Ellie Potts goes dancing with her friends most weeks. They don't put on the latest Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran, though, they much prefer English country dances that were popular more than 200 years ago.

As the music starts, about two dozen men and women curtsy and bow, extend a gloved hand to their partner, before dancing in circles or skipping in elaborate patterns around each other.

Like many of her fellow Hampshire Regency Dancers, Potts is a devotee of Jane Austen and all things from the Regency period. Not only have they studied the books and watched all the screen adaptations, they also research the music, make their own period dresses, and immerse themselves in dances Austen and her characters would have enjoyed in centuries past.

"I've been interested in Jane Austen since I was about 8 or 9," said Potts, 25. "I mainly joined (the dance group) so I can have balls and things to go to in my costumes, but I really got into it. I've been surprised how much I enjoy the dancing."

There's no shortage of grand costumed balls and historical dancing this year, which marks the 250th anniversary of Austen's birth.

This weekend, thousands of fans who call themselves "Janeites" are descending on the city of Bath for a 10-day festival celebrating the beloved author of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility.

The highlight is a Regency costumed promenade on Saturday (Sep 13), where some 2,000 people in their finest bonnets, bows and costumes will parade through the streets of Bath. Organisers say the extravaganza holds the Guinness World Record for the "largest gathering of people dressed in Regency costumes."

Bonny Wise, from Indiana, a midwestern state of the US, is attending her sixth Jane Austen festival in Bath. This time, she's bringing four period dresses she made, and will lead a tour group of 25 Austen enthusiasts from all over the United States.