Austen Festival (redirected from Jane Austen Festival)

Austen (Jane) Festival

Last week of September

Along with being famous for its ancient Roman ruins, the town of Bath, England, is also known as the home of renowned English novelist Jane Austen (1775–1817). The writer's residence in the town, located 100 miles west of London, was short—a mere five years at the turn of the 19th century. However, the author's foray in the city was significant enough to inspire the creation of an annual festival in September.
Since 2001, Austen aficionados have converged on Bath for over a week to celebrate with music, walking tours, films, and the famous Regency Promenade, in which a large group in period costume parade the Georgian terraces of Bath. The festival boasts that it is the largest European promenade featuring the fashion of Britain's Regency era, the period during which Austen wrote. Other well-attended events are workshops, lectures, and readings, which often reference Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, two Austen novels mainly set in Bath.
Many festival goers delve deeper into Austen's personal history and the influence Bath had on her by visiting the Jane Austen Centre, a permanent exhibit situated in one of the city's Georgian town houses.

CONTACTS:
Jane Austen Festival
40 Gay St.
Queen Sq.
Bath BA1 2NT UK
www.janeausten.co.uk/festival/index.html

Celebration days: Sep 24 - Sep 30