With the recent popularity of Jane Austen, especially "Pride & Prejudice," which features the fan favorite character of Mr. Darcy, it isn't a surprise that there's a Jane Austen Festival. The festival takes place July 20-21, 2013, at the Historic Locust Grove in Louisville, Kentucky.
The festival will have many activities from Jane Austen's, as well as her beloved characters, time period, such as a four-course afternoon tea. There is even a tea for children that will be on Sunday afternoon, where they will be able to get their photograph taken with Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett.
An outdoor rendering of the "Shoppes of Meryton" will be set-up with vendors that specialize in Regency era goods such as fabric, shoes, bonnets, patterns, jewelry, tea sets, tea and more.
The festival will be attempting to break the Guinness Book world Record for the number of people in Regency attire, so attending in costume is encouraged.
Educational period demonstrations will show the lives of sailors with His Majesty's Royal Navy, as the crew of the HMS Acasta performs sextant demonstrations, playing cricket and more. The Village Green will host demonstrations of Bare Knuckle Boxing as well as a duel between gentlemen.
A Grand Ball will be held for attendees on Saturday, in conjunction with the local English County Dance Society at Spalding University.
Authors of the Pride & Prejudice sequels will be holding a panel discussion for fans. The participating authors are Sandy Lerner, Abigail Reynolds, Barbara Tiller Cole, Regina Jeffers and Maria Grace. Attendees will also be invited to participate in a marathon reading of "Pride & Prejudice" that will be held on the porch of the historic home.
A new addition to the festival this year is a play, "Elizabeth & Darcy - A Love Story," written by Alana Gillett.
The Greater Louisville Region of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA), the hosts of the event, was founded in 2007. The festival received about 1,700 visitors from around 18 states and Canada in 2012.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
