You can find pictures of the 2009 St George Fest Regency Ball here.
We are very lucky to have secured an excellent venue for this event - The Botleigh Grange Hotel, who are also co-sponsors of the St George Fest. We are also lucky to have secured the services of the Hampshire Regency Dancers, very well known for their expertise in performing these dances and in encouraging others to join in. It will be held on Friday, 24th April.
You are encouraged to come along to our second workshop session with the Dancers on 20th April.
Guests are encouraged to dress in period attire if they can, with the possibility of military dress for the gentlemen. Otherwise, ladies should wear long gowns and gentlemen should dress smartly - possibly a dinner suit or lounge suit.
Admission is by ticket in the form of a dance card and the ladies will be able to have their cards marked both before and during the ball.
Guests will be welcomed on arrival by a glass of punch and will be formally announced when they enter the ballroom. Hampshire Regency will give a few demonstrations and most of the rest of the time will be helping the rest of us to take part in the dancing.
Buffet snacks will be provided and there will be a cash bar available.
Guests are requested to arrive between 7.00pm and 7.30pm and carriages are requested to leave at 11.30pm
Similar events involving Hampshire Regency have been over-subscribed - prospective guests are requested to make their reservations as soon as possible.
Tickets cost £19.95 per head. We are grateful to Hedge End Town Council for running our tickets agency for us.
Information for enthusiasts
Dance workshops
The evening will be much more fun if you have some previous experience of the dances we will be doing. Hampshire Regency Dancers are running two workshop sessions in Hedge End, just before the Ball, on Monday 30th March and Monday 20th April, at a cost of £4 each, to help get things going on the big night. They will be from 7.30 pm to 9.00 pm at Wildern School. Please phone Jenny on 01489 795289 to let us know you are coming to one of the workshops.
Local company Worn to be Wild, at Botley Mills, hires out regency dress for ladies and gentlemen, although this is not currently shown on their website. People with bookings for The Ball will be given £5 reduction on their outfits.
We are looking for advice for those who want to wear authentic-looking period dress (nice, but not essential). Please feel free to write to Dragon@StGeorgeFest.org.uk if you can offer any hints on dress-making, or where to acquire or hire suitable clothes locally. Anything useful will be published here.
In the meantime, here are some links you may wish to follow:
- Jane Austen Centre Gift shop – costumes and accessories to buy
- Jessamyn’s Regency Costume Companion – general information on Regency costume
- Farthingale costume - costumes for sale and hire (in Bath)
- www.janeausten.co.uk/magazine – tips for men’s costume
- www.neheleniapatterns.com/english - German site selling patterns, including men’s
