Grand Regency Costumed Promenade 2025 - Jane Austen Festival in Bath
Rachel attended her first Grand Regency Costumed Promenade in Bath in 2014.
That gathering attempted to set a world record for the most people dressed in Regency costume in one place. Around 550 people took part.
Accompanied by the military drums and flutes of two marching bands, that record was blasted to pieces this year, when the crowd numbered around 2,000.
Not that any formal attempt was made to upgrade the record. Indeed, the Guinness World Record site still puts the number at 409, from the 2009 Jane Austen Festival in Bath.
No place in the parade for everyone
This was our sixth year at the Festival, and the first when Rachel wasn’t able to secure a place in the Promenade.
Every year since it began in 2004, you’ve been able to secure a place in the Promenade right up until the day of the event. This year was different. Rachel was one of the many disappointed when all the available places were snapped up weeks before the big day.
Last year’s crowd numbered around 1,000. This year the organisers sold all 2,000 tickets well in advance. Rachel, like many others who weren’t permitted to join, still donned her Regency outfit and joined the crowds along the parade route.
Jane Austen at 250
Why were this year’s numbers around double those of 2024? In part, because the event’s popularity has grown year by year, thanks to the popularisation of Regency style through regular television and film adaptations of Jane Austen’s works.
Another reason is that 2025 is a big year for Austen’s fans. The big number, 250, is how many years have passed since Jane Austen’s birth in December 1775.
Will the turnout for the 2026 Promenade be as high? It’s too early to tell, but lots of people said they’ll be back next year, and from all the comments online, there’s clearly a cohort ambitious to come along for the first time.
The enthusiasm for all things Austen doesn’t look like it will diminish any time soon.
Now enjoy the video and other images from this year’s promenade, along with people Rachel met while out and about in costume.
Andrew Knowles researches and writes about the late Georgian and Regency period. He’s also a freelance writer and editor for business. He lives with his wife Rachel, co-author of this blog, in the Dorset seaside town of Weymouth.
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Regency History
by Andrew & Rachel Knowles
We research and write about the late Georgian and Regency period.
Rachel also writes faith-based Regency romance with rich historical detail.
