Sunday 13th September 2026
In Pursuit of Jane Austen - minibus tour to Hampshire
7:45 (returns by 17:00)
Meet: Bath War Memorial, Royal Ave, Bath BA1 2PH
All-day minibus tour to Hampshire tracing Jane's footsteps and life. First her birthplace Steventon, then Chawton where much of her writing took place. Visiting Winchester, King Alfred's capital of England and Jane's final resting place in the cathedral. Meander with guide Adge through the ancient streets, impressive Peninsula Barracks and castle ruins. An unforgettable and atmospheric tour.
For this event you will travel in our bigger 21st Century minibus, accompanied by your tour guide Adge Secker.
Entrance tickets to Jane Austen's House in Chawton & Winchester Cathedral are included in your minibus tour ticket.
Tickets £130 (includes entrance fees)
Tickets Not Yet Available
A Very Private Public Breakfast
10:00 (duration 1hr 30mins)
Venue: Kinwarton, 3 Upper Camden Place, (part of) Camden Rd, BA1 5HX (20 mins walk from central Bath)
Sample the delights of an 18th Century public breakfast just as Jane Austen did in Bath. Bread rolls, toasted fruit bread, cake, tea (Jane Austen blend) or coffee - all in the private dining room of a typical Regency Bath house. Breakfast is accompanied by a talk from Jane Tapley.
As this event is taking place in a private home, we cannot accommodate any special dietary requirements at this event.
Tickets £18
Tickets Not Yet Available
From Rags to Royal Navy: Captain Wentworth, Prize Law, and the Legalities of Land Ownership & Social Mobility in Persuasion - talk
10:00 (duration 1 hour)
Venue: Brunswick Room, Guildhall, High St, Bath BA1 5AW
How did a man of ‘obscure birth’ become a gentleman without an inheritance? While the Elliots of Kellynch Hall were trapped by the rigid, land-based laws of entailment, the Royal Navy operated under a completely different regime: Prize Law.
Join Nichola McNulty as she explores how Captain Wentworth used maritime meritocracy to disrupt the outdated social hierarchies of Regency-era England. We will examine the socially humiliating legalities of the landlord-tenant relationship and how sea-forged wealth allowed Anne Elliot to bypass the transactional marriage market to choose a union based on love.
Tickets £13
Jane Austen & Bath - walking tour
10:00 & 14:30 (duration 1hr 30mins)
Meet: The Prince of Wales Obelisk Monument, Centre of Queens Square, Bath, BA1 2HH
'Oh! Who could ever be tired of Bath?’ So said Jane Austen’s character Catherine Morland in Northanger Abbey, which (along with Austen's novel Persuasion) is set in Bath. Through family links and having visited and lived in the city, Austen knew Bath very well indeed. Come and find out more on this walking tour led by Mr Knightley of The Jane Austen Centre.
Tickets £15
A Whole Campful of Soldiers
10:00 - 15:00 (open 5 hours)
Venue: Holburne Museum Grounds, Great Pulteney Street, BA2 4DB
Visit the encampment of His Majesty's 33rd Regiment of Foot at the Holburne Museum. Listen to their free drop-in talks presenting life at war, experience drill displays, music and chat all things redcoats with their knowledgeable re-enactors.
13:00 "Music and Songs of the Redcoats"
From Regimental tunes to campfire ballads, the music that carried the British Army cross Europe.
14:00 "The Duel" - What if Colonel Brandon had shot Willoughby?
A recreation of a Regency duel and the consequences.
All Free drop-in events
Musical Women: Science or Seduction in Jane Austen's time
11:00 (duration 1 hr 45mins)
Venue: Banqueting Room, Guildhall, High St, Bath BA1 5AW
Being an accomplished musical amateur helped snare a husband, but being a professional female Regency composer was as rare as seeing Mr. Darcy enjoying a lively cotillion! Composition was a science undertaken only by men….or was it?
Join The Square Pianist and friends for the launch of their new project spotlighting women composers who proved that success and independence were possible in a man’s world. With original instruments, authentic costume and beautiful music now only found in archives, you will see how determination and skill could bring fame and professional respect.
Lisa Timbs – Square piano / Annemarie Rhys-Jones – Regency harp / Susan Legg – Mezzo-soprano.
The concert will be filmed and you will have the opportunity to shape the future of the project as your valuable feedback will determine what will be included in the trio’s upcoming album and tour.
