Festival president Janie Jordan announced this week the three-day festival will be alternating with the Patrick White Oration.

So, instead of two events every year, the Oration and the festival will alternate every two years on the second weekend of March.

This means SLF will stage its second, stand-alone Patrick White Oration on March 13, 2021. The next festival will be held in March 2022.

"It was a sensible decision we've made after much deliberation and a decision made for the current circumstances, with the current situation with the current committee," Ms Jordan said.

"Because of the uncertainty that COVID has presented and the fluctuations that brings, the only way we could be certain that we could put on a great event for the next two years was to split them."

However Ms Jordan said the committee is still committed to their long term-vision going forward.

"Not only will we have more certainty around what the COVID world looks like, but the Scone revitalisation will be well underway by 2022/23 and the Civic Theatre is most likely to be open," she said.

"That gives us more options to fulfill our vision that we took to council and our community which was to take the festival back to the streets, back to its origins.

"Eventually the vision is to take it to the main street which will be much more accessible and involve more of the Scone business community."

Ms Jordan also revealed some details about the upcoming Oration in March next year with another big name set to star as guest speaker.

The expectations will certainly be high after award-winning author Christos Tsiolkas impressed guests at the inaugural event in 2019.

The details are currently being fine-tuned with an announcement to come soon.

"The much-beloved Australian who will be delivering the Patrick White Oration is a huge coup for the Upper Hunter," she said.

Additional workshops and activities are being planned to accompany the stand-alone oration.

"We are looking at doing a workshop on the Friday with a children's author who has just released a book on Patrick White," Ms Jordan added.

"We're also planning an adult version on the Saturday and then the oration, so it will be a mini weekend."

Ms Jordan said the feedback recieved from the last festival was phenomenal with many saying it was the best ever.

"We certainly exceeded our expectations with many of the single-ticket events, such as Kerry O'Brien sold out weeks ahead," she said.

"Our new events, including the literary lunch in Merriwa and the Bush Poets morning tea at Strathearn were very successful and will continue.

"These events play a very important role in the cultural diversity in the Upper Hunter and we are determined to continue to develop our rich literary heritage."

Related: Scone Literary Festival launches its 2020 program at special Patrick White Oration