On the cobbled streets of Bath, England, a sense of anticipation is in the air. It’s September 2025, and thousands of devoted fans, affectionately known as “Janeites,” are converging from across the globe to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth. The city, with its grand Georgian facades and storied Pump Room, is abuzz with excitement as the Jane Austen Festival returns for ten days of balls, promenades, music, and a heartfelt homage to one of literature’s most beloved voices.
This year’s festival, running from September 12 to 21, marks a particularly special milestone for Austen enthusiasts. As reported by BBC, the event has drawn visitors from every continent except Antarctica, with many donning bonnets, gloves, and flowing Regency gowns. The highlight arrives on Saturday, September 13, when about 2,000 festival-goers—each resplendent in period attire—will parade through Bath’s historic streets. Organizers proudly note that this spectacle holds the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people in Regency costume.
For many, the festival is more than just a party; it’s a chance to step back in time and inhabit the world Austen so vividly depicted. Theresa Roche, a local walking tour guide, historian, and actress, tells BBC, “My guests feel that they’re living in it. Especially if they wear the costumes. I believe they feel that they’re truly back in time.” She delights in sharing the social intrigue of the Pump Room, a setting that featured in Austen’s novels and once served as a kind of 18th-century dating app. “It was a place of scheming and plotting,” Roche says, describing the playful rivalries and flirtations that once filled the space.
Jane Austen herself lived in Bath for five years, a period that left its mark on both her writing and her personal story. The city was a fashionable spa resort in the 18th and 19th centuries, attracting the well-to-do with its elegant architecture and vibrant social scene. According to Roche, Austen’s feelings about Bath were complex. “I think she had a mixed experience,” Roche reflects. “When they first moved here, the Reverend George Austen was able to afford a beautiful house, number 4 Sydney Place. But he couldn’t afford the new rent and they moved to Green Park where he became ill. I think this is when she might have started hating Bath.”
Regardless of Austen’s own ambivalence, her legacy in Bath is cherished. The festival has grown from a weekend event in 2001 to a ten-day extravaganza featuring costumed balls, guided walks, theater performances, and historical tours. The Jane Austen Dancers of Bath, for instance, have spent years perfecting the etiquette, fashion, and social customs of the Regency and late Georgian period. “People come to dance for different reasons,” says dance director Liz Bartlett. “Some are interested in the music, some in the dancing, some in the costumes, some have seen TV programmes, so it’s bringing people together from all walks of life and just enjoying themselves.”
The Hampshire Regency Dancers, meanwhile, gather weekly in Winchester—just a few streets from Austen’s burial site—to rehearse English country dances that would have been familiar to Austen and her characters. As the Associated Press reports, the group goes to painstaking lengths to ensure their costumes are as authentic as possible, right down to the buttons and stitching. Chris Oswald, a retired lawyer and the group’s chair, explains, “For me it’s about getting a better understanding of what life was like then, and in the process of doing that getting a better understanding of Jane Austen herself.”
For many attendees, the festival is an immersive escape from the modern world’s relentless pace. Lisa Timbs, a pianist who researches and performs music from Austen’s era on an antique pianoforte, puts it simply: “We’re stepping back in time together.” She adds, “I think it’s an escape for a lot of people. Perhaps it’s to escape the speed, noise, and abrasiveness of the era in which we find ourselves, and a longing to return to the elegance and indulgent pleasures of what was really a very fleeting period in history.”
The festival’s global reach is evident in stories like that of Bonny Wise, a 69-year-old Austen devotee from Indiana. According to AP, Wise is attending her sixth Jane Austen festival in Bath this year, leading a group of 25 American enthusiasts and bringing along four period dresses she made herself. Her passion was first sparked by the 1995 film adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. “You start with the books, the movies, then you start getting into the hats, the tea, the manners…one thing just led to another,” she confesses. Wise admires Austen’s wit, humor, and social observations, but also draws inspiration from the author’s personal journey. “I admire Jane and what she managed as a woman in that era, her perseverance, and her process of becoming an author.”
The Jane Austen Society of North America, the world’s largest group devoted to the author, now counts about 5,000 members and has seen a recent influx of younger fans. President Mary Mintz told AP, “We’re growing all the time because Jane Austen is timeless. We have members from Japan, India. They come from every continent except Antarctica.”
Part of the festival’s enduring appeal is its ability to bring Austen’s world to life through a variety of experiences. Guided walks led by experts like Roche retrace Austen’s footsteps through Bath, while the Jane Austen Dancers and Hampshire Regency Dancers recreate the music and movement of the era. Festival-goers can attend balls, take part in etiquette classes, and even visit the Pump Room, where Austen herself would have sipped tea and observed the social whirl. The city’s role as a filming location for Netflix’s Bridgerton has only heightened interest, introducing a new generation to the romance and spectacle of the Regency period.
For those who immerse themselves in the festivities, it’s not just about nostalgia or costume play. As Roche notes, Austen’s heroines resonate because they are “not perfect. She creates heroines who are flawed, who make mistakes, say the wrong thing and go through a learning journey. That’s why she connects with me.” This sense of authenticity—both in Austen’s writing and in the festival’s meticulous recreations—draws people together in celebration of literature, history, and community.
As the parade winds its way through Bath, the city is transformed into a living tableau of Regency England. For a brief moment, the cares of the present slip away, replaced by the music, laughter, and camaraderie of another age. In honoring Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, her fans are not just remembering the past—they’re keeping its spirit alive, one dance step at a time.
