In Pursuit of Jane Austen - minibus tour to Hampshire

7:45 (return by 17:00)

Meet: Outside the Jane Austen Centre, 40 Gay Street, BA1 2NT

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 new for 2025 bigger 21st Century minibus, accompanied by your tour guide Adge Secker.

Tickets £100 (excludes entrance fees)

Dressing Obstinate Headstrong Girls; A look into the Costume Design within Jane Austen's film adaptations.

10:00 (duration 1 hour)

Venue: Elwin Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN

In "Dressing Obstinate Headstrong Girls", Costume Designer and Fashion Historian Jolene Marie Richardson will be examining how costume designers use Jane Austen's characters and the Regency period at large to create the look of Austen's most notable characters. Looking at "What does Regency clothing tell us about history?" and "How do costume designers take history but imbue their own voice as designers?", this lecture will look at the role of costume designer and how they work with actors, screenwriters, and directors to create visual signifiers for each character. We will also examine how the times in which films were made reflect both that era and the historical era of the story. Come with Jolene as we go behind the seams into Jane Austen's world of her most famous film adaptations.

Tickets £13

Croquet Game

10:00 & 12 noon (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 £25

"Pretty though Inferior"?: Cotillion & Quadrille Dance-off - Regency dance workshop

10:00 (duration 1hr 30mins)

Venue: City of Bath Scouts, 7 Grove St, Bathwick, BA2 6PJ

“Much obliged for the quadrilles, which I am grown to think pretty enough, though of course they are very inferior to the cotillions of my own day”. Dancers with previous experience, join the Jane Austen Dancers in a more detailed dance session covering the Cotillions of Austen's youth and the Quadrilles that came along later in her life. Then you can decide whether you agree with Austen's preference or not!

This session is aimed at those with previous dance experience and there’s no need to bring a partner. Period costume (no trains) is welcome but not essential. Please wear flat, non-slip shoes, light clothing and bring a drink. A good understanding of English is necessary to understand the teaching.

Tickets £18

Make / Sew Bold - Jane Austen workshop

10:00 (duration 2 hours)

Venue: The Artpad, 62 Great Pulteney Street, Bath BA2 4BP

If we may MAKE / SEW BOLD, you are invited to our Georgian studio on Great Pulteney Street to customise your own Regency-style reticule - the perfect accessory! You will choose a reticule from our selection and then customise it using beautiful items from our vintage haberdashery bar to complement your favourite gown.
No sewing experience required - all sustainably sourced, quality fabrics and haberdashery is provided along with a CREAM TEA!

Tickets £45

Walk to Weston - walking tour

10:00 (duration 2hrs 30mins)

Meet: Outside No 1 Royal Crescent, BA1 2LR

Retrace one of Jane Austen’s favourite walks with Bath Parade Guides. Up elegant Sion Hill with its stunning views, and across the fields to Weston and All Saints Church.
There are some hills, strong shoes and a stout constitution are necessary. Coffee can be purchased at the Old Crown Pub in Weston where the walking tour ends.
Return via a 30-minute walk through Victoria Park to the Royal Crescent or catch the local bus back to the city centre.

Tickets £13

Print Culture & Calling Card Etiquette in the time of Jane Austen - workshop

10:30 & 13:30 (duration 1hr 30mins)

Venue: Duncan Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN

Giving and receiving visiting cards was essential to Regency social etiquette. Using Persuasion as an example, we will explore Austen's depictions of their use (and abuse) in communication and maintaining social hierarchies.
Typography expert Manfred Makowski will then demonstrate the creation of authentic replica cards, including video footage from his letter press studio. Participants can examine various traditional print materials, movable type, decorative elements, and tools.
Each participant will receive a hand-printed souvenir calling card celebrating Austen’s 250th birthday to keep.

Tickets £25

Dancing with the Stars (Georgian Style) - talk

11:30 (duration 1 hour)

Venue: Elwin Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN

Jane Austen. The Duchess of Devonshire. The Prince Regent. What do these lives have in common? They were ‘fond of dancing and excelled in it’. From learning from famous dancing masters, to performing at the assembly rooms and in the homes of the fashionable Bon Ton in London, join Dr Hillary Burlock as she explores the triumphs and trials of Georgian celebrities in the ballroom.

Tickets £14

Courtship with Kim Hicks

12:30 (duration 1 hour)

Meet: In foyer of Theatre Royal, Saw Close, BA1 1ET

Bristol-based actor Kim Hicks returns to the Jane Austen Festival to perform her internationally acclaimed one-woman show, the longest running Jane Austen show in the world! With wonderful renditions of both well-known passages from the novels and less familiar pieces from the minor works, Kim reacquaints you with Austen's beautifully drawn characters.

