What’s on

Café and events

The shop and 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
The Old Electric Shop external Christmas trees winter weekend Hay on Wye

Hay on Wye Winter Weekend

Friday 28th - Sunday 30th December, late opening until 7pm

It’s Winter Weekend in Hay on Wye - come! We are open later until 7pm on Friday and Saturday evenings, with the folk band Caution Horses playing in the shop 5-7pm on Saturday, free entry and all welcome.

The shop and cafe are open 10am - 7pm, with the bar open throughout.

There’s loads going on around town, with festive events, late night openings, Santa arriving on a steamroller, evening market on Friday and daytime market on Saturday, street food trucks and probably plenty more, with a gorgeous festive atmosphere and plenty to see. If you want to avoid the tacky commercial Christmas markets, you need to make your way to Hay instead.

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.