Clunes Booktown Festival returns this weekend for the first March edition of the event which is shaping up to be a real page-turner.
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Organisers say ticket sales are well above previous years with several weekend author panels already sold out and more likely to be filled before the gates open on Saturday.
"Some of the program is already sold out ... which is well ahead of where we would normally be," said Sue Beal, chief executive of Creative Clunes who produce the Clunes Booktown Festival.
The 2023 festival opens a new chapter for the literary event which has traditionally had a slot on the calendar in the first weekend of May.
After feedback from visitors, vendors, authors, local business and others the decision was made to move the event to the last weekend in March to take advantage of warmer weather and daylight savings.
Last year's festival drew about 11,000 visitors to Clunes over the two days, and it is expected the crowd will be larger this weekend.
"I think the change of weekend is definitely part of it. I think also the program is bigger this year and much broader and as a result we are getting a lot of interest from people who have never been to Booktown before," Ms Beal said.
The festival has also enjoyed an influx of volunteers, including Wesley College students currently studying in Clunes, in addition to many who volunteer their time to help every year.
"(Volunteers) make a big difference and helps take the pressure off," Ms Beal said. "A lot of them have done Booktown before so they are really well seasoned and know what's happening, who is who and what to do, and they teach the new ones. A lot have done it time and time again, they love it, they meet people and make friends."
Almost 100 book sellers will be set up in the main street providing hours of browsing for literary lovers.
Author panels are one of the main features of the two-day festival and the popularity of some have lead to sell-out sessions.
Ms Beal said panels on Russian history and fashion history sold out quickly, along with a panel on photography.
Two other visual arts panels, a discussion with film producers and writers, Environment from a First Nation's Perspective with Tony Birch and Jacqui Katona, and A Question of Age, respected or discarded, with Jacinta Parsons, Ponch Hawkes and Tess Brady are also expected to sell out before the weekend.
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"There's such an incredible spread," Ms Beal said.
It is the first time that visual arts and film have been included as the festival seeks to broaden from just books to other forms of storytelling.
Ms Beal said accommodation in Clunes and surrounds, as far as Ballarat and Maryborough, was heavily to fully booked and local businesses report they do two to three months worth of income in two days during Booktown.
General admission tickets to Clunes Booktown Festival cost $10 giving access to book sellers, events for children from toddlers to teens, a full program of live music and more.
Panel events are separately ticketed.
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