Return of Hay on Fire

 There are plans to hold Hay on Fire again in 2027.  

I was there at the very first Hay on Fire, when the procession went through the town and ended up on the riverbank where the canoes are now.  There was a fire labyrinth, and people out on the river playing with fire.  I was involved in the charity bucket collections - including the very, very wet year when we had to pour the buckets into a sieve over a sink to get the coins out (we didn't get any notes that year - they would have disintegrated!).  That was the year the theme was Midsummer Nights Dream, and there were some very soggy fairies about!

I also remember the vicar at the time (before Father Richard) believing that Hay on Fire was Satanic, and ringing the church bells to drive away the Devil!

Later the fireworks moved to the Warren, where the fireworks - and the cars with flamethrowers - were kept well away from the audience.  I remember the Mayor of Timbuktu, with wellies under his robes, going down the track to watch when he came to visit Hay.

And then it stopped happening - I think there were problems with getting insurance, amongst other things.

Now a new group wants to revive Hay on Fire, for the fiftieth anniversary of Hay Independence, and they're holding a fund raiser on Saturday night at the Globe to start raising the money to put it on again next year.  It'll be mostly in the garden of the Globe, because there will be fire juggling from Pyro Cymru!  They will be encouraging people to have a go, from people who are already performers to complete beginners.  And Goffee, the creator of the original Hay on Fire, will be there to give them his blessing.

Entry is free.