From September 10 to 13, 2026, Segovia will host the 21st edition of the Hay Festival, an essential event for literature, thought, science, and culture. Centered around the search for beauty in contrast to the rush, consumerism, and immediacy of modern society, the festival offers a space for dialogue, reflection, and quiet contemplation.
Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) is collaborating on this edition by supporting a program that brings together key figures from the cultural and scientific spheres:
The Brain and Beauty (Friday, September 11 | 6:30 PM | Segovia Public Library): Neuroscience communicator Nazareth Castellanos talks with Carmen Delibes about how contemplating art and beauty affects the health and biology of our brain.
Cristóbal Balenciaga Universe (Friday, September 11 | 8:30 PM | IE University - Sala Capitular): A conversation on craftsmanship, detail, and meticulous work as artistic creation, featuring writer Nerea Pallares and Javier Echeverría Sola (curator of Cristóbal Balenciaga | Shoes from Spain Tribute), moderated by Enrique de Santiago.
Reading of Own and Others' Poems (Saturday, September 12 | 11:00 AM | Torreón de Lozoya): The 17th edition of this public reading series, led by José Félix Valdivieso. It features Leonor Pataki (2025 Fundación Loewe International Poetry Prize Young Creation Winner), Hwang Bo-Reum, Jessica Andrews, Gustavo Martín Garzo, Nerea Pérez de las Heras, among other guests.
Invisible Violence (Saturday, September 12 | 1:10 PM | Casa de la Lectura Municipal Library): Author Lucía Solla Sobral speaks with journalist Pablo Gil following the success of Comerás flores and the literary portrayal of psychological abuse.
The Intentions of Víctor del Árbol (Saturday, September 12 | 5:00 PM | Casa de la Lectura Municipal Library): A meeting between author Víctor del Árbol and members of the reading club from the Asociación Entre Amigos del Polígono Sur de Sevilla (in collaboration with the José Manuel Lara Foundation) along with rural reading clubs from Segovia.
Spain-India Dual Year 2026: Networks Driving Literary Communities (Sunday, September 13 | 11:30 AM | IE University - Sala Capitular): Inmaculada Ballesteros (Programming Director at AC/E) and Sonia Faleiro (founder of South Asia Speaks) discuss creating support networks for emerging talent with Miquel Molina.
The Daily Wonder of Still Being Here (Sunday, September 13 | 12:20 PM | IE University - Aula Magna): Marta Jiménez Serrano and Nerea Pérez de las Heras address extreme experiences, resilience, and transforming personal life into literature.
The Unhurried Gaze of the Classics (Sunday, September 13 | 1:30 PM | Casa de la Lectura Municipal Library): Alejandro Gándara and Gustavo Martín Garzo reflect on returning to classic texts and ancient wisdom to navigate the speed of today's world.