Frequently Asked Questions, Answered!
Across March 21 + 22 2026, Clunes comes alive with over 130 book traders, author talks, workshops, live music, kids activities, and a night sky dreaming event..
The weekend is a celebration of the book filled with author talks, presentations and thought-provoking conversations in the beloved historic Victorian township of Clunes.
Yes, you need a ticket to enter the Festival precinct – it is only $15 with kids under 16 free.
All author talk/panels/workshops will require their own ticket.
Yes, but…
…if you can, you should buy your tickets in advance online.
Every year our Saturday night evening entertainment, workshops and most of our author talks completely sell out.
Yes!
A simple percent discount applies to ticket purchases, the more you buy, the cheaper it gets (up to a limit of course).
We’re bringing our booktraders up and down Fraser Street and across the town in historic buildings.
Over 130 specialist book traders will offer an extraordinary range – new and second-hand, antiquarian and contemporary, rare and popular – covering every imaginable topic and theme.
There are also several resident booksellers in Clunes who will be trading across the weekend.
Details on all book traders will be available on our website closer to the event.
Yes.
Author signings for speakers will occur after each talk. These are hosted in the Readings marquee on Fraser Street. You are welcome to bring along books for signing, or to purchase them on site.
Many independent authors will also be at the festival who would love to autograph their works for you.
Many visitors choose to stay and enjoy both days of the event, and explore our amazing region.
Local B&B and accomodation options traditionally all sell out in Clunes in advance of our event, so book asap!
Within 15 minutes drive of Clunes are the lovely towns of Creswick and Talbot, and beyond that Ballarat, Castlemaine, Daylesford and Hepburn are all popular options once the options in Clunes are booked.
Within 15 minutes drive of Clunes are the lovely towns of Creswick and Talbot, and beyond that Ballarat, Castlemaine, Daylesford, Hepburn and Trentham are all wonderful places to explore.
Check out the Visit Hepburn website for information on regional highlights, events and attractions.
Mobile coverage is best served by Telstra. Telstra are also bringing a mobile tower to Clunes for the Booktown Festival weekend to boost coverage and capacity.
Optus has some coverage in Clunes, and Vodaphone is almost non-existent.
We encourage you to bring cash for the weekend. Cash out can also be done via the ATM’s provided.
Yes.
You are welcome to bring your dog to our event. Dogs are:
- to be kept on a lead at all times inside the event precinct.
- not permitted inside our venues, aside from assistance animals.
- to be removed by the owners if requested by festival volunteers or staff.
Just show your ID at the gate and you’re into the Festival precinct for free!
Locals will still need tickets for our talks, workshops and the Saturday evening entertainment.
Locals should be aware that parking will be impacted by the influx of visitors.
You may have difficulty accessing central Clunes by car and we encourage you to plan around this.
We also encourage locals to consider volunteering to help out during the event, by emailing us.
All our amazing local restaurants and cafes will be open, and these will be complimented by food trucks and coffee carts offering a range of cuisines to fill your bellies!
Yes!
Our station is disability accessible with a raised platform and no steps. We offer a free shuttle bus from the Clunes Railway Station to the town centre (a 2 minute drive or 12 minute walk).
Check with VLine directly for information on services.
There is a dedicated carpark at the Clunes Showgrounds.
From the showgrounds to the main gate is a 5 minute walk, and we also run a shuttlebus between the train station, showgrounds and entry gates.
We offer accessibility parking close to our festival entry on Bailey St next to Town Hall, and next to Attitude on Templeton Street.
Yes.
We offer accessibility parking close to our festival entry on Bailey St next to Town Hall, and next to 25 Fraser on Templeton Street.
The map on our website shows all locations.
Yes.
There is an ATM at the front of the old Newsagency.
We also organise additional ATMs onsite during the event which will be placed on Fraser Street.
We strongly encourage pre-purchase of your Festival Gate and Event Tickets – and to bring a printed copy or screenshot with you.
We do recommend bringing some cash in case of network outages or issues on the day.
We can accept card payment at our gates, but the queues are greater than for those paying at the gate.
Once inside the precinct some of our book traders will take card and all will take cash.
Food vendors will accept cash or cards.
To facilitate the safe conduct of this event, the following road closures will be in place:
- Fraser Street – from Service Street to Templeton Street (full closure to all traffic)
- Fraser Street – from Service Street to Bailey Street (Clunes locals parking only)
These road closures will be in place as follows
Closed from: 20/3/2026 06:00 (event set up)
until
22/3/2026 23:00 (event bump out)
and
- Bailey Street from Service Street to Templeton Street (full closure to all traffic)
This road closures will be in place as follows:
Closed from 20/3/2026 06:00 (event set up)
until
22/3/2026 until 20:00 (event bump out)