October 31st, 2023Funding impact for Clunes Booktown

Organisers of Clunes Booktown say the festival will be back again next year despite earlier news that “severely reduced funding” will impact the event program.

Creative Clunes CEO Sue Beal said in a report that chairperson Kadir Hussain had “explained that due to severely reduced funding there will need to be a significantly reduced festival program for 2024”.

A public relations spokesperson said Clunes Booktown had a four-year funding agreement with Creative Victoria which ended on December 31.

Creative Clunes Inc manages the annual festival and in a community newsletter earlier this month, the organisation’s CEO Sue Beal gave a report on the Booktown AGM held last month.

“The Board will continue to seek funding for the event so they can deliver as full a program as possible,” Ms Beal said in this month’s community newsletter report.

A public relations contact for Creative Clunes had since told The Local that “Clunes Booktown has a four year funding agreement with Creative Victoria which will be coming to an end on 31 December 2023.

“Creative Clunes are in the process of applying for additional funding for future festivals.

“In the meantime, Clunes Booktown will return to Clunes on 23 & 24 March 2024…The Clunes Booktown program should be out before the end of the year.”