Culture

Leading curator joins Hay Festival Global in new Creative Director role

26 Aug 2026 4 minute read

Ted Hodgkinson, who will join the Hay Festival Global team as Creative Director

Nation Cymru staff

Leading curator, broadcaster and editor Ted Hodgkinson is to join the Hay Festival Global team in the new role of Creative Director this autumn.

As Head of Literature and Spoken Word at the Southbank Centre in London, Europe’s largest arts complex, Ted has shaped and delivered a world-class artistic programme, organising more than 3,000 events across a decade-long tenure.

This has included overseeing the programme for London Literature Festival and cultivating key new partnerships, from Goalhanger to Dua Lipa’s Service95 Book Club. He has increased first-time audiences and launched initiatives to support emerging talent, from Indie Night to the New Poets Collective.

He is a widely respected figure in the literary and cultural sector, from previously chairing the International Booker Prize and judging the Orwell Prize for Political Writing to currently serving as a judge for Next Generation Poets.

He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA); he serves as a trustee of English PEN, New Writing North and The Arts Foundation; and he has twice been named among The Bookseller’s 100 most influential people in publishing. His earlier career spanned editorial roles at Granta and literature programming at the British Council.

As Creative Director at Hay Festival Global, Ted will define and lead the artistic vision, creative strategy and public programme for Hay Festival in the UK – covering the flagship spring edition in Hay-on-Wye, Hay Festival Winter Weekend and year-round After Hours events in cities across the country – while informing the creative structure for the charity’s global programme, digital outputs, and wider learning and engagement work.

His appointment comes on the eve of the charity’s 40th anniversary celebrations and a time of growth. In the past 12 months, more than 375,000 tickets were issued to Hay Festival events, with more than 18,000 pupils engaged in free activities. Last year, the Festival’s digital content generated some 122 million impressions, making it one of the world’s most impactful cultural events.

He joins the charity’s executive team, led by Chief Executive Julie Finch, comprised of International Director and co-Deputy CEO, Cristina Fuentes La Roche; Executive Producer and co-Deputy CEO, Adrian Lambert; Director of Communications and External Affairs, Christopher Bone; Finance Director Amanda Cartwright; Production Director Georgie Cooke; and Commercial Director Penny Compton.

Hay Festival Global CEO Julie Finch said: “We’re delighted to welcome Ted Hodgkinson to Hay Festival Global as our new Creative Director.

“Ted joins us at a pivotal moment, as we build towards our 40th anniversary in 2027 and respond to growing demand for Hay Festival platforms in the UK and around the world.

“His experience across multiple art forms, combined with his creative ambition and passion for cultural engagement, makes him an exciting addition to our team. We can’t wait to see how his ideas and leadership help shape the next chapter of Hay Festival Global.”

Ted Hodgkinson said: “I am thrilled to be joining Hay Festival Global as Creative Director, as we mark four extraordinary decades and look ahead to the future.

“From its first stirrings in Hay-on-Wye, it has grown into a truly global conversation, opening up vital space in our cultural life for gathering around books and ideas.

“Alongside Julie Finch and the team, I want to build on these exceptionally strong foundations while being bold and ambitious in reimagining the programme for audiences in Hay-on-Wye and around the world, fired by the belief that its brightest years are still ahead.”

Today’s announcement sets up a new season of Hay Festival Global activity with events this autumn across Mexico, Peru, Ukraine, the US and the UK; platforms including the free monthly Book Club and After Hours events in cities; plus learning and engagement work offering free access to Festival inspiration for young people around the world.

Next up in the UK, Hay Festival Winter Weekend 2026 takes place in Hay-on-Wye, Thursday 26 November–Sunday 29 November. The full programme is released on Monday 21 September.

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