Jane Austen Festival

TRANSCRIPT
Jane Austen Festival

NARRATOR:
The image of men and women dressed in 18th-century clothes is something many British people might associate with the author Jane Austen. In Bath, in the south-west of England, this image comes to life. Every year, hundreds of people come here to dress up and walk through the streets in period clothing. Women wear long dresses and men wear old-fashioned suits, just like the characters you find in Jane Austen’s novels. The event is part of the Jane Austen Festival.

Jane Austen was a famous English writer who lived in the late 1700s and early 1800s.She wrote romantic novels, such as Pride and Prejudice and Emma. Many of her books have been adapted into films and TV shows. Bath is an important place in Jane Austen’s life. She lived here for several years, and the city appears in her stories. People from many different countries come to Bath to take part in the festival.

SOUNDBITE - Charlotte Crumper:
"We get people from all over the world who come here to celebrate the life and work of Jane Austen in the beautiful regency city of Bath. We have nine days of all sorts of events. There's so much. There's something for everybody at this festival."

NARRATOR:
The festival opens with a large parade, known as a promenade. There are a wide range of events: People read from her books, they watch plays, and attend traditional dances called balls. Some visitors spend months — even years — planning their trip.

SOUNDBITE- Christine Terrance:
"I heard about it a couple of years ago and I have sort of been planning this for over a year now, and I'm just excited to do the promenade and the balls and see all the sights that I have read about from Jane Austen's novels."

NARRATOR:
For many people, it’s a unique way to experience the world of Jane Austen. This festival turns the images of her novels into something real. It’s a chance to step into the past and play a part in a classic story.