Published October 03, 2025 · The Digital Desk at America Publishers
Hay Festival Goes Global: From Lviv to Dallas and Beyond
Introduction
The Hay Festival, long regarded as one of the world’s premier literary gatherings, is entering a new chapter of global influence. From its beginnings in the small town of Hay-on-Wye in Wales, the festival has grown into a cultural force with a presence across Europe, the Americas, Africa, and now war-torn Ukraine. Over the past three years, Hay has expanded its international programming with striking ambition, not only bringing acclaimed writers to new regions but also shaping conversations at critical geopolitical and cultural crossroads.
The 2025–2026 calendar underscores this momentum, with festivals scheduled in Ukraine, Peru, Colombia, Kenya, Mexico, and Spain, alongside forums in Dallas, Panama City, Medellín, and Seville. Each event is designed not simply as a showcase for literature but as a platform for dialogue, freedom of expression, and the exchange of ideas. In an era marked by polarization and uncertainty, Hay Festival continues to position itself as a meeting ground where words matter, and where global communities come together in search of understanding and hope.
Hay Festival’s Global Mission
Since becoming a registered charity in 2022, the Hay Festival has embraced a sharper, more purposeful mission: to promote freedom of expression, amplify diverse voices, and connect communities through literature. What began as a local gathering in the Welsh borderlands has evolved into a worldwide network of festivals and forums, staffed by a lean team of about 20 but supported by thousands of partners, volunteers, and readers. Two-thirds of its income now comes from ticket and book sales, with the remainder raised through trusts, sponsors, and individual donations.
At the core of its work is the belief that words can empower people to take control of their futures. “Our positioning is very much about empowering through writing, through words, through discussion and debate, so people have autonomy over their futures rather than being the flotsam in the water,” CEO Julie Finch explained. This philosophy underpins Hay’s decision to take its programming to places that are often underserved or challenged by conflict, social division, or lack of access to cultural exchange.
By cultivating forums where ideas can be tested, debated, and celebrated, Hay Festival has established itself not as a commercial enterprise but as a cultural movement. Its aim is not just to celebrate books, but to create spaces where ideas and stories can bridge divides.
Ukraine Spotlight: Literature in Wartime
Few partnerships capture the spirit of Hay Festival more vividly than its collaboration with the Lviv BookForum in Ukraine. Launched in 2022, during the early months of Russia’s invasion, the initiative quickly became a lifeline for cultural exchange in a country under fire. What began as an act of solidarity has grown into a defining feature of Hay’s international identity, proving that literature can stand its ground even amid war.
The events have carried both urgency and intimacy. Margaret Atwood, Bernardine Evaristo, Olga Tokarczuk, and Stephen Fry have joined Ukrainian writers and activists, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Oleksandra Matviichuk, to confront themes of resilience, displacement, and the fragile state of mental health in times of upheaval. Panels like “Women Writing in War” and “Our Damaged Souls” have drawn large audiences, offering moments of reflection and recognition to those whose lives have been fractured by conflict.
Importantly, access has been central: displaced Ukrainians received free entry, while Ukrainian refugees found opportunities to volunteer at Hay’s flagship festival in Wales. As international director Cristina Fuentes La Roche observed, the conversations are “raw, very much needed.” In Ukraine, Hay is not just presenting literature, it is creating spaces where stories help carry the weight of survival and hope.
The U.S. Connection: Dallas Forum
Across the Atlantic, Hay Festival has carved out its American home in Dallas. What began as a small extension of the Hay Festival Querétaro in Mexico has now grown into a fully independent forum, reflecting the city’s diverse cultural landscape. With direct ties to Latin America but an increasingly international scope, the Dallas edition has quickly become one of Hay’s most dynamic platforms.
The forum’s programming reflects both urgency and breadth. Last year, authors ranging from Mariana Enríquez and Viet Thanh Nguyen to Robert Samuels, co-author of the George Floyd biography His Name Is George Floyd, drew crowds for conversations about identity, race, and democracy on the eve of the U.S. presidential election. This year’s program expands further, featuring Junot Díaz, Rodrigo Fresán, Katie Kitamura, and graphic journalist Joe Sacco.
Local partnerships remain central to Dallas’s success. Collaborations with Interabang Books, Deep Vellum Press, and university programs ensure the forum reflects the city itself, not just an imported brand. “Geography matters, the city, the place, the location is one of the protagonists of the festivals,” noted Cristina Fuentes La Roche, Hay’s international director. That philosophy ensures Dallas is not just a venue but an evolving conversation rooted in its own community.