Tickets £18 from Theatre Royal Box Office, theatreroyal.org.uk

Ladies & Gentlemen on Parade

13:30 (duration 4 hours)

Meet: Outside the taxi rank entrance of Bath Spa Train Station, Dorchester Street, BA1 1SU

Enjoy a unique Regency Costumed event at one of Wiltshire’s finest Georgian buildings. Dressed in your own Regency finery, you’ll be escorted by "Mr Darcy" on a short 18 minute train journey through the beautiful scenic countryside to the magnificent Parade House in Trowbridge.
Your ticket includes train travel, a House History Tour by the owners, a delicious Full Afternoon Cream Tea with a glass of Champagne in the grand Ballroom, Regency Parlour Games and Theatrical Entertainment.

You will be met a Bath Spa station by “Mr D’Arcy" & "Mrs Bennet” and accompanied by train on a short 18 minute train journey through the beautiful scenic Wiltshire countryside to magnificent Parade House in Trowbridge. Then you will promenade from the train station to Parade House (approximately a 5-7 minute walk) for a press photo-call, followed by a House Tour, Regency Cream Tea in the Ballroom with Theatrical Entertainment and Parlour Games.

Tickets £120 from www.paradehousetrowbridge.co.uk/events

Austen's Arcadia

14:00 (duration 1 hour)

Meet: In foyer of Theatre Royal, Saw Close, BA1 1ET

Jane Tapley follows the career of one of the earliest and greatest female writers of the 18th century, if not of all time. Hear about her quiet private life as an unmarried vicar's daughter and her personal struggle for independence, and how her novels gathered momentum and appreciation after her death. Talk followed by a Q&A.

Tickets £13 from Theatre Royal Box Office, theatreroyal.org.uk

Regency Fashion in the Fashion Museum Bath Collection

14:00 (duration 1 hour)

Venue: Elwin Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN

Join curator Elisabeth Murray to discover more about fashion during the Regency period, through the lens of the Fashion Museum Bath collection.

Tickets £13

Persuasion Book Club

14:00 (duration 1 hour)

Venue: Bath Central Library, 19-23 The Podium, BA1 5AN

You are welcomed to Jane Austen Festival book club, graciously hosted by Bath Library. We will be discussing Persuasion in small groups, so bring your copy along and come prepared to chat and share your thoughts with others! We will start with the questions attendees suggested when booking, and then see where the discussion leads each small group...
Please reserve a place to indicate you will be attending. You can also suggest a question or point to discuss during the session when booking.

Free Event - please reserve your place

Fencing Workshop

14:00 & 15:30 (duration 1hr 15mins)

Venue: City of Bath Scouts, 7 Grove St, Bathwick, BA2 6PJ

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

Kill or Cure? - walking tour

14:00 (duration 2 hours)

Meet: Outside the main door of Bath Abbey, Abbey Churchyard, BA1 1LY

People came to Bath with a catalogue of illnesses, hoping to mend their broken health. How successful were the cures offered? Were doctors at the time reputable? – or mere quacks? Not surprisingly, given the precariousness of life in Regency times, health and ill health were concerns of Jane Austen throughout her life, her letters, and her novels.
Walk with Bath Parade Guides to hear some of the grisly details of Regency medicine and what Bath could offer.

Tickets £13

The Complete Works of Jane Austen (Abridged)

14:30 & 20:00 (duration 1hr 30mins)

Venue: The Mission Theatre, 32 Corn St, Bath BA1 1UF

One newbie and two self-professed Janeites, through almost all means imaginable, tackle the entire canon of Jane Austen’s works – in just 80 minutes. Written by Jessica Bedford, Kathryn MacMillan, Charlotte Northeast & Meghan Winch.

Come along for a fun, funny, and fast-paced romp through the masterpieces of Jane Austen with The Complete Works of Jane Austen, Abridged. Three nimble actors take on all of Austen’s beloved heroines, friends, and love interests—and her incisive social satire—in just 80 minutes. It is a truth universally acknowledged that an audience in possession of high spirits must be in want of a ticket to this big-hearted comedy that will delight Janeites and newcomers alike.
Suitable for ages 14+ (contains swearing and sexual references)

Tickets £19

Pre-Ball dance workshop - Celestial Ball

14:30 (duration 1hr 30mins)

Venue: Percy Community Centre, New King St, Bath BA1 2BN

This Regency dance workshop is a practice session for those attending the Celestial Ball in the evening. A chance to meet others attending the evening's ball and to perfect your steps! Led by Liz Bartlett of the Jane Austen Dancers.
Purchase together with your Celestial Ball ticket as these workshop tickets are not sold separately.

Tickets £15 - purchase together with your Celestial Ball tickets