advice.

Free to attend drop in event - family friendly and everyone welcome!

FREE EVENT
Seed swop on the castle lawn

Jasper Fforde: Special May Event

Wales - Inspiring Fiction

Venue: Hay Castle Clore Learning Space
Read more

Come and join Jasper Fforde for this special Festival evening talk on Sunday 28th May

Jasper will be talking about Wales and it's influence upon his writing over the years.

Jasper first visited Wales when he was five years old and it has been inspiring his life and his work ever since. He moved to the area around Hay permanently in 2000, making his home close to the bustling villageopolis of Clyro, on the far northern banks of the river Wye. The landscape, people and spirit of this part of Wales are a constant source of inspiration and ideas as well as solace and walk-induced meditation. The regions of Radnorshire and Brecknockshire have given inspiration to nearly all of Jasper's books - most obviously in the setting of Shades of Grey, Early Riser, The Last Dragonslayer and The Constant Rabbit. The history of Wales and a sense of Welshness also permeate the backstory of The Eyre Affair with Wales existing as The Welsh Socialist Republic.

Why not come and find out more by joining us for this talk which promises insights into the creative writing process, some photography, maybe some Dodos and a smattering of silliness.

Tickets are £10 and are limited so book now to avoid disappointment.

PART OF OUR WALES SERIES 2023 DURING HAY FESTIVAL



You can also book on A Green Wales: What Next? with Tom Bullough on 3 June

and

Keeping Welsh Heritage Crafts Alive on 29 May


Jasper Fforde Talk
£10.00
Jasper Fforde: Special May Event

Weaving for Kids with Anna Hobbs

Hay Festival drop-in sessions

Venue: Hay Castle Clore Learning Space
Read more
Come and learn some weaving on looms with recycled materials and natural fleece.

These sessions will be run by artist and weaver Anna Hobbs who will provide a simple loom which kids can take home afterwards.

Anna has had a lifelong love of crafts and runs a little business alongside her 'proper' job, creating beautiful, functional and decorative items from natural materials. She enjoys sharing her passion for crafts with others, and has lots of experience running educational sessions with children.
1. Morning Session 1 10.30 - 11.30
£5.00
4. Afternoon Session 2 2.30 - 3.30
£5.00
2. Morning Session 2 11.30 - 12.30
£5.00
3. Afternoon Session 1 1.30 - 2.30
£5.00

Niall McLaughlin

McLaughlin and the Poets

Venue: Hay Castle Clore Learning Space
Read more
Architect Niall McLaughlin (RIBA Stirling Prize winner 2022), explains how he draws inspiration from poetry. He will illustrate how the verses of Seamus Heaney, Elizabeth Bishop, Philip Larkin, and W. B. Yeats have become everything from a Carmelite chapel to an Alzheimer's Respite Centre, and even The International Rugby Experience.
Niall McLaughlin
£12.00

Drop-in Crafty Sessions for Kids

Hay Festival drop-in sessions

Venue: Hay Castle Clore Learning Space
Read more
Come and get messy and have fun doing arty things with Kitty Sutherland.

Kitty will be in the Clore Space all morning with paints and printing and gluing and stuff.

Don't wear your best clothes - come along and get crafty!
Price: £5.00
Drop-in Crafty Sessions for Kids

Director's Breakfast Tour of Hay Castle

Tour and Continental Breakfast with Tom True

Venue: Hay Castle
Read more
Battles, borders, books and breakfast!

Come and explore Hay Castle with Director, Tom True, who will give an introduction to the history and invite you to get to know some of the characters from the Castle's past as well as talking about the first year of Hay Castle being open to the public.

Continental breakfast included in the ticket price.
Dir breakfast tour June 2
£20.00
Director's Breakfast Tour of Hay Castle

Book Art Workshop with Kate Kato - Flowers

Special Hay Festival Workshop

Venue: Hay Castle Clore Learning Space
Read more

Special one day workshop as part of our Hay Festival activities - Places are limited so book now!