Tickets £15
Pride & Prejudice First Lines - Embroidery Workshop
11:00 (duration 2 hours)
Venue: St James Wine Vaults, 10 St James's St, Bath BA1 2TW
Join a beginner friendly embroidery workshop inspired by Pride & Prejudice. Stitch a delicate pastel design of an open book blooming with flowers, framed by the novel’s iconic opening line. You’ll learn several stitches in a relaxed, welcoming setting and begin a beautiful handmade piece to continue at home.
All materials are provided - just come along, stitch, and enjoy a little literary charm.
Tickets £65
Jane Austen: Incurable Romantic - A brand new wandering show in the heart of Bath!
11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 13:00, 13:30 (duration 1 hour each)
Meet: Bath War Memorial, Royal Ave, Bath BA1 2PH
The Natural Theatre Company is back for their 10th consecutive year at the Jane Austen Festival with their hilarious walkabout show, Jane Austen: Incurable Romantic!
Following the success of Austen Undone and Lost & Found, this brand new piece celebrates everything Jane Austen. It reveals recognisable plot-lines, familiar characters and just a little bit of Austen-based nonsense. Immerse yourself in wooing, weeping and wagers as we wander around historic Bath, and watch this joyful story come to life around you!
(Suitable for ages 10+)
Tickets £19
Tickets Not Yet Available
Retelling Jane Austen: Lucy Andrew’s Harriet Smith Investigates: A Very Vexing Murder
11:30 (duration 1 hour)
Venue: Brunswick Room, Guildhall, High St, Bath BA1 5AW
Join crime writer, crime fiction scholar and Jane Austen superfan Dr Lucy Andrew as she spills the tea on A Very Vexing Murder (Atlantic Books; HarperCollins), her cosy crime retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma featuring con-woman-turned-detective Harriet Smith, the first book in the Harriet Smith Investigates series.
Discover how to write a killer Austen retelling, why Emma lends itself to the cosy crime genre and why Harriet Smith is the perfect choice for a detective heroine. And, find out what’s next for Harriet and her long-suffering sidekick, Robert Martin, as they plunge headfirst into Bath society for their next adventure.
Tickets £13
Regency Sung Eucharist - Church Service
11:30 (duration 1hr 10mins)
Venue: Bath Abbey, Abbey Churchyard, BA1 1LY
Join Bath Abbey for their service of Sung Eucharist that will be specially themed to encompass some Regency church elements and music.
Regency costume very welcome but not mandatory. Please refrain from taking film and photography during the service.
Please note this is a first-come-first-seated event, if the Abbey reaches capacity you may be turned away and asked to return for the Evensong Service instead.
Free Event - donations to Bath Abbey welcome
Regency Picnic
12 noon (duration 3 hours)
Venue: Sydney Gardens, Sydney Place, Bathwick, BA2 4DB
Join other Austen-lovers for an informal bring-your-own picnic in the beautiful surroundings of Sydney Gardens. Promenade along paths Jane Austen herself would have walked and discuss any scandalous antics of the previous evening's entertainment.
(weather permitting event)
Free Event
Croquet Game
13:00 & 15:00 (duration 1hr 30mins)
Venue: Bath Croquet Club, Great Pulteney Street, Recreation Ground, BA2 4DS (entrance via Great Pulteney Street)
Spend 1 hour experiencing the Regency sport of "Pall-Mall" with an outdoor croquet game at Bath Croquet Club. Equipment and introductory instructions provided, enjoy a relaxed game of croquet, followed by post-match refreshments in the Croquet Pavilion. (Refreshments included in the ticket price)
Tickets £30
Dorset Buttons: An elegant button for a more civilized age - workshop
14:00 (duration 1hr 15mins )
Venue: Georgian Room, Guildhall, High St, Bath BA1 5AW
Dorset buttons have been a staple for Hollywood costumers and were used in Little Women, Wicked, and Harry Potter! These hand-made buttons allowed women to earn a stable income at home and a good buttoner could make 3x the salary of a soldier!
In this hands-on workshop, we will explore the history of thread buttons originating from Dorset, England and you will learn this 400 year old craft as you make a set of your very own buttons that can be used on an outfit. All supplies will be provided to make a complete set of 4 buttons. Additional kits will be available for those who wish to adorn additional ensembles.
Tickets £35
Tickets Not Yet Available
Fencing workshop
14:30 & 16:00 (duration 1hr 15mins)
Venue: Brunswick Room, Guildhall, High St, Bath BA1 5AW
Join a Fencing taster workshop with Bath Sword Club and enjoy a taste of the sport rumoured to be Mr Darcy’s favourite. Learn offensive & defensive stances, putting them into choreographed non-contact sequences to experience your own ‘duel’.
