The world’s most famous literary and arts festival. When Bill Clinton came to town he called it ‘the Woodstock of the mind’. Past programme events and performances crossed literature with cabaret, cinema, circus, comedy, environment, film, music, politics, science, screenwriting and visual arts. Children's Festival Hay Fever runs alongside the Hay Festival every year.
An international festival celebrating oral tradition and bringing together storytellers, poets and musicians from around the world. Beyond The Border International Storytelling Festival is the largest event of its type in the UK.
The Eisteddfod is a cultural, artistic festival; one of the largest festivals in Europe alternating between south and north Wales, attracting over 170,000 visitors, and 7,000 competitors. Although competition based, it is a plethora of different arts events - singing, literature, dance, theatre, rock music, and exhibitions. All events and competitions on the Eisteddfod festival site are through the medium of Welsh but translation facilities are readily available.
The International Eisteddfod has performers from more than 50 countries travelling to north Wales to take part in the competition. Luciano Pavarotti, Kiri Te Kanawa, Lesley Garrett, Dennis O’Neil, James Galway and Montserrat Caballe are among the stars that have performed at the festival.
Europe's largest youth arts festival, attracting over 14,000 competitors and 100,000 visitors, celebrates talent in dance, song, drama and science.
This seaside event includes classic orchestral performances and jazz, Welsh choirs and soloists, sand sculptures and sambas and an increasingly strong participation of writers and performing poets.
Held in Wales every two years and one of the largest visual art prizes in the world. The international prize celebrates and recognises artists across the globe.
A biennial, bilingual, (Welsh and English) multicultural celebration of Welsh literature, organised by the Welsh Academi. The 2005 programme featured Howard Marks amongst other writers.
A biennial, trilingual festival in the North Wales countryside. Poets and authors that have taken part include Seamus Heaney, Cathal O Searcaigh, Colm Toibin, Jan Morris, Twm Morys, Gillian Clarke, Niall Griffiths, Tessa Hadley, Benjamin Zephaniah and Menna Elfyn.