Photo courtesy of Austin Dupree.
Hays Festival Forum, a festival featuring an inspiring lineup of writers, thinkers and world-changers, will take place in the Bishop Arts District Oct. 17–19, 2025.
Since 2018, seven editions of the Hay Festival Forum Dallas have taken place and some venues for this year’s event include The Texas Theatre, Dallas Public Library, Whose Books, Oak Cliff Assembly and The Wild Detectives.
“What better way to mark our eighth year in Dallas than with a dynamic Forum to tackle some of the country’s – and world’s – most pressing questions?” Hay Festival CEO Julie Finch said. “Spanning four different continents, this is a programme to broaden horizons.”
With an accessible bilingual programme there are a variety of perspectives shared celebrating a range of experiences bridging the gap between local writing stars and headline names from around the world.
The official line up for the returning event includes the largest and most inclusive Forum yet, with book clubs, workshops and stage conversations across the city, according to a press release.
“It’s both interesting and important to be in Dallas in October 2025 given the technological and political context we find ourselves in,” writer and cultural critic Jorge Carrión said. “Defending bookstores and libraries, literature, ideas, freedom of expression, physical and ritual encounters, human prescription, multilingualism and translation is more necessary than ever.”
Confirmed guests include poet and essayist Claudia Rankine; novelists Eimear McBride, Junot Díaz, Marc Haber, Laila Lalami, Rodrigo Fresán, Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, Tim Z. Hernandez and Katie Kitamura; poets Gabriela Jauregui and Sara Uribe; writer Jorge Carrión; anthropologist Jason De León; essayist Marina Azahua; science writer Angela Saini; journalists Arwa Mahdawi and John Gibler; and musicians Brendan Canty, Hugo Burnham and Manuel “Pantro Puto” Viamonte. There will also be a concert by rapper and poet Bocafloja.
Tickets are available now for $10 each for individuals. Day passes that include all events, food and drinks range from $50-$65. For more information, visit https://www.hayfestival.com/forum/dallas/programme.
