The 2009 Jane Austen Festival in Bath - September 18th-27th

The Jane Austen Festival in Bath, England is quickly approaching, opening on September 18th and running for nine days until the 27th. Created by The Jane Austen Centre, this year’s event will be the ninth annual celebration whose aim is “to draw attention to this very popular author whose works were so influenced by the city by holding an annual celebration where Austen fans from all over the world could come and indulge themselves in everything Regency.”

Ranked among the top 12 literary pilgrimages by Mental Floss Magazine, The Jane Austen Festival has certainly earned its reputation as the grand celebration for Janeites and all things Austen.

Jane Austen, despite being dead since 1817, remains one of the most popular writers in the English language. Her works of quiet social satire have inspired countless film adaptations and modernizations, reams of fan fiction (both of the published and of the online variety), and even a weeklong festival in Bath, England, the scene of many an Austen book. This September – just like every September – thousands of Austenophiles will spend a week dressing up as their favorite character from Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice or any of Austen’s other works, engaging in Regency era gossip, partaking in country dances, a wedding, and touring the Pump Room.

The most spectacular of Austen-era finer is exhibited in the Regency Costumed Promenade through the streets of Bath. On Saturday 19th September 2009, The Jane Austen Festival will attempt to gain a place in the Guinness World Records™ for 'The Largest Gathering of People Dressed in Regency Costume'. If you would like to participate, visit the Jane Austen Center website for details on guidelines and to purchases tickets.

The Festival takes place over nine days from September 18th to the 27th at different venues in Bath. In addition to the Promenade opening the Festival, you can attend the 2009 Jane Austen Grand Regency Ball and supper at the Assembly rooms in Bath, September 26th 8pm-12pm.

Additional information about this year’s event can be found at The Jane Center website.

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose

Photos by Owen Benson