Hay Festival
hay festival literature art better known hay festival welsh gŵyl gelli annual literature festival held hayonwye powys wale day may june devised norman rhoda peter florence festival described bill clinton woodstock mind tony benn said mind replaced christmas become prominent festival british culture session festival recorded television radio programme reader writer roadshow one show bbcs national radio channel apart bbc radio involved broadcasting festival sky art showed highlight festival handing main coverage bbc event festival founded peter florence parent rhoda norman hayonwye already well known many bookshop festival launched richard booth opened first shop hay gained nickname town book inception festival held variety venue around hay including local primary school moved unified location south town guardian main sponsor festival succeeding sunday time daily telegraph associated brand telegraph medium group two term threeyear sponsor starting festival tata group baillie gifford among principal sponsor along bbc many nonmedia company art council wale british council cristina fuentes la roche international director hay festival since festival expanded year include musical performance film preview childrens festival hay fever run alongside main festival festival held digitally online due covid pandemic late july cofounder director peter florence resigned director commented consider role become untenable due conduct board insistence holding disciplinary hearing absence whilst sick breakdown hay festival one welsh winner queen award enterprise festival included writer carol ann duffy david simon stephen fry david nicholls jenny valentine melvyn bragg scientist martin rees sabine bahn economist anthony giddens nicholas stern howard davy danny quah comedian dylan moran dara ó briain sandi toksvig general speaker david frost desmond tutu rowan williams rhodri morgan eccles centre hay festival writer award given annually two writer support work forthcoming book either fiction nonfiction relating america supported british library eccles centre american study winner receive £ divided four quarterly grant research residency eccles centre curatorial support opportunity promote work hay festival event uk elsewhere biggest ngo bestselling author signed letter condemning abuse free speech abu dhabi abu dhabi hay festival commenced abu dhabi february year author signed letter included wellknown figure stephen fry noam chomsky jung chang bernardine evaristo ngo amnesty international pen international condemned abuse free speech united arab emirate led arrest abuse human right advocate ahmed mansoor time festival held solitary confinement sentenced serve year prison term festival chair caroline michel stated october event would return abu dhabi mark support allegation festival’s curator caitlin mcnamara sexual assault tolerance minister uae sheikh nahyan bin mubarak al nahyan mcnamara claimed assaulted minister met remote island villa february concerning work emirati foreign ministry declined comment personal matter reached britain metropolitan police confirmed received report alleged rape woman july november caitlin mcnamara vowed fight following cps october decision prosecute uae minister alleged attack said occurred outside jurisdiction mcnamara said decision sent message sheikh nahyan others commit similar crime long theyre economic value uk whatever want interview sunday time mcnamara said felt abandoned hay festival interview channel stated mistake made way festival handled reporting sexual assault distressing bookseller proprietor oxford house book paul harris journalist sean dodson called cromwell figure held mock trial treason symbolic beheading effigy richard booth protest criticism festival voiced harris concerned threat posed independent character town overdependence commercial outsider interest hay festival saying cannot trade profile festival week year harris prosecuting argument hay festival become publicly dominant negatively impacted economic fortune many secondhand book shop made town harris argued booth promotional figurehead town due selfdeclared kingship hay negligent promoting issue bookseller festival told press fill town book wont bring people townyou need publicity promotion sucked festival richard used great drumming publicity denouncing festival he able need set council replace opponent republican mission including founder festival peter florence blamed decreasing fortune bookseller individually said need rethink business strategy however harris argued bookseller seen decrease sale year leading revolt popular british novelist robert harris commentating time sympathised bookseller also suggesting recession internet affected fortune duncan fallowell said call festival waterstonesonwye almost lost touch intellectual value matthew engel said many festival goer dont go town idea festival detracts hay clearly preposterous may festival announced would suspend sponsorship baillie gifford response claim raised campaigner intense pressure artist withdraw speaker including k blakemore dawn butler charlotte church nish kumar ania magliano noreen masud torus tsui announced would boycott festival sponsor involvement israel fossil fuel opposition baillie gifford led fossil free book organised letter signed author called disinvest israel hay festival hay festival grown extent carried different corner around world arequipa peru jericó colombia cartagena colombia querétaro mexico segovia spain also smaller edition worldwide called forum meant hold day two panel group discussion dallas united state moquegua peru panama city panama medellín colombia sevilla spain ayacucho peru santiago de chile chile book trade united kingdom book united kingdom official website