HAY-ON-WYE is gearing up for a big weekend to mark the start of Christmas festivities.
It begins on Friday with the start of the Hay Winter Festival and its opening night party in the castle with acoustic trio Thrill Collins.
Also on Friday at 7pm will be the switching on of Hay’s Christmas lights. The event will be marked with songs from local choirs and pupils from Hay Primary School as well as mulled wine and mince pies and late opening for shops.
Meanwhile at the Globe from 8pm will be folky four-piece Flatlands and Garage Flowers supported by Seren the Heron from Crickhowell.
Father Christmas makes an early appearance in the town on Saturday. He’ll be in a bookish grotto at Richard Booth’s Bookshop accompanied by an elf from 12 to 3pm.
Children will also be able to make Christmas crafts and even an entire book in a day at the bookshop with award-winning author, Saci Lloyd, writer of the Carbon Diaries, Momentum and Quantum Drop book series and designer, Paul Thomas.
In the evening The Old Electric opens its bar for a night of Caribbean cocktails.
And on Sunday in the Market Square more than 40 exhibitors will gather to stage Hay’s annual winter food festival and Hay Does Vintage will bring its Vintage Wondertown Fayre to town.