What’s on

Café and events

The coffee bar is open daily 10am–5pm, serving excellent coffee, loose-leaf teas and the finest cakes and savoury baked goods in a relaxed, community atmosphere.

We also have regular evening openings, for music, cocktails, gallery launches and other fun stuff; keep an eye on the calendar below and follow us on socials to see what’s going on…

A crowd enjoying an event at The Old Electric Shop in Hay
Featured
Hay Festival Winter Weekend
Nov 27
Hay Festival Winter Weekend

The best weekend to visit Hay-on-Wye, with events all around town. We’ll be open for late shopping, with live music, bar open and a great atmosphere.

The switching on of the Christmas lights is a highlight, with street food, music, steam engine Santa Claus and carols from the local primary schools.

Keep an eye out for a whole range of events around town, there’s always plenty going on.

Lonely Planet

“Hay’s hippest café inhabits an eclectic junk-shop-like space crammed with studios selling new and vintage clothing, furniture and, of course, books. Some nights (and every night during the Hay Festival) the Electric Shop puts on a pop-up cocktail bar, often with live music.”

Blackboard announcing evening cocktail bar during Hay Festival
Care4Calais Thank you message

Care4Calais
sleeping bag appeal

Tents and sleeping bags in good condition can be dropped at the shop for collection by Ruth, who will deliver them to the Care4Calais depot, where she will be volunteering later this year.

Sorry that we can’t accept any other items at this time, but other donations can instead be delivered to Hay St Mary’s Church, where there is a refugee donation point.

We also have a donation pot on the counter in the shop, where any of your spare change is very welcome. This will be divided equally between The Flying Seagull Project and Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders).

Barista preparing coffee behind a counter with a display case of cakes in a cozy café setting, featuring a blue teapot and cups on a tray.
Baklava pieces arranged in a circular pattern on a white plate.
Three cocktails on a table with shelves of glassware and jars in the background. One cocktail is brown with coffee beans as garnish, another is pink with a raspberry, and the third is clear with herbs.
Sign listing milk options: whole cow, skimmed cow, oat, coconut, and soy, with no extra charge.
A musician playing an electric guitar at a late night music event at The Old Electric Shop in Hay-on-Wye.
Two plates of desserts in a display case: one with chocolate-drizzled oat bars and another with sliced wholemeal almond honey cake topped with almond slices.
Various cocktails on a table with decorative lights and a flower arrangement in the background.
A cup of coffee with latte art on a textured surface.
Indoor party scene at The Old Electric Shop in Hay-on-Wye.
Bakery display with various pastries on glass shelves, including a banana loaf with caramel. Handwritten labels describe the items, such as raspberry blondies and lemon drizzle cake, against a backdrop of cherry blossoms.
Sign for The Old Electric Shop advertising a cocktail bar, music, and food available during the Hay Festival from 9am to 11pm.
Two musicians playing violins at The Old Electric Shop in Hay-on-Wye.
The shop front at night with large arched windows, during an event at The Old Electric Shop in Hay-on-Wye.
Café staff at The Old Electric Shop in Hay-on-Wye.
A late night music event at The Old Electric Shop in Hay-on-Wye.