Expanding Across Latin America & Spain
If Dallas represents Hay’s bridge to North America, Latin America remains the region where the festival has built its deepest roots. The organization’s first international venture was in Cartagena, Colombia, two decades ago, and the success of that model has since sparked thriving editions in Mexico and Peru. More recently, Panama has joined the roster, reflecting Hay’s commitment to strengthening cultural ties across the Spanish-speaking world.
The festivals in these regions are distinguished by bold programming and the rise of new literary voices, particularly among women writers. Over the past decade, authors like Mariana Enriquez and Samanta Schweblin have helped redefine Latin American literature, blending fearless storytelling with international reach. “Latin American female writers are doing extremely well, writing very boldly, very bravely,” observed Cristina Fuentes La Roche, pointing to a renaissance that has resonated well beyond the continent.
Spain, too, plays an important role in Hay’s Spanish-language expansion, with long-running festivals in Segovia and Seville drawing major international names while spotlighting local talent. These events maintain Hay’s signature balance: global conversations that still feel rooted in their host communities. By weaving together writers from across the Americas and Europe, Hay Festival positions Spanish-language literature at the heart of its global dialogue.
African & Global South Collaborations
Beyond Europe and the Americas, Hay Festival has steadily built partnerships across the Global South, amplifying voices that often go unheard on international stages. Its work in Nairobi, Kenya, stands out as a model of this exchange. In collaboration with iKitabu and the city’s library system, the festival has created an intimate space where local writers share the stage with authors from Latin America, the African diaspora, and beyond.
This cross-continental dialogue underscores Hay’s mission to connect communities through ideas rather than geography. Recent Nairobi programming included events in Swahili alongside Spanish and English, highlighting the festival’s linguistic and cultural inclusivity. For Hay, such collaborations represent more than programming variety, they reflect an effort to balance the global conversation by giving equal weight to voices from the south.
As Fuentes La Roche has emphasized, these gatherings are “small and intimate,” yet transformative. They embody Hay’s belief that literature is not just entertainment, but a tool of cultural diplomacy and empowerment.
Upcoming Festivals & Forums Calendar
The strength of Hay Festival’s global reach lies not only in its mission but in its calendar. Over the next year, the organization will deliver a series of festivals and forums across multiple continents, bringing internationally renowned authors into dialogue with local communities. Here are some of the key dates confirmed for 2025–2026:
- Lviv BookForum, Ukraine – Oct 2–5, 2025
- Forum: Dallas, Texas, USA – Oct 17–19, 2025
- Hay Festival Arequipa, Peru – Nov 6–9, 2025
- Hay Festival Winter Weekend, Hay-on-Wye (UK) – Nov 26–30, 2025
- Hay Festival Jericó, Colombia – Jan 23–25, 2026
- Hay Festival Cartagena, Colombia – Jan 29–Feb 1, 2026
- Forum: Panama City, Panama – Jan 27–28, 2026
- Forum: Medellín, Colombia – Jan 27–28, 2026
- Forum: Sevilla, Spain – Feb 11–14, 2026
- Nairobi Litfest, Kenya – June 2026 (dates TBC)
- Hay Festival Hay-on-Wye, Wales (UK) – May 21–31, 2026
- Hay Festival Segovia, Spain – September 2026
Each edition is independently funded and locally embedded, ensuring the events remain true to their host cities while carrying the same Hay spirit of freedom, creativity, and dialogue. This mix of confirmed festivals illustrates the breadth of the organization’s vision: not just a literary celebration, but a global circuit of ideas.
Looking Ahead: The Next Chapter
As Hay Festival looks ahead, its future rests on engaging a new generation of readers and thinkers. Organizers have noted a clear demographic shift: younger audiences are turning up in greater numbers, drawn not only by celebrated authors but also by graphic novels, genre fiction, and the voices they follow on BookTok. Partnerships with influencers such as Jack Edwards and fringe programs like The Platform reflect Hay’s effort to capture that energy while giving space to emerging writers.
Yet the optimism is tempered by the realities of the world Hay operates in. From hosting discussions in a war zone to building forums in underserved communities, the organization continually navigates the tension between celebration and activism. Its lean structure and charitable model mean that every edition depends on local partnerships, trust, and resilience.
Still, the vision remains clear: to use words as instruments of dialogue and hope. Whether in Lviv, Dallas, or Nairobi, Hay Festival’s next chapter promises to carry literature into the spaces where it matters most.
Sources: Publishers Weekly and Hay Festival. For more information, visit PublishersWeekly.com and HayFestival.com.