The Hay Festival: Combining Vacations and Good Books Since 1988

The New York Times is featuring an article on The Hay Festival which, frankly, looks like a book-lover’s dream.  The festival, which the article describes as “Sundance for Bibliophiles,” is held every year in a small village in Wales called Hay-on-Wye.  Apparently, even former President Bill Clinton is a fan, calling it “Woodstock for the Mind” when he participated several years ago.

The festival takes place for 10 days at the end of May, and this year the 80,000+ visitors may see the likes of Dave Eggers, Kazuo Ishiguro, Don DeLillo, John Updike, Clive James, Julian Barnes, Ali Smith, Patrick McGrath, Jeannette Winterson, Doris Lessing and Jaqueline Wilson, all of whom have appeared recently.

Really interesting read.  I’m thinking next year, when my husband and I plan our annual trip to the UK to visit his family, we’re going to have to figure out a way to pass through this neck of the woods.