Emma Festival – tickets now on sale!

Our Emma Festival runs from 12 – 20 July, and tickets are now on sale! The festival will feature a programme of special events, including themed tours, talks, workshops and performances.

Most events are ticketed, but visitors can also enjoy a range of free events such as our popular Sewing Circle, Drop in and Draw and Drop in and Write sessions as well as free pop up talks.

At the heart of the festival is our popular annual Dress Up Day – and this year it is promising to be bigger and better than ever! We can’t wait to see your Regency outfits – but if you don’t have a Regency dress of your own, we’ll have lots available for you to try on. (Or join our fun workshop to make your own Regency gown in June, in readiness for the big day!)

As well as dressing up, Dress Up Day will feature Regency Country Dance demonstrations and a drop-in dance workshop, a Costumed Village Walk, and in the evening there will be live piano music in the Drawing Room and pop up talks on Jane Austen and music.

We can’t wait to welcome our Festival Artist in Residence Niki Groom who will be creating lightening sketches of the House, garden and guests on Dress Up day, and will also be leading two fabulous workshops across the weekend on Regency Painted Fans and Regency Fashion Illustration.

On 18 July, the anniversary of Jane Austen’s death, we’ll be commemorating her life with special guided tours exploring her life and legacy – both online and here in Chawton.

The festival also features Reading Aloud: An Evening with Emma, which takes inspiration from Jane Austen’s own habit of reading her own works to family and friends in the Drawing Room, and a host of fantastic talks, including Jane Austen on Holiday, an intimate Drawing Room Talk by Jennie Batchelor, and a celebration of film costumes by Keith Lodwick.

Of course it wouldn’t have an Emma Festival without Clueless – our favourite 90s adaptation of the novel! To celebrate the film’s 30^th anniversary we’re establishing a one-time-only Clueless Club where like-minded fans can share favourite quotes, characters and scenes. We’ll also be setting up a little Clueless photo station for the whole of the festival, offering pop up talks on Clueless, and we have an online talk on Clueless by Veronica Litt to mark the publication of her new book Ugh! As If!

Visitors will be able to visit our 2025 exhibition Austenmania!, which celebrates the 30^th anniversary of the Austen adaptations of 1995, and families of all ages will enjoy following our free Riddles & Conundrums Trail around the House and garden.

See below for the full festival line-up and to book tickets!

FESTIVAL PROGRAMME

Saturday 12 July
9am: Guided Tour: Emma
10am: Piano Practice
11am: Clueless Club
2pm: Pop up talk: Emma and Clueless (FREE)
6pm, 7.45pm: Reading Aloud: An Evening with Emma

Sunday 13 July
10am: Piano Practice
11am: Objects in Focus: Emma
2pm: Pop up talk: Emma and Clueless  (FREE)
6pm: Drawing Room Talk: Jane Austen and Needlework with Jennie Batchelor

Monday 14 July
10am: Piano Practice
2pm: Pop up talk: Emma and Clueless (FREE)

Tuesday 15 July
10am: Piano Practice
11am: Sewing Circle (FREE)
2pm: Pop up talk: Emma and Clueless (FREE)
4.30pm: Guided Tour: Emma
8pm: Virtual Talk: Jane Austen on Holiday 

Wednesday 16 July
10am: Piano Practice
11am: Drop in and Draw (FREE)
2pm: Pop up talk: Emma and Clueless (FREE)

Thursday 17 July
10am: Piano Practice
11am: Drop in and Write (FREE)
2pm: Pop up talk: Emma and Clueless (FREE) 

Friday 18 July
9am: Guided Tour: Jane Austen’s Life & Legacy
10am: Piano Practice
11:30am: Village Walk
2pm: Workshop: Painted Regency Fans
2pm: Pop up talk: Emma and Clueless (FREE)
8pm: Virtual Tour: Jane Austen’s Life & Legacy

Saturday 19 July:
10am: Dress Up Day  (FREE)
10am: Piano Practice
10:30am: Workshop: Regency Fashion Illustration
11am: Village Walk in Costume
2pm: Pop up talk: Emma and Clueless (FREE)
3pm: Talk: Costuming Jane Austen for Film and TV
5pm: Piano performance (FREE)

Sunday 20 July
10am: Piano Practice
2pm: Pop up talk: Emma and Clueless (FREE)
2.30pm: Talk: Jane Austen on Holiday
8pm: Virtual Talk: Ugh! As If! Celebrating Clueless

We strongly advise pre-booking your admission tickets to avoid disappointment.  For more news and updates, sign up to our newsletter and follow us on social media!