Wednesday 16th September 2026
In Pursuit of Jane Austen - minibus tour to Hampshire
7:45 (return 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
‘To Sit in the Shade’: An Austen Painting workshop
9:00 (duration 1hr 30mins)
Venue: National Trust Prior Park Landscape Garden, Lower Entrance via Church Lane (20 minutes walk from Bath Spa railway station)
Take a turn around the lower garden (before general opening), before gathering to paint. Explore watercolour techniques to create a beautiful floral border then fill with your favourite Jane Austen quote. Finish with a hot drink and bake from the Tea Cabin (included in the ticket price).
Regency costume welcome but not mandatory.
Tickets £20 from the National Trust
Tickets Not Yet Available
Canal Cruise - Breakfast
9:00 (duration 4hs 15mins)
Meet: Outside the taxi rank entrance of Bath Spa Train Station, BA1 1SU
Embark on a tranquil Jane Austen inspired canal cruise along the Kennet and Avon Canal. Travel by train from Bath through the picturesque countryside, then join a local historian at Bradford on Avon for a guided walk to the marina.
Board the Barbara McLellan for a tranquil cruise to Avoncliff Aqueduct, with time to disembark and enjoy the views. A delectable breakfast is served on board.
Costumes essential.
Tickets £155 from Bath Theatrical Costume Hire
Tickets Not Yet Available
Fencing - Improvers workshop
10:00 (duration 1hr 15mins)
Venue: City of Bath Scouts, 7 Grove St, Bathwick, BA2 6PJ
This fencing workshop is for those with previous fencing experience. If you have attended a Jane Austen Festival Fencing workshop before then this is the one for you! Join Bath Sword Club and enjoy improving your skills in this Regency 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
Tickets Not Yet Available
Make It Sew: Waistcoats at Warp speed - demonstration
10:00 (duration 1hr 30mins)
Venue: Lonsdale Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN
Cut, Fit, and Cloth. These were the tenets Beau Brummell pioneered as he upended men’s fashion during the Regency Era. Following a Laughing Moon Waistcoat pattern, Mark will demonstrate each step with ample examples on what to watch out for and what works. You will learn about seam allowance, clipping curves, how to read a pattern, and the appropriate fabric to use. When finished, you will be instilled with the confidence to make your own waistcoat that is cut for your body and fits your shape. If you ever felt unsure about sewing Men’s clothing, this is the class for you!
Suitable for 18+.
Tickets £35
Tickets Not Yet Available
Around Bath with Anne Elliot - walking tour
10:00 (duration 2 hours)
Meet: Meet: Outside the main door of Bath Abbey, Abbey Churchyard, BA1 1LY
Both Jane Austen and Anne Elliot are brought rather reluctantly to live in Bath, and it is tempting to think that Jane Austen drew on her own walks and experience in the city when writing Persuasion. So come along with Bath Parade Guides to retrace Anne’s steps round Bath, see the city through her eyes, and maybe Jane Austen's. Along the way we will be able to spot some of the locations used in the filming of the various Persuasion adaptations, including the famous Gravel Walk.
Tickets £14
Tickets Not Yet Available
Jane Austen's Bath Abbey - talk
11:30 (duration 1 hour)
Venue: Elwin Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN
With her family associations, visiting, living and setting two of her novels in Bath, Jane Austen not only knew the city well but also many of its inhabitants. Bath Abbey is full of memorials and some of them relate to people the Austens would have met in the streets, the shops, at concerts, the theatre as well as family friends. Jackie Herring (author of Jane Austen's Bath Abbey) shares new research into just a few of the 6,540 Bath Abbey "residents".
You’ve read the book now meet the people. There will be the opportunity to accompany Jackie on an Austen related tour of Bath Abbey in the afternoon.
Tickets £13
Tickets Not Yet Available
Letters in Austen's Novels - Book Club
12:00 noon (duration 1 hour)
Venue: Bath Central Library, 19-23 The Podium, Bath BA1 5AN
Proposals, elopements, house moves, grave illnesses… so many of Austen’s major plot points are revealed by letter. Join us to discuss some of the most outrageous, most romantic and most shocking letters in Austen’s novels.
Jane Austen Festival book clubs take place in small groups, with a list of suggested questions, however we also encourage participants to bring their own thoughts and questions along, and be ready to chat!
