HowTheLightGetsIn 2025: A Guide

Fancy sharpening your mind this Spring Bank Holiday? Visit HowTheLightGetsIn 2025, the world’s largest festival of ideas, and explore music, comedy and inspiring talks on the idyllic banks of the River Wye. Here’s exactly what to expect from this year’s festival – plus how to secure your spot.

C&TH Readers Get 20 Percent Off Tickets With Code CATH25

HowTheLightGetsIn 2025: Everything You Need To Know

Building on its 15-year legacy of inspiring intellect, more than 350 speakers and performers will gather at the gorgeous site at the foot of the black mountains from 23–26 May 2025 to deliver a weekend of over 300 events, from inspiring interdisciplinary talks to entertaining music, comedy and cabaret performances, all topped off with a selection of delicious food and drink.

What’s On At HowTheLightGetsIn 2025?

Talks

A comprehensive, multifaceted line-up of speakers has been announced, spanning mathematics and science, beauty and media, politics and philosophy, and everything in between. Highlights include:

• Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn
• Journalist and author of We Need to Talk About Kevin, Lionel Shriver
• Artist and mental health advocate Jordan Stephens
• Maverick philosopher Slavoj Žižek
• Acclaimed historian David Starkey
• Canadian psychologist and psycholinguist Steven Pinker

…And plenty more. See the full line-up at howthelightgetsin.org

Debates

HowTheLightGetsIn’s USP is the lively interdisciplinary debates – and 2025 is no different. Drawing together artists, philosophers and scientists (who you might spot delivering solo talks elsewhere across the festival) to tackle the problems of our times, expect spirited debates spanning some of the most pertinent questions of our time, from AI to equality to theories on the entire universe.

This year, panelists include Jeremy Corbyn, Nicola Sturgeon, Rowan Williams and plenty more field-leading experts. See the full line-up here.

© Sam McMahon

Comedy

HowTheLightGetsIn’s comedy and cabaret line-up is fit to burst with famous faces, up and comers and inevitable laughs. Highlights include Rhys James, Janine Harouni, Sharon Wanjohi, Ben Hope and Chelsea Birkby, with plenty more on the bill. See the full line up here.

© Sam McMahon

Music

As well as the UK’s big thinkers, HowTheLightGetsIn festival attracts some of the UK’s most vibrant and forward-thinking artists. In 2025, this includes a DJ sets from Grammy-nominated duo Zero 7 as well as Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard, and live performances from Ella Clayton, Chinwe, Bleach Lab, Deptford Northern Soul Club and more. See the full line-up here.

© Sam McMahon

Where & When?

HowTheLightGetsIn 2025 will return to Hay from Friday 23 to Monday 26 May 2025.

The festival site is set on the edge of the Black Mountains (just off Newport Street, HR3 5BZ), alongside the River Wye in the famed book town.

How?

Festival tickets start from £208, and students and under 25s get up to 40 percent off.

Don’t forget: Country & Town House readers get an exclusive 20 percent off tickets when using the exclusive code CATH25 at checkout. Visit howthelightgetsin.org to secure your spot.