Gisèle Pelicot and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe among Hay Festival 2026 speakers

Emma Thompson, Malala Yousafzai, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Gisèle Pelicot are among the headline names at Hay Festival 2026. The full programme features more than 500 events running from 21 to 31 May in Hay-on-Wye, Powys. Leading writers on the bill include Ian McEwan, Maggie O’Farrell, Colm Tóibín, Ali Smith, Elizabeth Strout, Matt Haig, Douglas Stuart, Samantha Harvey, Val McDermid and Ocean Vuong, alongside Margaret Busby, Cressida Cowell, Tayari Jones, Elizabeth Day, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Helen Oyeyemi and Ruth Ozeki.

Political contributors include David Miliband, Nicola Sturgeon, Sajid Javid and Louise Casey, with historians such as Alice Roberts, David Olusoga and Simon Schama also scheduled to appear. Themed panels will cover gender equality — hosted by Ruth Davidson with Julia Gillard, Harriet Harman and Beth Rigby — and genre events include a romantasy panel.

hay festival, hay-on-wye, emma thompson, malala yousafzai, nazanin zaghari-ratcliffe, gisèle pelicot, ian mcewan, literary festival, powys, gender equality