Learn how to make a work of art from the pages of recycled books, with celebrated paper artist Kate Kato, who uses discarded and recyled papers, wire and found objects to create sculptures inspired by the natural world. The theme of this workshop is flowers.

Visit Kate's website

All materials provided

There will be the opportunity to make tea or coffee or you can purchase drinks downstairs in our café. There will be a break for lunch - please bring a packed lunch or you can eat in our café or elsewhere in Hay.

Kate Kato flower workshop
£85.00

Director's Breakfast Tour of Hay Castle

Tour and Continental Breakfast with Tom True

Venue: Hay Castle
Read more
Battles, borders, books and breakfast!

Come and explore Hay Castle with Director, Tom True, who will give an introduction to the history and invite you to get to know some of the characters from the Castle's past as well as talking about the first year of Hay Castle being open to the public.

Continental breakfast included in the ticket price.
Dir breakfast tour June 3
£20.00
Director's Breakfast Tour of Hay Castle

Innominati

Local acapella harmony group

Venue: Hay Castle
Read more

As part of our Hay Festival program and following their recent concert in the Great Hall, Hay Castle is delighted to welcome back local acapella harmony group, Innominati, who will be performing alfresco just outside of the Great Hall entrance. Come and enjoy a 40 minute set of uplifting song from this charismatic group!

FREE EVENT
Innominati

A Green Wales: What Next?

Panel discussion with Sophie Howe and Lee Waters

Venue: Hay Castle Clore Learning Space
Read more

Contributors: Sophie Howe, first Future Generations Commissioner for Wales; Lee Waters, Deputy Minister for Climate Change.

Chaired by Tom Bullough, author of Sarn Helen.

With the climate and ecological emergency, humanity faces perhaps its greatest ever threat. In many ways, Wales has been a leader in this field but the challenges remain immense. For ‘Green Wales’, two of the most eminent figures in Welsh politics discuss our present situation and explain what we must do to secure our future.

PART OF OUR HAY FESTIVAL: WALES SERIES 2023

A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN HAY FESTIVAL AND HAY CASTLE

A Green Wales: What Next?
£5.00
A Green Wales: What Next?

Credu: Story Sharing and Book Launch: You are the Medicine

Famous Turkish author and political exile, Meltem Arikan, launches her latest book

Venue: Hay Castle, Clore Learning Space
Read more

Famous for her critique of society, Meltem Arikan a Turkish Author and Political Exile turns her attention to unpaid Carers.

‘The idea behind this book was to support carers around the world and give them an opportunity for their voices to be heardThe idea behind this book was to support carers around the world and give them an opportunity for their voices to be heard’ says Meltem.

The book steeped in the raw human reality of caring for loved ones yet infused with hope and inspiration from Carers of all ages.


Activities will be taking place on the castle lawn for the duration, with the following program in the Clore Learning space:


10:30 - Arrival tea and coffee in the Clore room

11:00 - 'You are the medicine' author Meltem Arikan launches book and talks about her life, includes Q&A

12:30 - Lunch, conversations and book signing

13:45 - Spoken Poetry by Dux

15:00 - The story of Hayley read by Hayley

14:15 - Listening space

16:30 - Event ends


You are warmly invited to join Meltem and local carers - to book your FREE space phone 01597 823800 - drop-ins also welcome on the day


You can buy the book on Amazon, donate at https://www.carers.cymru or discuss giving voluntary support for Carers by calling 01597 823800 or emailing carers@credu.cymru

Profits from book sales are shared with Credu Supporting Young and Adult Carers.

Credu in Powys is funded by Powys County Council, Powys Teaching Health Board, Welsh Government, the Lottery the Waterloo Foundation.

FREE EVENT
Credu: Story Sharing and Book Launch: You are the Medicine

Rozenn & Jeremy Food Option

Venue: Great Hall
Read more

To complement the concert, Epicure events are offering a pre-bookable summer supper.

