Hay Festival 2025 unveils first wave of speakers, including Michael Morpurgo and Richard Dawkins

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Hay Festival 2025 has revealed its initial lineup, featuring celebrated figures from the worlds of literature, comedy, politics, and music. open image in gallery L-R: Peter Pomerantsev, Laura Bates, Geordie Greig and Wes Streeting Early bird tickets are now available for Hay Festival members, patrons, and benefactors, with general sales opening this Friday. It’s a space for bold ideas, inspiring stories, and meaningful debate, all set against the stunning backdrop of Hay-on-Wye.” The festival continues to thrive as a platform for dialogue, with historians Tom Holland, William Dalrymple, and Ben Macintyre offering sweeping narratives, while personal reflections from Welsh poet Gwyneth Lewis, lawyer Sayeeda Warsi, and Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood provide a more intimate perspective. Finch summed up the festival’s ethos: “You find people talking to each other who have never met before because they’ve been so inspired by something or they so strongly disagree, which is also really good.” Finch continued: “We’re not looking for harmony – what we’re doing is we’re creating an environment where you can have difficult conversations and you can share viewpoints and there’s respect.