The Hay Festival of Literature and Arts has become one of the best-known fixtures in the British literary calendar - an annual celebration of the best that the arts have to offer.
History of the Hay Festival
The first Hay Festival took place in 1988, organised by Norman and Peter Florence, and although over 1000 people attended the inaugural event it would be a number of years before it began to approach the scale it now operates on. Early venues included a primary school before it finally settled at its current, much bigger location just outside Hay in 2005. A number of factors have contributed to its growing success, including Bill Clinton's famous comment in 2001 that Hay was "the Woodstock of the mind", and a lucrative sponsorship deal with The Guardian newspaper from 2002 that really placed the festival in the public eye.
Hay Festival Line-Up 2011
This year's festival, now sponsored by The Telegraph at the start of a new three-year partnership, looks as eclectic in its line-up as ever. There are no fewer than four Nobel Laureates attending this year: writer VS Naipaul, French author and professor JMG Le Clezio, British geneticist Sir Paul Nurse and Egyptian diplomat Mohamed ElBaradei.
The festival is anything but elitist however, with a range of guests to suit all tastes. Much-loved children's writers such as Malorie Blackman, Michael Morpurgo and Jacqueline Wilson will be there, as will popular broadcasters such as Chris Evans, Jenni Murray, Nigella Lawson and Kevin McCloud. Rob Lowe will be in attendance, adding a little Hollywood glamour as he discusses his new book of memoirs, along with fellow actors Vanessa Redgrave, Ralph Fiennes, Maureen Lipman and Gillian Anderson, and those with an interest in history will be well served by performances from Eric Hobsbawm, Michael Wood, Bettany Hughes and Niall Ferguson.
Tickets for Hay Festival 2011
The full festival programme is available at the festival website, and tickets can also be purchased from here - a number of events are free, but tickets are still needed for admission. Beware that the more popular events tend to sell out very quickly, but those not lucky enough to snap up tickets for their favourite writers or performers will still find much to enjoy at the festival. The atmosphere is second to none, with a range of shops and exhibitors including ceramics, jewellery, shoes and - of course - books. The festival website can also suggest places to stay if you're not lucky enough to live anywhere near the charming Hereford village that has become synonymous with books and bibliophiles.
Elizabeth Gregory - Liz graduated from Manchester University with a BA (Hons) in English Language & Literature, and also holds an MA in Literature from the ...
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