A new chapter will begin in 2023 when the Clunes Booktown Festival takes place on the last weekend of March - capping off a busy month of festivals across Victoria.

The change in dates - to March 25 and 26 - will also allow organisers to schedule evening events so book lovers can take advantage of daylight savings to further explore the festival sites throughout the town.

Creative Clunes chief executive Sue Beal said feedback after this year's Booktown festival from various groups including volunteers, logistics providers, book sellers, Clunes businesses and visitors, was almost unanimous in requesting a change of date.

"Almost to a person they said please change the date," Ms Beal said.

While recent years have seen Clunes Booktown firmly slotted on the first weekend of May, Ms Beal said going back over the event's history it had not always been held in May.

After consulting local businesses, book vendors from across Australia and other groups Creative Clunes approached the Booktown board to lobby for the date change.

"The weather in May is much more unreliable and it's cold," she said. "We have really wanted to extend the festival in to a night-time event as well but particularly over the last two festivals it's been so cold and dark by 5pm or 5.30pm that people drift off to get dinner or return to their accommodation.

"Changing to March we've got daylight saving, warmer weather and in March there's usually far less chance of rain, the weather is really nice and it's more likely that people will stay around."

It also reduces the concerns of book sellers who bring thousands of books to be sold in marquees in the main street which could be at risk in severe weather.

"Last year the weather forecast was horrific; it was going to be absolutely pouring rain and we were very worried about that because when putting up marquees and delivering power to the marquees it can get very dangerous," she said.

Luckily organisers were able to close the main street a day early and erect the marquees on Thursday before the forecast rain hit, and as it was the weather was cold but not as bad as forecast.

Ms Beal said local businesses were excited at the opportunity for Booktown crowds to be in town later, enjoy meals, music and other events.

"A number of the people that have shops in the main street are so excited when having conversations about the change of dates that they are thinking of putting on smaller events in their places of business so people have a choice."

While March in Victoria is packed with festivals, Ms Beal said she believed Clunes Booktown lovers would embrace the change of date.

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"We did look at the busy March calendar. we are going a week before Cresfest and we've been in discussion with other festivals around that time and we all agree the demographics for each of our festivals are quite different ... and we think if all of us can cross-promote we might end up finding it's a benefit to all the festivals."

Clunes Booktown will celebrate every aspect of the book - not just writing and reading but making, publishing, retailing, and sharing with thousands of books, conversations with writers and storytellers, renowned authors, poets and wordsmiths.

Alongside the talks, workshops, book signings and sales will be live entertainment, street performers, activities for families and children, and food and drinks from local providores and producers.

The 2023 Clunes Booktown program will be announced later this year.

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