The Weekend of Mistakes 2026 is set to be held in Hay-on-Wye with a line-up of bestselling authors and economists.
The event is returning to Hay Castle from 20th – 22nd March after two sold-out editions. This year’s programme features a range of topics, including the mafia’s unlikely role in shaping 1960s queer nightlife; the economics of football and why Hollywood is investing in the UK’s lower leagues; Gen Z’s pension prospects as young taxpayers; why your water bill is so high (and how to fix it); Trumponomics and the new age of state capitalism; and what happens when debt worries become mental health issues.
At the heart of the weekend is Default: the history, art and ethics of not paying back what you owe — a timely exploration of the dark side of the world’s growing mountains of debt, and the moral accounting of the ‘promise economy’ from personal crises to global fault lines.
Speakers confirmed for this year include Felix Salmon (author of The Phoenix Economy and host of Slate Money), Merryn Somerset Webb (editor-at-large of Bloomberg), Professor Dame Alison Wolf DBE (The XX Factor), Mona Siddiqui OBE (Professor of Religion and Society at King’s College London), Paul Cartledge (bestselling author of Thebes and Democracy), Anja Shortland (We Know You Can Pay a Million) and Lawrence Newport (campaigner and co-founder of Looking for Growth).
Unique to The Weekend of Mistakes is the opportunity for attendees to connect and discuss the themes raised during events with the authors and speakers, as well as breakfast discussions, book signings and networking sessions.
Tom True, Director, Hay Castle Trust, said:
“We can’t wait for Hay Castle to be alive again with discussions around past mistakes, follies and manias, and the lessons they hold for the way we live now. Pre-eminent economists, thinkers and authors will join together in this magical place to present a unique, challenging and entertaining weekend.”
For tickets and further information, visit the website: www.weekendofmistakes.org
