Hay Festival starts tomorrow - and in the nick of time, the new Booksellers map has been delivered round the shops. This year it's purple - and this blog is in it! As the official blog of the Hay Independence movement, this is the place to come for all the campaign information as we move towards our referendum in September - the same date as Scotland (if they can do it, so can we!)
Of course, just as I featured Barnabee Books on Small Business Saturday, they've moved out of town to Gwernyfed Farm Barn in Felindre - only a short drive out of town, for Ladybirds, Observers, Pan, Penguin and Puffin books, but it's now by appointment only. I don't know yet what's going to take their place in the basement under La Maison.
I have noticed two pop-up shops, though. Next to Golesworthy's, where the Keeper's Pocket was (and the Keeper's Pocket has moved just across the road onto the Pavement) is the Pop-Up Pantry, selling takeaway food. I think Alex Gooch's wonderful bread is part of the selection (he has a stall on the Thursday market, and I love his focaccia).
And down where the Jigsaw and Teddy Bear shop used to be, The Old Electric Shop has moved in for the Festival with all sorts of vintage furniture and stuff. I presume these are the same people who had the shop on Castle Street for a while which actually was the old electric shop (SWALEC) and is now House of Vintage.
In the Castle grounds the tents have gone up for the food stalls, as seen at Abergavenny Food Fair, as well as flags - white around the Castle and purple around the Cinema Bookshop.
Tomorrow, five thousand children from a hundred schools will be coming to Hay for the schools programme, but the events aren't just for the kids - on Friday evening Al Murray, the Pub Landlord, is doing a show, and so is Billy Bragg (and his friends). Billy Bragg will be collecting books to donate to Parc Prison in Brigend, now that books can no longer be sent to prisoners.
And on Saturday and Sunday there's a craft fair over the river at Racquety Farm which I'm going to try to get to, as well as all the events in town.
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2 comments:
What referendum? First I've heard of it!
There will be more publicity closer to the time, but since Scotland are voting on independence in September, we (that is Prince Derek Addyman and his cabinet) decided that we wanted to confirm Hay's historic status as an independent Kingdom.
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