When is Hay Festival?
This year, Hay Festival will take place from Thursday 25 May to Sunday 4 June 2023.
How do I get my Hay Festival tickets?
While the Festival site is free to enter, most Hay Festival events are individually ticketed. Discover the programme online now and book early for the events you wish to attend.
Why take the train to Hay Festival?
Getting the train to Hay Festival is much simpler than you might think. If you’re travelling alone, you can catch up with some Festival reading. Or if you’re travelling in a group, get straight into the festival atmosphere with fellow Haymakers. And with most of the Festival’s star guests taking the train too, you never know who you’ll end up sitting with.
- Change your ticket – if your plans change, then just change your ticket (an admin fee may apply)
- Get 1/3 off train fares with a Railcard
- Finalise those last-minute plans with our free onboard Wi-Fi
- Charge your phone as you whizz past the traffic
Where is Hay Festival?
Hay Festival is set in the picturesque booktown of Hay-on-Wye on the Wales/England border in the Brecon Beacons National Park.
Since there is no Hay-on-Wye train station nor any direct trains to the Festival itself at Dairy Meadows in Hay-on-Wye, the closest train station to Hay Festival can be found at Hereford.
Once you’ve arrived at Hereford, there is a regular, Festival bus service to take you to Hay on Wye (check the Festival travel pages for timetables). You’ll get dropped off directly in the town centre, a short walk from the site and nearby camping grounds.
Go green
Give yourself a pat on the back for going green. The average train journey produces a whopping 57–58% less carbon dioxide than driving, making it eco-friendly travel.
Car tyres are also responsible for a significant amount of micro-plastics entering the environment, something you’ll avoid contributing to when travelling by train.
When are the shuttle buses from/to the station?
Check the Festival travel pages for timetables.