The 9th Jane Austen Festival: 18th to 27th September 2009 -  ten wonderful days of celebrating everything Austen in the beautiful Georgian city of Bath, England.  From Promenade to Finale and Wedding Bells to Heavenly Harps with 44 events over ten days, this is the biggest yet.

The festival opens officially on Saturday 19th with the Grand Regency Promenade in the course of which will be an attempt to break the Guinness World RecordsTM record for the ‘Largest gathering of people dressed in Regency costumes’.  Throughout the day Queen Square hosts the Country Fair; with displays from the Dandy Chargers (hobby horse riders), the 32nd Cornwall Regiment, Admirals and Sailors from the Navy plus stalls - palm reading, walking stick maker, silhouette cutter, haberdasher, hats, quoits, shove halfpenny, the stocks to try for size and Regency fashioned refreshments on sale.

Later in the day we will have the spectacle of a genuine wedding, the marriage of two Austen lovers. This wonderfully romantic event takes place in full Regency costume and is accompanied by themed music at The Guildhall.

This eventful day comes to a close in style with the world premiere of Christine Northey’s production of ‘Lady Susan’ being performed by the multi-talented Regency Rejects at the Chapel Arts Centre.

There is plenty going on during the rest of the week; if you ever wanted to learn how to dance, read, write, sew, bathe, dress or indeed eat like Jane Austen then there are lots of entertaining ways to find out. Chawton Cottage in Hampshire is celebrating the 200th anniversary of Jane’s arrival in the village and we pay them a visit on Tuesday 22nd.   James Jolly has kindly invited us to a Regency dinner at his shopping emporium on Thursday. There is to be a Country Dance for the first time ever at St Swithin’s Church and not forgetting ‘Undressing Mr Darcy’ at the Theatre Royal on Friday. We are very fortunate in being granted special access to two venues, the original Theatre Royal in Old Orchard Street, where Jane saw Charles Dibden’s The Birthday and 13 Queen Square from where, whilst staying with her brother Edward, she wrote to her sister Cassandra in 1799.

Our finale begins with ‘A Capital on the Harp’ - Mike Parker’s amusing musical interlude on various period harps;  followed by ‘Pictures of Perfection’ – when we find out what Jane Austen would have made of all the fuss!

For more information, please see:
http://www.janeausten.co.uk/festivalhome/

Photos courtesy and copyright of Jane Austen Festival.