Bath will be celebrating 250 years of Jane Austen next year, making 2025 a very special year for Bath and its famous former resident Jane Austen, born in 1775.
From dressing up with fellow Jane Austen fans as one of her much-loved characters, guests can learn more about Jane’s connection to Bath with special talks, tours and trails.
They can also explore Bath locations used in screen adaptations of Jane’s novels, or stay at one of the city’s most luxurious hotels on a Jane Austen-themed package.
Visit Bath highlights ways to celebrate 250 years of one of the world’s most renowned authors – follow in Jane’s footsteps and imagine the Regency-era Bath she vividly brought to life on the pages of her novels.
*Events, experiences and celebrations will take place throughout 2025, and further information and updates will be added to visitbath.co.uk.
FESTIVALS, EVENTS, PERFORMANCES & EXHIBITIONS
Jane Austen Festival 2025
Friday 12 – Sunday 21 September 2025
On December 16th 1775 Jane Austen was born in Hampshire. To celebrate this momentous year in Austen history the Jane Austen Festival will be holding extra special events throughout 2025 and the September Festival. The Grand Regency Promenade will take place on Saturday 13 September.
Jane Austen 2025 Balls
The Jane Austen Festival will hold 3 balls next year – a Persuasion nautical-themed ball on 31 May, followed by a Sanditon seaside-themed ball on 28 June, the first time the festival has hosted two summer balls in its history.
The third will be a special Yuletide Birthday Ball on Saturday 13 December at the Pump Room Restaurant.
The Jane Austen Centre
Learn about, dress like and even eat like Jane Austen at the interactive and immersive centre dedicated to the author, which looks at her life and the impact of Bath on her writing. No visit is complete without ‘Tea with Mr Darcy’ in the Regency Tea Room.
Illustrating Austen at The Holburne Museum
September 2025 – January 2026
The Holburne Museum will offer audiences the chance to see the artwork behind their favourite Austen novels.
Centering around Austen’s stories and the characters she created, Illustrating Austen will demonstrate how our favourite characters came to life on the page and have evolved through the years, reflecting the changing times and new audiences.
Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) at The Theatre Royal Bath
14-18 April 2025
Direct from its triumph in the West End the award-winning Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) is a unique and audacious retelling of Jane Austen’s most iconic love story. Men, money and microphones will be fought over in this irreverent but affectionate production.
TOURS AND EXHIBITIONS
Walk in the footsteps of Jane Austen with Visit Bath’s free audio walking tour
Focusing on Jane Austen and her life in Bath, the tour takes in the highlights of the city and includes extracts from Jane Austen’s novels and letters, which describe Bath as it would have been in its Georgian heyday. The tour takes approximately one-and-a-half hours but stop at any point to visit a museum or go into a café or shop.
Photo Tours of Bath – The Jane Austen Bath Photo Tour
This tour focuses on Jane Austen’s various lodgings in Bath, the places mentioned in Northanger Abbey and the locations used in various films of her novels. The tour will also take in other historic and picturesque buildings en route.
Sydney Gardens Jane Austen Trail
Explore Jane Austen’s relationship with the Georgian Pleasure Gardens. Jane lived just across the road at No 4 Sydney Place between 1801 and 1804 and wrote of Sydney Gardens both in letters and several of her novels (Persuasion and Northanger Abbey).
Food & Drink experiences and special packages at themed accommodations are also available.
For further information and inspiration on Jane Austen 250 go to https://austen250.co.uk/
How to celebrate Jane Austen’s 250th birthday in Bath – Visit Bath
Click here to visit our Bath destination guide on Travel Pursuit UK.