Regency costume very welcome, but please be aware that protective safety equipment will be worn including a full head mask and glove. Flat shoes advised.
Tickets £25
Gothic Tales from the Tower
15:00, 16:00 & 17:00 (duration 45mins)
Venue: Beckford's Tower & Museum, Lansdown Rd, Bath BA1 9BH
Guests are invited to step from polite society into its shadow. Join immersive storyteller Arran Glass for interactive tales of gothic wit and scandal. Original ghost stories, live music and mischievous anecdotes that may test the composure of even the most accomplished minds and sensibilities, in matters of etiquette and intrigue.
Tickets £tbc - these will not be going on sale on Thursday 7th May
Regency Choral Evensong - Church Service
15:30 (duration 45 mins)
Venue: Bath Abbey, Abbey Churchyard, BA1 1LY
Join Bath Abbey for this beautiful service which lasts for approximately 45 minutes and will combine the memorable cadences of Thomas Cranmer’s Book of Common Prayer with Regency era music.
Regency costume very welcome but not mandatory. Please refrain from taking film and photography during the service.
Please note this is a first-come-first-seated event, if the Abbey reaches capacity you may be turned away.
Free Event - donations to Bath Abbey welcome
“Yours very affectionately, Jane” – narrated Regency dance performance
16:00 (duration 1hr 15mins)
Venue: Banqueting Room, Guildhall, High St, Bath BA1 5AW
Take your seat at the edge of the ballroom and enjoy the Jane Austen Dancers of Bath narrating and dancing their way through Jane Austen’s Regency publishing years 1811 to 1817 – inspired by her personal letters, her novels, news of the day and dances from her era.
If you’ve always wanted to be a fly on the wall of a Regency Ball in Austen’s lifetime, this is the perfect event for you! Austen’s own personal letters are brought to life using narration, drama and- most of all- dance.
We join Austen’s publishing journey in 1811 when her first novel is published, and we travel with her, and her letters and novels, through every year until her passing in 1817. Each year is punctuated with quotes from her letters/novels. The headline news, and gossip, from the greater world. Finally we top each year off with a relevant, themed selection of dances.
Tickets £19
Rummaging through the Reticule
16:00 (duration 1hr 30mins)
Venue: Kinwarton, 3 Upper Camden Place, (part of) Camden Rd, BA1 5HX (20 mins walk from central Bath)
What did Jane and her characters keep in their reticules? All will be revealed when the contents of this 18th Century handbag are spilt in the privacy of a Regency drawing room.
Jane Tapley's talk is followed by refreshments, a traditional cream tea - scones, jam and cream and, of course, tea.
As this event is taking place in a private home, we cannot accommodate any special dietary requirements at this event.
Tickets £18
Tickets Not Yet Available
Regency Feast
17:30 (duration 2hrs 15mins)
Venue: Prior Park Landscape Garden, Lower Entrance via Church Lane (20 minutes walk from Bath Spa railway station)
Enjoy an exquisite grazing feast on the Palladian bridge at Prior Park. Take a turn around the lower garden, with exclusive evening access. Music and garden games to enjoy.
Regency costume very welcome but not mandatory.
Tickets £45
Tickets Not Yet Available - from National Trust
1815 Emma-Themed "Switched Off" Regency Ball
19:00 (duration 4 hours)
Venue: Banqueting Room, Guildhall, High St, Bath BA1 5AW
The Jane Austen Festival welcomes you to our “switched off” 1815 Emma Ball. Inspired the gentler pace of communication in Regency times, this ball will be a fully "switched-off" event. Any mobile phones or other digital devices in attendance will be graciously hosted inside signal-blocking pouches for the duration of the event.
Regency costume mandatory for this event.
All Jane Austen Festival Ball tickets were released on Thursday 2nd April 2026 in a sepearate ticket drop. Ball tickets sold out within 24 hours with the waiting lists for returned tickets also full.
Full Ball information can be found on our dedicated Festival Regency Balls page
Austen Delights
19:30 (duration 3 hours)
Venue: Regency Tea Room, Jane Austen Centre, 40 Gay Street, Bath, BA1 2NT
Partake of a decadent selection of High Tea Treats, finished off with a traditional Regency pudding in the gorgeous surroundings of the Regency Tea Room.
Complete with bubbles and highly entertaining Austen interpretations, why not escape for a couple of hours to this haven of literary fiction.
Tickets £58
Tickets Not Yet Available*All ticket prices include transaction processing fee
