Hay Festival, a 11- day literature event in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, (150,000 visitors annually). Sustainability sits at the core of the festival through the on stage talks to the event planning process. Recognising travel as its largest environmental impact, the festival has tracked audience travel and transport for 15 years, finding that 95% of the audience travel by car.
To reduce this impact as much as possible, the festival partners with First Event Solutions to provide bus services from key hubs like Hereford and Worcester. Bus tickets can be purchased in advance or on the day.
In 2024, Hay Festival saw 2978 of passengers utilising the bus service which is an increase of 13% on 2023 numbers. Hay Festival still subsidises this service, so to encourage increased usage in 2025, all children under 15 will travel free.
This case study is part of the Green Travel and Transport Guide for Festivals and Events 2025 (coming soon)