HOWTHELIGHTGETSIN FESTIVAL RETURNS TO HAY - JUNE 2022
After three years, the world's largest Music and Philosophy Festival returns home to the idyllic embankment of the River Wye for a bank holiday weekend of revelry, reflection, and parties.
Set on the edge of the Black Mountains, alongside the Wye in the famed book town of Hay, HowTheLightGetsIn is set in a magical location. But that is the backdrop for the real magic to come.
"There is a crack in everything...that's how the light gets in", goes the Leonard Cohen song from which the festival gets its name. And HowTheLightGetsIn brings its own special form of magic to everyone. There is no other place on the planet where you can party and dance late into the night, fill your days with the world's leading thinkers, and discover the most cutting-edge ideas.
At HowTheLightGetsIn Hay 2022 you can join a debate about the nature of the universe with the world's top scientists, laugh until your sides hurt with the UK's best comedians, dance by the river to the finest beats, dine with our speakers at Inner Circle events or indulge in sumptuous long table banquets.
HowTheLightGetsIn is not just another festival. There's something special in the air. It's alive with ideas in every field of endeavour. Our programme has many names you will recognise but HowTheLightGetsIn is not about status or celebrity. We are about ideas and wonder and creating a space where everyone's imagination can flourish. Find the bands you've never heard of, discover ground-breaking ideas that have yet to make their mark, contribute yourself and your thoughts, and magic will come your way.
Our world-class line up of musicians and performers is the jewel in the crown of our programme, and what makes HowTheLightGetsIn a festival unlike any other - msuical icons from Fairport Convention to Charlotte Church, superstar songwriters from Badly Drawn Boy to Anna Calvi, or dancefloor maestros from Andrew Weatherall to Zero 7.
We carefully hand-pick our Music & Performance events to mix legendary icons and rising superstars. From exhilarating dance music to intimate gigs from enchanting singer-songwriters, every taste is well and truly catered for.
"The art and soul of the party" - Harper's Bazaar
"Brilliant...the setting and the atmosphere is perfect" - Badly Drawn Boy
"The music lineup would shame the average summer festival" - The Independent
Debate is the beating heart of HowTheLightGetsIn. Ideas are alive and evolving. There is rarely consensus at the frontiers of knowledge.
HowTheLightGetsIn brings together the world’s leading thinkers in every field – from firebrand philosophers like Slavoj Žižek to Nobel Prize-winning physicists like Roger Penrose, game-changing economists like Marianna Mazzucato to critically acclaimed writers like Martin Amis.
Our programme is totally unique and singularly accessible. From fiery debates to intimate solo talks, and from Academy courses to Inner Circle dinners, get ready to push the boundaries of what you know.
HowTheLightGetsin Hay 2022 will be set in a magical location on the edge of the Black Mountains, alongside the river Wye in the famed book town of Hay.
We've grown in the ten years since we started, but we remain dedicated to creating an intimate enviromment. Our venues are small enough to encourage real conversation, electric enough to play host to unforgettable performances and late-night parties.
If you've been to Hay, you'll know why this small town draws US Presidents and Nobel Prize winners, critics and intellectuals alike into its orbit. If you haven't, it's time to see what all the fuss is about.
HowTheLightGetsIn Hay 2022 has more to offer than party-starting performances and cutting edge discussion. We're creating a festival paradise on our riverside site, where every corner turned will reveal something new to try.
Inner Circle
Inner Circle events are an exclusive opportunity for an intimate meal and discussion with world-leading thinkers, your chance to grill them on the issues of the day or their latest big idea.
Long Table Banquets
It's not just minds that can feast at HowTheLightGetsIn. Every lunch and evening, our resident chefs lay out a sumptuous four course meal, ready for you to enter a world of spectacle and sensual delight.
And More...
With film screenings of the latest documentaries, scandalous cabaret and vintage fairground rides to boot, the festival is a wonderland for the imagination.