Our book clubs are drop-in sessions with no need to pre-register- we’ll try to accommodate as many people as we can.
Free drop-in event
A Regency Keepsake: Jane Austen-Inspired Quilled Bookmarks - workshop
12:00 (duration 2hrs 30mins)
Venue: Lonsdale Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN
Quilling is the modern version of the Regency art of paper filigree, practised by Lucy Steele in Sense and Sensibility.
Create a delicate, Jane Austen-inspired quilled floral bookmark in this relaxed 2.5-hour workshop. Participants will learn the art of paper quilling to design Regency-style flowers, arranged within a laser-cut wooden bookmark featuring a recessed window to protect the finished piece. Each attendee will personalise their design by selecting a page from a Jane Austen novel - carefully sourced from damaged or unsellable second-hand books - often with passages connected to Bath.
Suitable for beginners, this session offers a mindful, creative experience and a unique handmade keepsake to treasure.
Tickets £30
Tickets Not Yet Available
Soup to Syllabub Lunch
12:30 (duration 2hrs 30mins)
Venue: The Bird Hotel, 18-19 Pulteney Rd (South), Bathwick, BA2 4EZ
‘Invite him to dinner Emma and help him to the fish and the chicken, but leave him to choose his own wife'
(Emma - Mr Knightley)
Peep into the dining room of the elegant Regency diner and discover all is not as it may seem. From the perils of the promiscuous diner to the presence of the chamber pot in the dining room. Georgian habits will surprise and shock a modern audience.
Jane Tapley will give an amusing illustrated talk on this subject before having a lunch based on an 18th Century menu in the restaurant of The Bird Hotel.
Tickets: £48
Violets, Virtues, and Vanities: The Secret Language of Austen’s Flowers - talk
13:30 (duration 1 hour)
Venue: Elwin Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN
Before Floriography became a Victorian craze, Jane Austen was already using botanical codes to define her heroines. Shifting from the cold, scientific botany of the 1700s to the emotional symbolism of the Romantic movement, this talk reveals how flowers spoke when words could not. Discover why Elizabeth Bennet’s wild gardens were a social rebellion and how Darcy’s violets signalled a hidden modesty.
From the Austen family’s crop-tracking to the secret codes of Regency bouquets, join Sarah Bedford to discover the tiny, floral meanings Austen hid in plain sight. Whether you are a gardener, a scholar, or a romantic at heart, you will leave with a new floral lens through which to read your favourite novels.
Tickets £13
Tickets Not Yet Available
Ladies & Gentlemen on Parade
13:30 (duration 3hrs 30mins)
Meet: Outside the taxi rank entrance of Bath Spa Train Station, Dorchester Street, BA1 1SU
Exclusive to Jane Austen Festival: Regency Costumed Experience at Parade House! 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 min train journey through the beautiful scenic countryside to the magnificent Parade House in Trowbridge.
Your ticket includes travel, a House History Tour, a delicious Full Afternoon Cream Tea with a glass of Champagne in the grand Ballroom, Regency Parlour Games and Theatrical Entertainment.
Tickets £140 from Parade House Trowbridge
Tickets Not Yet AvailableCanal Cruise - Afternoon Tea
13:30 (duration 4hrs 45mins)
Meet: Outside the taxi rank entrance of Bath Spa Train Station, BA1 1SU
Embark on a tranquil Jane Austen inspired canal cruise along the Kennet and Avon Canal. Travel by train from Bath through the picturesque countryside, then join a local historian at Bradford on Avon for a guided walk to the marina.
Board the Barbara McLellan for a tranquil cruise to Avoncliff Aqueduct, with time to disembark and enjoy the views. A delectable afternoon tea is served on board. Costumes essential.
Tickets £155 from Bath Theatrical Costume Hire
Tickets Not Yet Available
Sew Chatty - hosted at The Bath Priory
14:00 (duration 1hr 30mins)
Venue: The Bath Priory, Weston Rd, Bath BA1 2XT
Bring along your sewing, last-minute hemming, embroidery, or latest bonnet in need of trimming to the Drawing Room (or gardens) of the Bath Priory for a session of sewing, chatting and sharing sewing advice (or sewing woes!) with other like-minded Austen friends.
