SUMMER BALLS

11TH - 20TH SEPTEMBER 2026

YULETIDE BALL

The Gardens of Sotherton Summer Ball

Saturday 30th May 2026

The Guildhall, Bath, UK

19:00 - 23:00

Tickets:  £105, to include a cold buffet dinner & a welcome drink.

Dance workshop: 14:00 - 15:30 - £15 - purchase together with your ball tickets.

Tickets will go on sale at 13:00 GMT on Thursday 29th January 2026.

“Here are the greatest number of our plants, and here are the curious pheasants.”

Inspired by the serpentine paths and wooded vistas of Sotherton in Mansfield Park, our May Summer Ball will be garden-themed. This will be reflected in our food and dances for the evening, and we invite you to add a touch of greenery, pheasant feathers or flowers to your Regency finery for the evening.

When booking, you will need to tell us about any dietary requirements you have, and the name of each attendee.

Please note that Regency costume is mandatory for this event.

Fruit and Flowers of Bath Ball

Saturday 27th June 2026

The Guildhall, Bath, UK

19:00 - 23:00

Tickets:  £105, to include a cold buffet dinner & a welcome drink.

Dance workshop: 14:00 - 15:30 - £15 - purchase together with your ball tickets.

Tickets will go on sale at 13:00 GMT on Thursday 29th January 2026.

Jane Austen wrote to her sister Cassandra from Queen’s Square, Bath in June 1799 to describe Bath fashions, stating “Flowers are very much worn, and fruit is still more the thing”. Over two hundred years later, we still very much agree! Flowers and fruit will be the theme of this ball, reflected in the dances as well as the food served at this ball; we invite you to include a nod to this theme in your elegant Regency attire.

Inspired by Austen’s letter-writing, and the gentler pace of communication in Regency times, this ball will be a fully “switched-off” event. Once you have shown your ticket, you will be given a magnet-sealed mobile phone pouch in which your phone will be encased for the full duration of the evening. You will be able to release your phone from the pouch on leaving the event.

A photographer will be present to ensure that everyone has a portrait-style photograph taken during the event; a little time after the event you will be given access to download these portraits free of charge. 

If you rely on any wearable medical technology that links to a mobile phone, we recommend that you attend our other summer ball. If you require further details, please contact the Jane Austen Festival team prior to tickets going on sale.

When booking, you will need to tell us about any dietary requirements you have, and the name of each attendee.

Please note that Regency costume is mandatory for this event.

The Holly and the Ivy Yuletide Ball

Saturday 12th December, 2026

The Pump Rooms, Bath, UK

20:00- 00:00

Tickets: £165, to include a two-course dinner and a welcome drink.

Dance workshop: 14:00- 15:30 - £10 in the Percy Community Centre, Kings Street, Bath -  purchase together with your ball tickets.

Tickets will go on sale at 13:00 GMT on Thursday 29th January 2026.

Please keep reading to make sure you have all the relevant information ready when booking

Don your Regency finery, with a nod to our “The Holly and the Ivy” theme if you wish, and join us for an evening of dancing and dinner. 

Tickets will include a welcome drink, followed by a two-course, sit-down dinner, and a traditional negus drink toast to our favourite author. The Regency dancing will be led by the Jane Austen Dancers, with live music from Beau's Band. This Ball is a costumed mandatory event and we request that all ladies and gentlemen dress in the style of the Regency or late 18th Century period.

Tickets for the Dance Workshop are not sold separately, please select either the 

Yuletide Ball only Ticket £165

or the

Yuletide Ball & Dance Workshop ticket £175

at the checkout

Tickets for the dance workshop are limited as unfortunately we cannot practise inside the Pump Room during the day.

For each ball ticket holder you will need to have the following information ready when booking: 

• Dance card name

• Your food choice of either the meat or vegetarian dinner choice. 

(so you can make an informed choice, the food options are listed below)

Smoked salmon, gin and maple glaze, pea cress, red cabbage slaw

Followed by

Rosemary braised Dorset lamb, roast butternut, smoked garlic green beans, redcurrant jus

OR

Cauliflower and chestnut soup, Cropwell Bishop Stilton scone (vegetarian)

Followed by

Wild mushroom and black truffle tatin, wilted spinach, deep fried leek, Parmesan (vegetarian)

• Any dietary requirements or allergies.

• Tables will seat 10, so please make a note of any other parties (who are attending) with whom you would like to sit. All tickets purchased on one booking will automatically be sat together.

• Whether you would like an alcoholic or non-alcoholic welcome drink.

We also wish to inform our visitors for this event that the Bath Christmas Markets will also be finishing on this weekend, so the city centre is likely to be very busy! Walking between venues might take a little longer than usual, so please factor this into your plans.