CEO Julie Finch on Hay Festival: Politics, Welsh culture and a star-studded line-up
Julie Finch, Hay Festival’s CEO, speaks to MARK REES about the literary festival’s highlights this year.
(This interview was originally published in the Western Mail, May 2024)
From Glastonbury to Hay
When Stormzy and Dua Lipa were announced to appear at last year’s Hay Festival, it must have raised a few eyebrows. Acts more traditionally associated with headlining Glastonbury were heading to a Welsh literary festival, and not to perform their number one hits, but to talk about books. Yes, books.
While these chart-topping guests might have grabbed the headlines, a few more subtle changes were also taking place in Hay-on-Wye.
Forward-thinking initiatives were introduced to freshen up and broaden the appeal of the annual event, such as a focus on family-friendly activities, a greatly expanded podcast offering, and even a collaboration with the Eurovision Song Contest.
At the helm of this mini revolution was Julie Finch who, having been Hay Festival CEO for less than a year, oversaw what proved to be a highly successful first festival.
Bringing a wealth of experience to the role, her more than two decades in the cultural and creative sectors include several prominent leadership roles, most recently developing a 10-year strategy as CEO-Director of Compton Verney Art Gallery and Park.
The Honeymoon Is Over
Fast forward 12 months and, having had time to reflect on a job well done, Julie is now aiming to go one better second time around when the festival returns for 11 days between 23 May and 2 June.
“The honeymoon period is over,” she jokes when we meet via Zoom to discuss Hay Festival 2024.
“2023 for cultural institutions was the first ‘proper year’ post-Covid and a real test for in-person events. On that basis we did really well, we attracted high numbers. The line-up was great. We added in podcasting, which is a really critical part of how we develop festivals in the future, and we had some stellar people who came – Stormzy, Dua Lipa, Margaret Atwood – so there really was something for everyone.”
An Eclectic 2024 Line-Up
This year’s line-up features an equally diverse cast of well-known faces, albeit from vastly different walks of life. Among the hundreds of writers, journalists, actors, comedians, musicians, and artists visiting the “town of books” will be Gary Lineker, Judi Dench, Geri Halliwell-Horner, and former PM Theresa May.
Those flying the flag for Welsh talent include Bonnie Tyler, Huw Stephens, Charlotte Church, and a celebration of iconic Monmouthshire recording studio Rockfield Studios.
It’s an eclectic mix but, as Julie explains, there is some method to the madness. While half of the line-up is based on authors who happen to be publishing a book around now, the other half is carefully curated by the Hay team with the aim of shining a light on current events.
Talking Politics, Climate and Sport
For example, climate change will be a prominent topic throughout, there’ll be a day dedicated to sport inspired by the Olympics, and the looming elections on both sides of the Atlantic will cast a long shadow over proceedings.
“This year is the year of all years in politics,” she says. “We’ve got to be smart in how we talk about that and provide insights for people. Anything we do is a deep dive that enables people to understand different viewpoints.”
In this respect, the aim is to go beyond the headlines and soundbites by inviting some of the subjects’ greatest thinkers to offer clarity, solutions, and maybe even a little optimism.
“The world we live in is, frankly, quite terrifying. The news is making people wary, so even if we’re dealing with difficult subjects, the spirit of hope is woven throughout.”
Championing Welsh Culture
Another core subject at the heart of Hay is Welsh culture. As a festival with global appeal – memorably described by Bill Clinton as “the Woodstock of the mind” – it’s an opportunity to celebrate homegrown artists on Welsh soil while simultaneously promoting them to the world.
“We are a charity, and we’re really clear about why we are here,” she explains.
“It’s very much around education, promoting literature and arts to the widest possible audiences wherever we operate. We are very wedded as to how we can work with cultural institutions in Wales, such as Welsh National Opera, and we’re also working with the publishers, which includes smaller publishing houses, and making sure their debutantes can be onstage.
“The Writers at Work project, which is funded by the Arts Council of Wales, brings in new writers. A lot of people have had their Welsh writing career born at the Hay Festival.
“The other elevator moment is the academy, where we bring in young people who work across the festival learning new skills about the creative industries. They get an incredible experience they can add to their CV which includes supporting the events, the artists’ room, box office activities, and videography.”
A Festival for First-Timers Too
The young workers aren’t the only ones learning new things at the festival. As Julie recalls from her own time as a punter, discovering something unexpected is a huge part of Hay’s appeal.
During one visit she followed some science strands and, despite the subject being “alien to my arts and humanities perspective,” it proved to be a memorable experience: “I remember coming away thinking I could possibly be a scientist!”
Anyone new to Hay, especially those who might be wary of visiting a literary festival for the first time, is encouraged to embrace the unknown and go exploring. Entry to the site itself is free, which means it costs nothing to have a look around and soak up the atmosphere.
If you do decide to watch an event, tickets for individual talks start from £7, with several events free to enter, such as the BBC podcast recordings.
“If you’ve never been to Hay, I think there is a fear of crossing the threshold,” she says. “It’s like any festival, you’re not quite sure what to do or how to behave in the space. I would say, just book one event, come and spend a day with us, and check the box office to see what else is available on that day.
“See something you’d never dreamt of seeing and then linger, and you will understand what the Hay experience is, and it’s really for everybody.
“People think of the festival model as spending hundreds of pounds and coming for the whole weekend, but you can just come to one event and linger. It is open to anybody and everybody, and more relevant to more people than ever before.”
Personal Highlights
Of course, just picking one event from the hundreds on offer is easier said than done, but Julie does single out some personal highlights that, when the hard work is done, she’ll be enjoying herself.
“I’m looking forward to seeing Judi Dench,” she says. “She performed in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Compton Verney when she was young, and when I worked there I had a picture of her as my backdrop, so to meet her would be amazing.”
She’s also looking forward to seeing two Welsh institutions that both deal with words in very different ways – the emerging words of young writers, and those presented in a more operatic fashion.
“I love going in the Writers at Work tent and just listening to their conversations and the process they’re going through – that’s incredibly powerful.
“And Welsh National Opera, too. We’re trying something new with excerpts and a singing class, it’s a really powerful event.
“I think there’s some beautiful moments coming up.”
Hay Festival, Hay-on-Wye, Thursday 23 May – Sunday 2 June, 2024
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