Unique festival set to return to Hay

A leading economics and ideas festival will return to Hay-on-Wye next month, bringing bestselling authors and economists together to examine past financial failures and what they reveal about today’s global challenges.

The Weekend of Mistakes (WoM)2026 will take place at Hay Castle from 20 to 22 March, following two consecutive sold-out editions.

Organisers say the event will again offer audiences rare access to high-profile thinkers for in-depth discussions on economic history, political decision-making and the lessons these hold for modern financial markets.

WoM brings together investment practitioners, thinkers, researchers, students and interested members of the public to exchange ideas, challenge assumptions and broaden perspectives. The Weekend of Mistakes was inspired by, and developed in collaboration with, the Edinburgh-based Library of Mistakes.

A weekend of insight, discovery, storytelling and spirited debate, this year’s programme features a range of topics, including the mafia’s unlikely role in shaping 1960s queer nightlife; the economics of football and why Hollywood is investing in the UK’s lower leagues; Gen Z’s pension prospects as young taxpayers; why your water bill is so high (and how to fix it); Trumponomics and the new age of state capitalism; and what happens when debt worries become mental health issues.

At the heart of the weekend is Default: the history, art and ethics of not paying back what you owe — a timely exploration of the dark side of the world’s growing mountains of debt, and the moral accounting of the ‘promise economy’ from personal crises to global fault lines.

Speakers confirmed for this year include Felix Salmon (author of The Phoenix Economy and host of Slate Money), Merryn Somerset Webb (editor-at-large of Bloomberg), Professor Dame Alison Wolf DBE (The XX Factor), Mona Siddiqui OBE (Professor of Religion and Society at King’s College London), Paul Cartledge (bestselling author of Thebes and Democracy), Anja Shortland (We Know You Can Pay a Million) and Lawrence Newport (campaigner and co-founder of Looking for Growth).

Unique to The Weekend of Mistakes is the opportunity for attendees to connect and discuss the themes raised during events with the authors and speakers, as well as breakfast discussions, book signings, networking sessions and more, all against the beautiful backdrop of Hay-on-Wye.

Merryn Somerset Webb said ‘the quality of speakers is off the scale’ at The Weekend of Mistakes, ‘and the best audience questions from any event.’ Edward Chancellor praised the ‘consistent high quality’ of the sessions available to attendees, a sentiment echoed by speaker Anja Shortland, who praised the blurring of ‘boundaries between the audience and speakers,’ calling it a ‘wonderful event and brilliant for everyone to share ideas and expertise in this relaxed atmosphere.’

Tom True, Director, Hay Castle Trust, said: ”We can’t wait for Hay Castle to be alive again with discussions around past mistakes, follies and manias, and the lessons they hold for the way we live now. Pre-eminent economists, thinkers and authors will join together in this magical place to present a unique, challenging and entertaining weekend.”

Russell Napier, Keeper, The Library of Mistakes, said: “A Glastonbury for financial historians – there was just a little mud, and the only drug was caffeine, but minds expanded all the same!”

For tickets and further information, click here.