Brie, leek & caramelised red onion tart, Lane cottage dressed leaves, coleslaw £12.50

Book below and you’ll receive a confirmation email - no need to bring this with you - your name will be on a list behind the café counter when you arrive.

Rozenne brie tart
£12.50
Rozenn & Jeremy Food Option

Hay Music presents - ROZENN and JÉRÉMY

ROZENN LE TRIONNAIRE, clarinet and JÉRÉMY SIMON, accordion

Venue: Great Hall
Read more

Rozenn and Jérémy collaborate with composer Didier Squiban to explore a repertoire at the crossroads of classical, jazz and traditional Breton music including their own compositions, as well as their arrangements of music by Kurt Weill and Astor Piazzolla. A virtuosic and exciting programme for a wide range of musical tastes - a programme for all!


Full programme details at www.haymusic.org

Tickets via Hay Music https://buytickets.at/haymusictrust/894562

If you’d like to enjoy our pre-concert supper from the Hay Castle cafe, please ensure to book in advance: Link to food page

No onsite parking available – car park available opposite Hay Castle on Oxford Road. Entrance via Great Hall only.

18:30 Pre-concert food and bar

19:30 Concert begins

21:30 Concert ends

TICKETS VIA HAY MUSIC
Hay Music presents - ROZENN and JÉRÉMY

Hay Pride 2023

Nature is Queer

Venue: Hay Castle
Read more
Hay Castle is excited to be co-hosting Hay’s second Pride event; a fantastic opportunity for people from the LGBTQ+ community to get together and celebrate their uniqueness and differences.

If you’re thinking of coming to check out a rural pride (think queer country fair) then you’ll have a very warm welcome in Hay on Wye. Being queer in a rural community can mean isolation from others like you. Pride gives people a real sense of belonging with their peers; it's a day about making and meeting new friends and chosen family.

The theme this year is 'nature is queer’. Nature in all its many forms provides such a beautiful spectrum of diversity, much like the queer community. And as well as being a famous book town, it's really important for us to celebrate our countryside location as being among the most beautiful in the UK.

Hay Pride brings together a great range of local LGBTQ+ musical talent, as well as showcasing some really special queer acts and don’t forget the hugely popular dog show where "Best in show' is awarded to every canine entry! Food stalls and a bar will also available on the castle lawn as part of the event.

See you there!
FREE EVENT
Hay Pride 2023

Diana Powell talks about her book 'Things Found on the Mountain'

Part of our fortnightly Wednesday evening talks

Venue: Hay Castle Clore Learning Space
Read more

As part of our Wednesday evening talks we have Diana Powell talking about her latest book: Thngs Found on the Mountain.

Farmer’s daughter Beth is a child of nature, utterly at one with the rugged landscape on which she tends the farm’s sheep, in a remote valley in the Black Mountains. But change is coming. The modern world arrives with the construction of a reservoir in a neighbouring valley. Part of the mountain is taken away to build the dam; there are people, machinery, noise. Then the farms are emptied of their young men by the First World War, including Beth’s beloved brother Daniel, who goes missing in action. Her mother turns to religion, her father falls silent.

Beth takes to the mountain, and a solitude interrupted by the arrival of a colony of artists led by the charismatic Eric Gill. And among them is Gill’s apprentice, Gabriel. When the colony moves on, Beth faces a terrible choice: can she leave the Mountain to be with Gabriel?

Things Found on the Mountain is a Hardyesque coming of age story. At its heart is the dramatic landscape, which, like Beth, suffers an end to innocence. This lyrically written novel, reminiscent of Sarah Hall, marks the arrival of an appealing new voice in fiction.

The talk will begin at 7pm and entry will be up the drive from Oxford Road as the Honesty Bookshop entrance will be closed.

...

