A FESTIVAL on the Herefordshire border is setting up its site ready to welcome a list of big names to its tents.

The world-famous Hay Festival runs from the Dairy Meadows, in Hay-on-Wye, and has been going for 35 years.

The pandemic has forced organisers to postpone it for the last two years, but on May 26 it will be back in person for 11 days as it was before.

Local businesses feel the benefits of the festival with festivalgoers drawn into town.

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Residents also rent out their homes as Air bnbs and parking spaces during the festival.

A spokesperson from the festival said the town is very welcoming and the festival help boosts the economy.

“There is lots of excitement in town, with all local businesses ready for the festival to come back, it has been two years so we can’t wait,” said the spokesperson.

“There are lots of really fantastic events on this year, that are great for all ages.

“We’ve got some fantastic stuff for families, from great fictional young authors, to power houses like Jacqueline Wilson and then we’ve got some fantastic live events.”

Award winning actor Benedict Cumberbatch, Lenny Henry, Sheila Hancock, Damian Lewis, Joe Wicks, Jacqueline Wilson, and Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon are on its line-up.

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Former United States Secretary of State Hilary Clinton will be in conversation with lawyer Helena Kennedy on 2 June as part of the literary festival’s Women and Power series.

This event has proved popular amongst festival-goers and has sold out.

During the last Hay Festival before the pandemic, Benedict Cumberbatch also performed.

The local Londis shop in Hay’s town had a surprise visit from him when he bought his sandwich one day.

A new collaboration with Shakespeare’s Globe will also bring nine performances of Julius Caesar to a specially commissioned open-air theatre at the newly renovated Hay Castle.

HowTheLightGetsIn is also set to go ahead in Hay-on-Wye, at the Globe, across the jubilee weekend – coinciding with Hay Festival and bringing more people into the town.