The Lightner Museum will play host to an exquisite collection of 36 original costume pieces seen on the award-winning television series Downton Abbey®.  On its final stop of the tour, Dressing Downton: Changing Fashions for Changing Times™, will be held October 4, 2017 – January 7, 2018 in the museum’s Grand Ballroom Gallery.  Website information and ticket sales begin September 5, 2016, by visiting www.lightnermuseum.org/dressing-downton.

Dressing Downton™ has been a highly successful traveling exhibition that began at the Biltmore Estate in February 2015 and will culminate here in St. Augustine, Florida, at the Lightner Museum.  Comprised of original and historically inspired costumes reflecting the magnificence of the Gilded Age, the exhibition will be perfectly at home among Otto Lightner’s original collection of fine and decorative arts and antiquities from the same time period.

Downton Abbey® has received 59 Emmy® nominations, more than any other non-US show in Emmy® history. Downton Abbey® is one of the most honored series on television, having captured 12 Emmys®, three Golden Globes®, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Producers Guild Award, and three BAFTAs, plus a 2015 BAFTA Special Award in recognition of the series’ outstanding global success.

Specialty lectures and events will contribute to the Dressing Downton™ exhibition experience.  Celebrity guests, such as Jessica Fellowes, author and niece of the creator of Downton Abbey®, Julian Fellowes, as well as Francine Segan, a television personality, author, and food historian, will be making appearances for these.

Café’ Alcazar, located in the Historic Pool area of the Lightner Museum, will be hosting High Tea daily during the Dressing Downton™ exhibition.  Reservations are strongly recommended.

New and exclusive behind-the-scenes tours called Upstairs/Downstairs at the Alcazar will highlight many parallels to the time period and lives of the characters of the popular television series Downton Abbey®.  Learn what life was like for both guests and staff who visited and worked at the Alcazar Hotel during the Gilded Age in St. Augustine.

The Downton Abbey experience will not end when exiting the Lightner Museum’s doors.  Many community organizations and businesses have partnered with the Lightner Museum to continue the experience out into the community.

For more information and to purchase tickets for the Dressing Downton™ exhibition, lectures, events, High Tea, and specialty tours, visit www.lightnermuseum.org/dressing-downton starting September 5, 2016.  The Lightner Museum is a non-profit cultural institution sustained by the generous support of individuals, businesses, and sponsors.