In 2006, Hay Festival Director, Peter Florence, was commissioned to produce a plan to further develop the Festival, which helped to attract star names including high profile participants have included Ben Okri, Alan Bennett, Beryl Bainbridge, Elif Shafak, Margaret Drabble, Ian McEwan, Ted Hughes and P.D.
[2] As a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Creative Folkestone Book Festival was postponed in 2020 and replaced with Autumn Reads, a four-day festival inspired by the diaries of filmmaker Derek Jarman[3] following the acquisition of Jarman’s Prospect Cottage at nearby Dungeness by the Art Fund.
Returning to the 2019 Book Festival theme and title of "The Shape of Things to Come" and inspired by the ideas and thoughts of former Folkestone resident, H. G. Wells, those confirmed to take part include founder of the Everyday Sexism website, Laura Bates, Luke Harding, David Lammy, Nick Bryant and Natalie Haynes.
[5] Initially located in the Metropole Arts Centre it began to attract larger audiences by using the Saga Pavilion and The Grand as its main venues from 2002.
Principal sponsor for the 2021 Creative Folkestone Book Festival is the independent news discovery platform, News Now, with additional support provided by the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust, Arts Council England, Folkestone & Hythe District Council, Kent County Council, the EU Interreg North Sea Region Cupido programme and educational partners, Canterbury Christ Church University.