Price: £7.50
Diana Powell talks about her book 'Things Found on the Mountain'

Comedy Club Food Options

Venue: Great Hall
Read more

Food available alongside the Comedy Club night

Herefordshire beef burger, brioche bun, slaw, red onion marmalade, BBQ seasoned fries
@ £14.50


When you check-out, you’ll receive a confirmation email - there is no need to present this on the night as your name will be on a list behind the café counter.

Comedy Club Beef Burger
£14.50
Comedy Club Vegan option
£14.50
Comedy Club Gluten Free
£14.50
Comedy Club Food Options

The Comedy Club

Eat, drink and laugh the night away

Venue: Great Hall
Read more
Our MC for the inaugural Comedy Club event in The Great Hall is the first ever female winner of the prestigious Comedy Store King Gong award, Karen Bayley.

Joining Karen is Welsh comedian and Britain’s Got Talent Semi-finalist, Noel James and Justin Panks with his uncompromising ‘Punk-Rock’ comedy to close proceedings.

The Comedy Club | Comedians | Karen Bayley

The Comedy Club | Comedians | Noel James

The Comedy Club | Comedians | Justin Panks


Acts correct at time of going to print

Join us for a pre-show supper - between 6.30 and 7.30pm.

Click here to order food

Show starts at 8pm.
The bar will be open throughout with a 20 minute interval.
The show closes at around 9.45pm.

Please use Oxford Road entrance.

Please note there is no parking at the venue – please use the car park directly opposite Hay Castle on Oxford Road.

Over 18's
Comedy Club Standard
£22.00

Amarylli Food Option

Venue: Great Hall
Read more

To complement the concert, Epicure events are offering a pre-bookable summer supper.

Brie, leek & caramelised red onion tart, Lane cottage dressed leaves, coleslaw £12.50

Book below and you’ll receive a confirmation email - no need to bring this with you - your name will be on a list behind the café counter when you arrive.

Amarylli brie tart
£12.50
Amarylli Food Option

Hay Music presents The Amarylli Duo

Shakespeare’s Musicke by Elizabeth Pallett on lute and theorbo and Hannah Grove, Soprano

Venue: Great Hall
Read more

‘Shakespeare’s Musicke’ is a programme of compositions from Shakespeare’s own time, based on texts from his works. Composers include William Byrd, John Dowland, Thomas Campion, William Cornysh, Thomas Morley, Edward de Vere, Robert Jones, John Bartlett - and that most prolific of composers, ‘Anon’.

Full programme details at www.haymusic.org

Tickets via Hay Music https://buytickets.at/haymusictrust/894578

If you’d like to enjoy our pre-concert supper from the Hay Castle cafe, please ensure to book in advance: Amarylli Food Option - Hay Castle Trust

No onsite parking available – car park available opposite Hay Castle on Oxford Road. Entrance via Great Hall only.

18:30 Pre-concert food and bar

19:30 Concert begins

21:30 Concert ends

TICKETS VIA HAY MUSIC
Hay Music presents The Amarylli Duo

PBFA Book Fair

A Book Fair in the Book Town!

Venue: Great Hall
Read more
The first PBFA Book Fair in Hay will see 18 booksellers from all over the UK exhibiting books, maps and ephemera in Hay Castle's Great Hall. There will be books for all budgets so come along and browse, buy, or just to see. Bibliophiles, readers, dreamers and wanderers all welcome.

Exhibitors:

Ballantyne Way, Books Written By, Cheltenham Rare Books, Daniel Ahern, EJ Morten Booksellers, Fireside Bookshop, Graham York Rare Books, Love Rare Books, Lucius Books Ltd., Matthew Butler Books, Neil Summersgill, Nicholas Daly Books, Paul Bostock Rare Books, Paul Haynes Rare Books, Salsus Books, Sarah Key Books, TIMKC Books, Veronica Watts

Plus Hay's 20 bookshops will all be open for business as well, making it the perfect day to find the perfect book!

FREE EVENT
PBFA Book Fair