News for Austen Enthusiasts: August 2025

August is over, which can only mean one thing - the Jane Austen Festival is upon us, and what a festival it is heating up to be. Celebrating 250 years of Jane Austen means pulling out all the stops to bring you a full week of Jane Austen and Regency talks, fairs, lectures and workshops. Can't make it to Bath in person?

We're also recruiting our festival reviewers for this year. If you're headed to Bath and would like to share your perspective on this year's Jane Austen Festival, follow the submission instructions here to register your interest with our blog editor. If you're wondering what you might write about, check out last year's perspectives.

In the meantime, here's all the Jane Austen news and updates you might have missed in August!

Jane Austen Festival dates announced for 2026 and 2027

If you're kicking yourself for not making it out to Bath for this year's Jane Austen Festival, it's time to pencil it in for next year! We have now announced the dates for not only next year's festival, but 2027's dates too. Now you can start making your plans to join us next year, whether you're joining us this month or not! 

Your 2026 Jane Austen Festival will take place from Friday 11th to Sunday 20th September 2026. Your 2027 Jane Austen Festival will take place from Friday 10th to Sunday 19th September 2027.

Keep an eye on the Jane Austen Festival homepage for more updates >>

 

Theatre company to reinvent Lady Susan for the digital age 

Oxford-based theatre company Creation Theatre are staging Lady Susan, and it turns out, you can enjoy it from the comfort of your own home! Jane Austen's early epistolary novella, Lady Susan, was not published until long after Austen's death, and takes the form of 41 letters exchanged between the characters, including the charming titular widow. A lesser-known Austen, Creation will be bringing Lady Susan to you in bite-sized chunks of one letter per day, sent directly to your inbox, starting 22nd September. I personally cannot wait to get stuck in! 

Get your ticket at the Creation Theatre website >>

 

Hollywood stylist coming to Jane Austen Festival

One particularly buzzy attendee we will be welcoming to the festival is Hollywood costume designer Heidi Howell, who has lent her expertise to productions such as Django Unchained and Green Book. Alongside make-up artist Katelyn Simkins, she'll be helping attendees of her workshop with trimming bonnets and ensuring that their costumes are era-appropriate. 

Read more at the BBC >>

 

The Londonist aggregates all the Autumn Jane Austen theatre

London-based Jane Austen fans are in for quite the season of West End theatre, with a whole run of different Austen-inspired shows hitting the boards this Autumn. Fans of Emma and Pride and Prejudice can expect to be particularly catered to, but there is something for everyone, including the likes of Austentatious, fresh from a busy run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. 

Read about everything on offer at the Londonist >>

 

Family fun guaranteed at Winchester Cathedral Jane Austen trail

The Hampshire Chronicle has published a gallery of photos of families having all kinds of fun at Winchester Cathedral's new interactive Jane Austen trail. Designed especially for kids aged 5 to 11, the trail includes hobby-horse riding, silhouette making and many other interactive activities, designed to spark that initial interest in the works of Jane Austen

Find out more at the Hampshire Chronicle >>

 

Community comes together to knit and crochet their love for Jane Austen

Something that has brought me so much joy this year is seeing all the creative ways communities are celebrating 250 years of Jane Austen. In a particularly crafty example, community groups and hobbyists in the Basingstoke area have come together to create a whole display of Jane Austen and Regency-themed knitted and crocheted items. They are now on display at The Vyne, a National Trust property.

See their creations at the Basingstoke Gazette >>

 

Austen's uncle's house up for sale 

A farm-house in Sevenoaks that once belonged to Jane Austen's uncle Francis Motley Austen has come up for sale, with a guide price of £3.5 million. Yowza! The Grade II-listed farmhouse is based in a conservation area, and is badly in need of an update, so this one is for a buyer not only with a pretty penny to spend, but also an appetite for renovation. 

Have a nose around the inside at Country Life magazine >>

 

AS ALWAYS, WE WOULD LOVE TO KNOW IF WE HAVE MISSED ANYTHING, AS WELL AS ALL YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE NEWS!