Wedding and World Record at Jane Austen Festival

The Jane Austen Festival will be making its annual return to the city of Bath this September, attracting people from around the world to celebrate the popular author's writing, life in Bath and all things Regency. With all kinds of events taking place the highlights for the 2009 festival include a Guinness World Record attempt and a real-life Regency marriage!

One of the most popular events to feature every year is the Grand Regency Promenade - a spectacular costumed walk through the centre of Bath. This year's Promenade will take place on Saturday the 19th September at 11am and will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people dressed in Regency costumes. It promises to be a fascinating sight starting at the Roman Baths and finishing at Queen Square. Organisers hope to see over 200 people taking part to smash the current record. The Promenade is open to anyone to join and tickets can be purchased from the festival's website - the only criteria being that all participants must dress in Regency style!

A rather unusual addition to this year's festival programme is a real-life wedding. After months of preparation a couple will be tying the knot at their dream Regency Wedding on the 19th September. The ceremony will take place at 4pm and the couple are inviting people along to help celebrate their big day. All guests will be required to dress in Regency costume.

The festival will run from the 18th to the 27th September with a packed programme of 44 events. 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 - join a walking tour, take a dance lesson, or listen to some music. The Jane Austen Festival is a popular event that attracts Jane Austen fans from all four corners of the globe. Tickets for all events are now on sale and details can be found at www.janeausten.co.uk/festival.

Jasmine Simmons leisure marketing manager for Bath Tourism Plus says that the allure of Jane Austen doesn't just end at the Festival, "Visitors can make the most of the Festival by staying for a few days and enjoying everything that our wonderful Georgian city has to offer".

Download a free audio tour from www.visitbath.co.uk/janeausten/audio-tour and discover all the places that inspired Jane Austen to write. The tour explores highlights of the city and includes extracts from Jane Austen's novels and letters, which brilliantly describe Bath as it would have been in its Georgian heyday.

To complete a visit to Bath choose from one of the many traditional hotels or B&Bs that Bath has to offer and enjoy a true Regency break. Stay in the 'Jane Austen' room at the Tasburgh House - a beautiful B&B just minutes from Bath city centre - or enjoy the luxury of the 5 star Royal Crescent Hotel - set in the middle of one of the most impressive architectural masterpieces in the world. See www.visitbath.co.uk for full details of accommodation as well as an online booking service. The website also gives a comprehensive guide on what to see and do while here. For a personal and professional service contact the Tourist Information Centre on 0906 7112000.

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Notes to Editors:
For further information or images to illustrate this information, please contact Lucy Weaver at Bath Tourism Plus on 01225 477441 or email: lucy_weaver@bathtourism.co.uk.

Bath Tourism Plus
Working with the public and private sectors, Bath's destination marketing organisation, Bath Tourism Plus, takes full responsibility for co-ordinating the work of a busy tourist information centre, the marketing of Bath and the surrounding area to leisure and business travellers, PR activity to attract the nation's top travel writers, a conference office, and development of Bath's official destination website www.visitbath.co.uk. For more information about the services that Bath Tourism Plus offers to meetings, conference and incentive travel businesses, see www.bathconference.co.uk

Travel to Bath
Bath is easy to access from all over the UK and the world. High speed, direct train services operated by First Great Western link Bath Spa train station to London and its major airports. Bath Spa train station is well situated, just 5 minutes level walk into the city centre's main shopping and tourist areas. See: www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk . Bath is easy to access by car, from junction 18 of the M4 motorway which links Bath to Bristol, London and South Wales. There are 3243 pubic car parking spaces in Bath with the main long stay car parks at Charlotte Street and Avon Street. There are three Park & Ride services on the outskirts of the city which operate fast, frequent services into the city centre, offering a hassle free, cost effective way of reaching the city centre. There is also a Park & Ride service that operates on Saturdays only from the University of Bath.