A 250th birthday goes by many names. It can be called a semiquincentennial, a sestercentennial, a quarter millennial--even a bicenquinquagenary or a bisesquicentennial. (Or not.) It’s been so long since I took Latin that, rather than adjudicating this question, I’m just going to say Austen 250.
By whatever name, it’s arrived at last--the year for which Janeites have been waiting. It’s 2025, and Jane Austen was born 250 years ago. Let the celebrations begin!
A lot of Janeite celebrating—and cashing in on Janeite celebrating—will happen this year. Fan festivals and Regency balls and academic conferences. Museum exhibits and statue unveilings and tours of little-seen Austen sites. Launchings of historical novels and non-fiction books and Austen-themed projects on screens both large and small.
Trying to list—let alone sample--all the Austen 250 events, publications, films, and tie-ins that will greet us this year is a fool’s errand. I will not be able to keep up. No one will be able to keep up.
Still, in the spirit of community service, and to give a flavor of what's up in Austenland this year, here’s my absolutely unscientific and certifiably incomplete list of (some of) the Austen 250 programming that’s crossed my desk thus far--a sprinkling of annual events, plus many that are unique to 2025.
The list is heavily tilted toward the English-speaking world, and especially toward England, ground zero for Austen 250. There's something happening in every place with significant Austen-biographical associations--Steventon, Bath, Southampton, Chawton, and Winchester--and in plenty of locales where she never set foot.
If your event isn't listed--especially if you're outside the UK-USA-Australia axis--please let me know: Maybe I can write about it later.
Can't promise, though. Because I will not be able to keep up.
Balls * Jane Austen Birthday Ball --Alton Assembly Rooms, Alton, England. January 18 * Persuasion Nautical-Themed Summer Ball --The Guildhall Bath, Bath, England. May 31 * Regency Ball --Winchester Cathedral, Winchester, England. May 31 * Der Grosse Jane Austen Ball --Residenz Eichstätt, Eichstätt, Germany. June 21 * Sanditon Seaside-Themed Summer Ball --The Guildhall Bath, Bath, England. June 28 * "A spectacular summer ball" --Chawton House, Chawton, England. August date TBA
Conferences/Lectures
* “An Audience with Lucy Worsley on Jane Austen” --Various UK venues. March-May
* "Medicine, Birth, and Domestic Arts in Regency England and Colonial North Carolina" --Jane Austen Summer Program, New Bern, North Carolina, USA. June 19-22
* “The Global Jane Austen: Celebrating and Commemorating 250 Years of Jane Austen” --University of Southampton, Southampton, England. July 10-12
* "Austen at 250: 'No check to my genius from beginning to end' ” --Jane Austen Society of North America, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. October 10-12
* “250 Glorious Years: Jane Austen’s Legacy” --Jane Austen Society of Australia, Canberra, Australia. October 31-November 2
Exhibits * “In Training for a Heroine: Jane Austen's Travelling Writing Desk” --God’s House Tower, Southampton, England. Through February 23 * "Pride and Prejudice Through the Ages" --Chawton House, Chawton, England. January 17-February 1
* “A Very Respectable Company – Jane Austen and Her Southampton Circle” --SeaCity Museum, Southampton, England. March 29-October 31 * "Sisters of the Pen: Austen, Influence, Legacy" --Chawton House, Chawton, England. May 4, 2025-January 1, 2026
* “Angelic Women: The Friendship of Jane Austen and Anne Lefroy” --Winchester Cathedral, Winchester, England. May 23-September 22
* “Jane Austen and the Art of Writing” --Jane Austen’s House, Chawton, England. Permanent exhibition
Festivals/Open houses * Pride and Prejudice Festival --Jane Austen’s House, Chawton, England. January 23-28 * Jane Austen Fest --Mount Dora, Florida, USA. February 7-9 * "Tea and Scandal with Jane Austen" --King Manor Museum, Queens, New York, USA. February 8 * Sense and Sensibility Festival --Jane Austen’s House, Chawton, England. May 1-11 * Celebrating Jane Austen --Chatsworth, Derbyshire, England. June 13-15
* Jane Austen Regency Week --Alton, England. June 20-29 * Jane Austen Festival: Jane’s Jubilee --Heritage Village, Sharonville, Ohio, USA. June 28-29 * Jane Austen's Country Fair
--Steventon Village Hall, Steventon, England. July 6
* Jane Austen Festival --Bath, England. September 12-21
* Persuasion and Poetry Festival --Jane Austen’s House, Chawton, England. September 12-21
* Jane Austen’s Birthday Celebration Week --Jane Austen’s House, Chawton, England. December 13-21
Statue unveilings
* Jane Austen statue by Mark Coreth --Alton, England. June 21
* Jane Austen statue by Martin Jennings --Winchester Cathedral, Winchester, England. October date TBA
Tours of Austen sites
* Reading Abbey gateway (site of school attended by Jane Austen) --Reading, England. Most Saturdays, April-October
* 8 College Street (site of Jane Austen’s death) --Winchester, England. Twice weekly, June 4-August 30
Historical fiction
* Austen at Sea --Natalie Jenner. May 6
* Six Weeks by the Sea --Paula Byrne. August 5
Nonfiction
* A Jane Austen Year: Celebrating 250 Years of Jane Austen --Jane Austen’s House. January 25 * Jane Austen's Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector's Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend --Rebecca Romney. February 18 * Living with Jane Austen --Janet Todd. March 20 * Wild for Austen: The True Story of a Rebellious, Subversive, and Untamed Jane Austen --Devoney Looser. September 2
* The Worlds of Jane Austen --Helena Kelly. Early September
Screens
* Jane Austen Wrecked My Life --written and directed by Laura Piani. February 5 (theaters, France) * Miss Austen --written by Andrea Gibb, based on Gill Hornby’s novel; directed by Aisling Walsh. May 4 (PBS, USA) * Jane Austen: Rise of Genius --BBC docudrama. Details still nebulous * The Other Bennet Sister --BBC adaptation of Janice Hadlow novel. Details still nebulous * Pride
--Netflix adaptation of Ibi Zoboi novel. Details still nebulous * Pride and Prejudice --Netflix adaptation. Details still nebulous
Fantastic list!!! A Ball at Winchester C????????? Wow!!!