A West End actor and singer will have the honour of turning of Hay-On-Wye's Christmas lights this year.

Luke Evans will join the soon-to-be-announced Hay-on-Wye Citizen of the Year to switch on the town’s Christmas lights on Friday 29 November as part of his upcoming Hay Festival Winter Weekend appearance.

The free switch-on event, co-hosted by Hay Town Council and Hay Chamber of Commerce, will take place 5–7 pm in Memorial Square, accompanied by carol singing, food, mulled wine and entertainment to give a rousing start to the Festival weekend, which runs to Sunday 1 December.

Luke Evans is an actor and singer who began his career on the stage, performing in London’s West End in productions of Rent, Miss Saigon and Piaf before making his film debut in 2010. He has starred in the Fast & Furious franchise, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Dracula Untold, and as Gaston in Disney’s live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast.

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On television he has starred in TNT’s The Alienist and alongside Nicole Kidman in Nine Perfect Strangers for Hulu. As a recording artist, Luke has released two studio albums: At Last and A Song For You which hit the top five in the UK charts in 2022.

Evans will be at the Festival to launch his new book, Boy From the Valleys: My Unexpected Journey, in an event on Friday 29 November following the lights switch-on.

In this intimate memoir, Evans takes us behind the scenes of his career on the stage and screen. His story is a powerful tale of resilience, courage, and the pursuit of finding a sense of belonging and identity, but mostly a story of inspiration.

Speaking of his achievement, Evans said he was honoured to be joining the Christmas festivities and was looking forward to joining the town's Citizen of The Year.

"When I was writing my memoir, Boy From the Valleys, I never imagined it would take me to one of the world’s most famous book festivals and I can’t wait to meet readers there.”

The Winter Weekend will run from November 28 to December 1.