A community festival is coming to Hay-on-Wye, and it promises to burn bright. It all starts with a special fundraising evening this weekend.

The Globe at Hay will be reigniting the flame for Hay on Fire on Saturday, October 24, at 6pm, inviting the whole community to help bring it to life for 2027.

It's the first step in the fundraising journey to reignite Hay on Fire and bring the festival back to the people of Hay.

The evening at The Globe will be a chance for people to share memories, spark conversation and build community spirit, and will feature a screening of Alan Trow's 2007 Hay on Fire film. The founder of Hay on Fire, Goffee, will also be in attendance and will encourage those present to look ahead to the future of the festival.

The phoenix event, should it go ahead, will bring together artists, makers, performers, schools, businesses and residents for a celebration of creativity, community and good old-fashioned spectacle. Plans include lantern-making, mask-making, music, performance and large-scale artworks, building to a procession through the town and a fire-filled finale. The proposals even feature a giant dragon, created with the community in the months beforehand. It will also include handmade lanterns, music, costumes, fire displays and one very big bonfire.

In 1977, local bookseller Richard Booth declared the town an independent kingdom on April Fool's Day, crowning himself king and naming his horse Prime Minister. Hay on Fire carries on that spirit.

The excitement won't be saved for one night. Local people will be invited to help from the start, making lanterns and costumes, building giant creations, learning new skills and shaping what the festival becomes. Organisers want it to grow from the ground up, rather than parachuting in a ready-made spectacle.

Marion Kramer, organiser of Hay on Fire, said: “We want people to get fired up about making something together. Whether you're six or 96, there should be a way to join in. Hay is full of creative people, interesting ideas and a healthy disregard for being too sensible. We want to bring all of that together and create something unforgettable.

“This isn't intended to be a history lesson. It's about making things, dressing up, meeting people and having a brilliant time.”

The team hopes to spark an annual tradition that becomes part of the town's cultural calendar, giving people of all ages the chance to try something completely out of the ordinary.

If all goes to plan, Hay on Fire will catch alight and spread from workshops and community spaces into a town-wide celebration of creativity, imagination and collective mischief. There will be dragons. There will definitely be fire. Lots of it.

The organisers' ambition is simple: ignite imaginations and create a night that leaves the whole town glowing.

The event is free to attend and everyone is welcome. More information is available by visiting The Globe at Hay website at theglobeathay.org and navigating to the ‘What’s On’ section.