EVENTS and shows may not be going ahead quite as planned in 2020, but that isn’t stopping organisers of one of Mid Wales’ most iconic events.

Hay Festival Digital Winter Weekend will bring writers and readers together later this month for a free digital wonderland of prizewinning literature, thoughtful conversation, candle-lit storytelling, comedy, music and fun for all the family.

The Hay Festival Digital Winter Weekend will be held from November 26-29. Now in its 21st year, the festival will be streamed live from Hay-on-Wye, kicking off the holiday season from the town of books in all its festive glory with a star-studded line-up of speakers and performers.

Hay Festival spokesperson Christopher Bone said: “This has been an exceptionally challenging year and the support we have received has been humbling. Our free Digital Winter Weekend is in honour of this, a gift to our Haymakers without whom we wouldn’t be here.

“We invite you to join us by virtual candlelight to share stories, hopes and ideas, to laugh and to dance with us, and to reimagine the world alongside a galaxy of literary stars and inspiring thinkers.”

Award-winning writers lead the programme with their latest works as the yet-to-be announced winners of this year’s Booker Prize and Baillie Gifford Prize take to the Festival stage, while new fiction comes under the festival spotlight as Dawn French presents Because of You; Irenosen Okojie talks Nudibranch; Lee Child discusses The Reacher Guy; Joanne Harris presents Orfeia and Ten Things About Writing; Carys Bray talks When the Lights Go Out; Ruth Jones launches Us Three; William Boyd talks Trio; and John Banville talks about his new murder mystery, Snow.

Inspiring life stories come into focus as Arsene Wenger talks about his memoir, My Life in Red and White in a one-off event alongside global superstar and football fan Elton John who presents his own memoir, Me; pioneering Skunk Anansie frontwoman Skin talks It Takes Blood and Guts; new wave singer-songwriter Gary Numan talks to British GQ editor Dylan Jones about his memoir (R)evloution; journalist Bryony Gordon talks Glorious Rock Bottom; Candice Brathwaite offers her timely book on portrayals of motherhood I Am Not Your Baby Mother; rugby player James Haskell talks What a Flanker; while Charlie Brinkhurst Cuff and Elisabeth Fapuro present their essay collection Loud Black Girls.

Some of the biggest issues of 2020 are debated and discussed as journalists Jonathan Freedland, David Olusoga and Katya Adler digest the year’s major events with Guto Harri; Cambridge University draws together their leading health experts for a discussion of Covid-19 and what 2021 may hold; Noreena Hertz talks The Lonely Century: Coming Together in a World That's Pulling Apart; and James O’Brien offers his tonic for a divided world, How Not to be Wrong.

Nature, landscape and legacy are the themes leading this year’s #GreenHay programming as artist Antony Gormley talks to Martin Gayford about Shaping the World: Sculpture from Pre-History to Now; Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris launch the follow-up to their bestselling The Lost Words with Nicola Davies, The Lost Spells; and nature writers Helen Macdonald and James Rebanks discuss their work.

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The joy of reading takes centre-stage as Susie Dent talks to Festival President Stephen Fry about her new book, Word Perfect; and Stig Abell discusses the art of reading as he launches Things I Learned on the 6:28. Meanwhile, food lovers are invited to get stuck into Pen Vogler’s social and cultural history, Scoff.

Dafydd Elis-Thomas MS, deputy minister for culture, said: “The depth of this year’s programme is a true testament to Hay Festival’s global appeal and I know it will provide light, inspiration and optimism for the future to people across the world.

“As we approach the end of a year like no other, I once again applaud the continued resilience and endeavour of our friends across the rich cultural and artistic landscapes who are adapting to this challenging time in innovative ways to showcase Wales to global audiences.”

While all sessions will be free to attend, the festival will be welcoming donations to Hay Festival Foundation.

The festival will also once again draw on public nominations to crown the Hay Festival Book of the Year 2020 following previous wins for Hallie Rubenhold’s The Five in 2019, Sarah-Jayne Blakemore’s Inventing Ourselves in 2018 and The Lost Words by Jackie Morris and Robert Macfarlane in 2017.

For those who cannot wait until Hay Festival Digital Winter Weekend gets underway, registration is open now for the festival’s next free live Book of the Month Q&A on Tuesday, November 10, at 7pm as Caleb Femi launches his book Poor in conversation with novelist Max Porter.

Hay Festival Digital Winter Weekend is supported by the festival’s lead sponsors Visit Wales and Baillie Gifford and builds on the success of recent digital Hay Festival editions in the UK, Mexico, Peru and Croatia, following the year’s earlier iterations in Colombia and Spain.

Explore the full programme now and register for free at hayfestival.org/wwe.