About the gathering

Pete, Lizi, and the fire that started it all

A 70th birthday. A new book. A new album. A wedding. Rather than pick one, we're bringing everyone together for four days at Baskerville Hall.

The big idea

Making Hay is much more than a festival

Pete Lawrence turns 70 in 2027. Over the last few years he's written a book and made an album, This Is The Fire, with co-producer Oskar Vizan. And he's tying the knot with Lizi Sage. Any one of those would be reason enough for a gathering. Together, they're the foundation for something bigger and — we hope — more beautiful: a festival, a creative retreat, and a wedding celebration, all under one roof and one starry sky.

That's the spirit we're building towards. Making Hay isn't a random collection of activities loosely tied together — it's one story, told across a garden stage, a creative space, an immersive tent, a music room, a healing space, a jam session, a dancing barn, and a campfire. Pete's musical history, his writing, his wellbeing practice, and his new wife all sit inside it.

All of Pete's passions culminate in this festival gathering.

Pete and Lizi holding hands, wrists bound with ribbon, during their handfasting ceremony at golden hour, surrounded by a circle of friends and family with Baskerville Hall in the background
Saturday Afternoon

The Wedding & The Handfasting

On the Saturday afternoon, the handfasting — the big, beautiful, communal ceremony — is the celebration the whole gathering is invited into: a community blessing.

That means the festival community is invited to celebrate with Pete and Lizi, while a smaller circle of family and close friends are their personal wedding guests. It's a distinction that protects the intimacy of the day while still letting everyone raise a glass when the fire is lit.

The venue

Baskerville Hall, Hay-on-Wye

Making Hay takes place at the historic hotel, Baskerville Hall, a grand and quirky country house set in 130 acres of Welsh countryside on the edge of the Black Mountains, just over a mile from Hay-on-Wye. The Hall has hosted weddings and larger gatherings for years, with a mix of en-suite hotel rooms, dormitory accommodation, and its own campsite — everything a four-day gathering like ours needs, in one place.

Full details on rooms, dorms and camping are on our Accommodation and Camping pages. You can also see the venue's website directly at baskervillehall.co.uk.

See the ProgrammeRead the Invitation
Baskerville Hall at dusk, windows glowing, string lights across the lawn, dramatic pink sunset sky