HUDDERSFIELD Literature Festival kicked off with a lively opening night.

Dozens packed into the Zetland pub in Queensgate to mark the start of the Festival.

Literary-themed cocktails were the order of the evening, with Tequila Mocking Bird, Clockwork Orange and In the Mojito of the Night proving particularly popular with the crowd, some of whom were dressed as famous literary characters.

Creative luminaries from the town mingled with business sponsors and University of Huddersfield students who have helped organise the three-day event.

The Festival promises to be a great success, having received excellent support from publishers as well as the public.

New director Michelle Hodgson took over in November and has built on the good work of her predecessor, author Michael Stewart.

The evening began with a meeting of Huddersfield Creative Arts Network (HCAN) and was followed by a celebration to mark the launch of the three-day festival, which starts today and runs until Sunday.

Guests watched the premiere of a five-minute film on the joy of reading, produced by Huddersfield University film students Leanne Mulligan and Emily Welch and scripted by best-selling Huddersfield author Joanne Harris.

In it a range of local people, including Huddersfield Town ambassador Andy Booth, Huddersfield Giants business development manager Robbie Hunter-Paul, town crier Vic Watson and Examiner editor Roy Wright, read a single line about books.

Ms Hodgson said: “We have sold a lot of tickets, particularly for the big name events, but the specialist events are also selling well, so we are very pleased.

“The Festival has involved a lot of hard work, but it has absolutely been worth it. I am really pleased with the authors this year, it is a strong line-up.

“We have had very good support from publishers, the town and the university.”

Four companies are helping to sponsor the event. They are: Begbies Traynor, Wilkinson Woodward, Ramsdens Solicitors and VA Bell Brown.

Authors taking part in the Festival include Kate Atkinson, Jodi Picoult, Joanne Harris and Michael Stewart.

Events for the weekend include storytelling sessions with Joanne Harris and creative writing classes from Annabel Pitcher, the award-winning teen fiction author.

An additional event will be held at 7.30pm on April 3 when Jodi Picoult is in conversation at Huddersfield Town Hall.