Hey Hey HAY! Notes from Hay-on-Wye Festival 2025
Sophie Lombardi
Every year, as I drive over the Severn Bridge into Wales, I whoop with joy: I’m on my way to Hay. Forget Glasto and Coachella—Hay-on-Wye Festival is the one for me: clean loos, excellent cake, and most importantly, inspiration, ideas, and connection in abundance. Passing the Welsh dragon outside Newport and winding through the Brecon Beacons, the journey itself is a joy—only made better by occasionally moving the odd sheep off the road.
Nicknamed "The Town of Books", Hay-on-Wye lies at the foot of the Black Mountains on the Welsh side of the Wales / England border. Already home to a number of book shops, the Hay Festival began in the 1980’s and gets better every year. This year was no exception with some stand out events including Matt Haig, Deborah Frances White, Edith Hall, Sharon Horgan and so many others. Overall, the tone of the festival was one of profound concern, marked by a collective reflection on how we can find unity and move forward together in these deeply troubling times. However, even with such serious subject matter, the tents were full of warmth, wit and laughter.
Deborah Frances-White spoke about cancel culture, emphasizing how division among liberal thinkers is inadvertently fueling the far right. She urged for collective focus. Edith Hall explored themes of war and greed in Classical Civilization, highlighting how these forces led to widespread deforestation in mainland Greece. She drew striking parallels to today’s patterns of overconsumption and climate change. In his warm-hearted and insightful way, Matt Haig likened characters from the world of Winnie the Pooh to common mental health conditions—Pooh as an addict, Tigger with ADHD, Piglet with social anxiety, and Owl with OCD. Meanwhile, Sharon Horgan discussed the strength and relatability of her female characters, suggesting that perhaps there’s a little bit of Amanda in all of us.
I’ve already ring-fenced the Hay Festival in the family calendar for next year—and I urge you to do the same. It’s the ultimate escape from the mundane. You’ll return fizzing with ideas, full of inspiration, and ready to (unapologetically) bore the pants off everyone at home. Thank you, Hay-on-Wye—see you in 2025!
