Jane Austen 250
Get your bonnets and Regency finery ready for 2025!
16th December 2025 marks 250 years since the birth of the remarkable Jane Austen. In celebration, the whole year will be filled with parties and activities to get involved in.
During the summer months, there is a Jane Austen-themed ball. Last year tickets were sold out within five minutes of launching! This year, there will be two Summer Balls, the ‘Persuasion Nautical – Themed Summer Ball’ on 31st May and the ‘Sanditon Seaside- Themed Summer Ball’ on 25th June.
In September, the Jane Austen Festival will be returning for a 10-day event that draws over 3,500 Jane Austen fans. This year’s Grand Regency Costumed Promenade is expected to be even bigger than ever before!
You are all invited to see 2026 with an unforgettable celebration of Jane Austen’s Birthday at the Yuletide Birthday Ball featuring dinner, dancing, cake and general festive Austen merriment.
Explore Jane Austen’s Bath
Not only did Jane Austen base two of her novels in Bath, but she is intrinsically connected to the city in many different places. Here are some of the places to discover:
St Swithin’s Church – Jane Austen’s parents married here and her father was buried here. Now often used for local events, you can enjoy modern author talks organised by Toppings & Co
toppingbooks.co.uk/events/bath
4 Sydney Place – Jane Austen lived here from 1801 to 1804, you can see a plaque dedicated to her outside.
The Jane Austen Centre – Meet all of Jane Austen’s characters in real life and join in the fun yourself.
The Botanist – Have a bite to eat in the same place that Jane Austen prayed! During Jane Austen’s Bath, the Botanist was known as the Octagon Chapel. Jane hired a whole pew in this church while she was in Bath.
The Curious Minds Festival
A festival to ignite ideas is returning for its second year!
Last year, the festival featured over 30 book talks, live performances, film screenings, writing workshops and walking tours. Taking place across a range of fabulous venues with events designed to entertain, inform, connect and challenge. Everything was perfectly curated to feed a Curious Mind!
This year will be even bigger with more insightful and engaging conversations, workshops and tours. Challenge your curious mind this March!
The 7 Hills Festival
Over the last 5 years, The 7 Hills Festival has become known in Bath for showcasing some of the finest artists working today and pairing them alongside upcoming local musicians.
Along with their annual residency at Glastonbury Festival ‘The Lovefields’, The 7 Hills have worked with big names such as The Magic numbers, Gary Stringer (Reef), Huey Morgan (The Original Fun Lovin’ Criminal), Steve Cradock (Paul Weller, Ocean Colour Scene) and Brit-Award Winning Producer Ethan Johns.
The passion project of Noah and the Whale founder Matt Owens, 2025 sees their next Festival takeover numerous venues across the city from 21st – 23rd March. The team is also curating their own Big Top at Lake Fest, and continuing to bring big names to Bath via The Nightjar, their new weekly live music night in collaboration with Burdall’s Yard.
Bath’s Historic Highlights – Amarone
Did you known that Beau Nash’s House is now home to the delightful Italian restaurant, Amarone?
In the eighteenth century, Bath was a very popular place to visit for all classes. Attracting the new middle class with money to spend.
Beau Nash, a welsh lawyer and dandy, played a key role in making Bath a fashionable resort where people could party and enjoy themselves. The self-styled Master of Ceremonies and eventually the ‘King of Bath’.
He is most known for his rules for the city to make sure that people behaved properly and keeping with correct manners.
He lived in Saw Close with his mistress, Juliana Popjoy until his death in 1761.