Hay Festival’s Winter Weekend

I am a professional writer and editor with a passion for creative writing. With a marketing background, I love playing with language to deliver powerful messages and tell brands’ stories in an engaging way. I am a keen advocate for children’s reading and nurturing a love of books from an early age. Follow me on Twitter @MelBrannlund or email me at [email protected]

Hay Festival’s Winter Weekend Returns for an Exciting In-Person Event
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The Hay Festival will be holding its first ticketed in-person event in the UK for over 2 years. This 5 day literary festival takes place on a new festival site in Hay-on-Wye from 24th - 28th November, where visitors will get to experience the stunning backdrop of the Brecon Beacons whilst enjoying live storytelling, comedy, music and family workshops.

With over 80 renowned writers and performers attending, there’s plenty of entertainment on offer, including inspiring talks on new fiction and non-fiction, and fascinating discussions about some of the most important issues humanity faces today.

This family-friendly event kicks off with a free Programme for Schools on 24th and 25th November, where children will get the opportunity to see some of their favourite authors and nurture their love of reading.

Children can enjoy talks from popular authors including Lauren Child, creator of the hugely successful Charlie and Lola stories, as she discusses her brand new book Clarice Bean: Think Like An Elf, which is full of warmth and festive cheer to get families excited for Christmas.

Author Yuval Zommer will be talking about his new festive picture book, The Lights that Dance in the Night, in which the author imagines travelling from Space to Earth, weaving a special magic for the animals and people living in the frozen North. This magical talk will be followed by a creative session, where children can try their hand at illustration and create their own Arctic characters with Zommer’s help, and take them home to treasure afterwards.

Though the festival is open for people to attend in-person, the talks will also be available to stream online for viewers worldwide to enjoy. During Covid restrictions in 2020 when the festival was unable to welcome people in-person, thousands of people streamed talks and workshops digitally. Tickets for digital viewing can be purchased online here:  

This much-anticipated event is set to be a wonderful way to celebrate books and reading as a family. To whet your appetite and get into the festival spirit, there will be 5 Winter Warmer Events that are free for everyone to watch online in the lead up to the festival. These will include talks from Matt Haig, author of The Midnight Library, and Booker Prize winner Damon Galut.

Find out more and book tickets here:
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Look out for Melissa's latest articles on Anita Frost's author website, where she'll talk about topics including business and publishing, author news and events, and giving back to communities. You can find her in-depth monthly feature on the News & Media page of the Green Bean Collection website, discussing children's books and reading, early years education, living a greener lifestyle and all things Green Bean!