A Very Austen Christmas

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He loved her, she loathed him. It is a true-life tale that could have come straight from her fiction. But this Christmas, King George IV and Jane Austen will inhabit the same space once more as Brighton’s Royal Pavilion marks the 250th anniversary of the great writer’s birth with A Very Austen Christmas.

Visitors will be transported to a Regency-inspired festive world, encountering favourite characters such as Mr Darcy, the Bennet sisters, Emma Woodhouse, Marianne Dashwood, Mr Knightley, and even Lady Bertram’s pug.

The royal palace will come alive with dancing ballroom silhouettes, themed Christmas trees, delightful afternoon teas, sumptuous banquets, lively talks, historical tours, extraordinary characters and romantic encounters, all inspired by Austen’s work.

The 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth will be commemorated on 16 December 2025, honouring one of the most influential and beloved authors of the Regency age. The Prince Regent (later King George IV) was an admirer and was said to keep one of her novels in every one of his residences. She famously dedicated the first edition of Emma to him, though history suggests her feelings about the king were rather less enthusiastic.

Brighton itself has a rich Austen connection. The seaside town features in Pride & Prejudice and her unfinished novel Sanditon. While her characters revelled in Brighton’s social life, Austen’s own letters reveal her fondness for seaside entertainment and bathing, debunking the myth that she disliked the town. Her brother Henry Thomas Austen’s time in Brighton with the Royal Oxfordshire Militia also hints that she may have visited, drawing inspiration for her novels.

At the Royal Pavilion this Christmas, Jane herself faces a big decision: should she marry for love, for money, or not at all? Visitors will begin their experience with a token that helps guide her fate, uncover diary extracts in each room, and encounter themed trees, festive gossip, and familiar characters along their journey through Britain’s only Regency palace. Father Christmas

will also be in residence, and new for 2025 are Father Christmas Storytelling sessions and a Regency Play Parlour dedicated to family fun.