The Bath Priory will be offering afternoon tea, pantry dining or drinks served in the restaurant and gardens for participants to purchase during the session. Remember, promenade wristband holders can claim a 10% discount off Pantry dining, or a complimentary glass of fizz with afternoon tea.
Free drop-in event
A lively Scotch air - Regency dance workshop
14:30 (duration 1hr 30mins)
Venue: City of Bath Scouts, 7 Grove St, Bathwick, BA2 6PJ
"Do you not feel a great inclination...to seize such an opportunity of dancing a reel?"
Join the Jane Austen Dancers as we explore the Scottish influence on Regency dancing. This dance workshop is aimed at experienced dancers who are familiar with energetic reels/heys.
Please wear flat, non-slip shoes, light clothing and bring a drink (essential). No partner necessary. Period costume (no trains) welcome. You will need a good understanding of English to understand the dance calling.
Tickets £18
Tickets Not Yet Available
Reimagined: Sense and Sensibility for the 21st Century - writing workshop
15:00 (duration 2 hours)
Venue: Lonsdale Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2HN
Have you ever wished you knew what happened in the untold parts of Sense and Sensibility? What did Edward Ferrars say when he proposed, or what passed between Willoughby and Marianne before he left her heartbroken?
If you’re Austen-curious and eager to explore new possibilities, join me for a talk about S&S prequels, sequels, spinoffs and adaptations. We will also reimagine characters and scenes blending genres (Regency murder mystery or time travel?), materials (cut-outs, collage) and techniques (drawing, writing, sewing) in a hands-on workshop. Let’s rewrite a classic, revisit beloved characters and give S&S twists Austen would be proud of!
Tickets £12
Tickets Not Yet Available
The Art of the Regency Seamstress with Janette Haslam: Ladies Period Costumier - talk
15:30 (duration 1 hour)
Venue: Elwin Room, BRLSI, 16-18 Queen Square, BA1 2H
Join veteran costumier Janette Haslam for an immersive look into the creation of Regency dress. Drawing on 40 years of experience in film, theatre and the west end, Janette reveals her meticulous process: from historical research and toile modelling to adapting extant patterns and perfecting intricate hand-finishing. This lecture highlights Janette’s recreations from the 2025 Barreto-Lancaster auction.
Attendees will gain insight into historical craftsmanship, followed by an opportunity to examine the garments up close and discuss costume techniques with Janette.
Tickets £13
Tickets Not Yet Available
A Musical Kind of Little Wilderness
18:30 (duration 1 hour)
Venue: Bath Abbey, Abbey Churchyard, BA1 1LY
By placing her writing desk by the window, Jane positioned herself at the border between two worlds: Indoors and Out…
Join The Little Song Party (soprano Penelope Appleyard and pianist Jonathan Delbridge) for a musical jaunt, to explore Jane's love of music and the outdoors, including her apparent preference for a little 'wilderness' in landscape, music and fiction, particularly in Pride & Prejudice!
Seamlessly blending scholarship with entertainment, this performance takes listeners on a road trip from Jane's own garden, past Pemberley and all the way up to Scotland, taking in a spot of Regency landscape design, and celebrating the intimate creativity of domestic music making. The playlist for the journey includes some of her favourite songs, poems and dances, and themes from TV/film.
Regency costume very welcome but not mandatory.
Tickets £15
Stargazing at the Herschel Museum of Astronomy with the Bath Astronomers
20:00 & 21:05 (duration 1 hour)
Venue: Herschel Museum of Astronomy, 19 New King Street, BA1 2BL
Join the Bath Astronomers in the Herschel Museum of Astronomy, where the Planet Uranus was discovered from by William Herschel on 13th March 1781. Half of the evening will be spent star-gazing (weather dependent!), the other half will be exploring the house where brother and sister musicians- turned- astronomers, William and Caroline Herschel, lived from 1777 to 1782.
Please note: in the event of poor weather the event will go ahead even if stargazing is not possible, as a tour and talk around the museum will be provided from Bath Astronomers.
Tickets £20
Rose Ball
20:00 (duration 3hrs 30mins)
Venue: Pump Room, Stall St, Bath BA1 1LZ
Regency costume is mandatory for this event.
The Rose Pre-Ball Dance Workshop will take place from 14:30 - 16:00 on Wednesday 16th September at the Percy Community Centre, New King Street, BA1 2BN.
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
*All ticket prices include transaction processing fee
