What To Expect At Jane Austen Festival 2024

She’s undoubtedly Britain’s most famous female writer in history – but did you know there’s a special festival celebrating her life? Every September, the Jane Austen Festival takes over historic Bath, honouring the life and work of the storied writer. Here’s everything you need to know.

© Getty

What Is The Jane Austen Festival?

The Jane Austen Festival is an annual celebration of famed 18th century English author, Jane Austen. Dating back to 2001, it is the world’s largest and longest-running celebration of the romance writer, originally created by the Jane Austen Centre in Bath and running over the course of one weekend. Twenty-three years on, it has grown into a 10-day festival with more than 80 events that has been held in Bath every year since 2001, except 2020 and 2021.

What Happens At The Festival?

The Jane Austen Festival consists of a series of events themed around the famed author. Think guided walks, bus tours, costumed balls, theatrical performances, book clubs, talks and much more. It’s an opportunity for fans to gather and celebrate the life and work of romance’s most famous writer, all backdropped by beautiful Bath, the historic, sand-coloured city where the writer spent much of her life.

It all commences with the show-stopping Regency Costumed Promenade, which sees more than 500 Austen enthusiasts fill the historical streets of bath in Regency wear – from floor-length dresses paired with bonnets to soldiers and drummers leading the way. It is described by Guinness World Records as the ‘largest gathering of people dressed in Regency costume’.

Outside of the annual Festival, the Jane Austen Festival also hosts an annual Summer Ball in June.

The Royal Crescent, Bath (© Getty)

Do You Have To Wear Regency Clothing?

There are only a few events on the calendar where Regency clothing is required – so mostly, no, you do not need to wear it, though you are always very welcome to. For a guide on what to wear to get into the spirit, click here.

If you’d like to dress more inconspicuously but with a nod to Austen, we recommend dresses with empire waistlines and puff sleeves, little reticule clutch bags, a folding hand fan, and a parasol or umbrella for the fickle British weather. As for hair, click here for our favourite Regency hair ideas.

When Is It?

In 2024, the Jane Austen Festival will take place from Friday 13 to Sunday 22 September.

In 2025, a special edition will take place from 12–21 September, celebrating Austen’s 250th birthday.

In 2026, the Festival will take place from 11–20 September.

Where?

Events are hosted at various venues across Bath, from the Central Library to the historic Assembly Rooms. The host of the Festival is the Jane Austen Centre, which can be found at 40 Gay Street, Bath BA1 2NT.

Homewood Hotel, Bath

Where To Stay

Bath is home to a plethora of beautiful hotels, with a sumptuous selection just a stone’s throw from the city in Somerset, too. Find our favourite places to stay here.

How To Get Tickets

Tickets for all events part of the Jane Austen Festival are sold separately – there is no overall ticket for the Festival. All tickets can be purchased on individual event listings, found on the Festival website, janeausten.co.uk

Many events are already sold out. To skip the booked-up events and only see what’s available, click here.

Note that online tickets will only be available until 7 September 2024. However, events with tickets still available will have on-the-door sales (cash or card) from the Festival stewarding team.