The Great Escape Festival

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The Great Escape Festival

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The Festival For New Music
12th - 15th May 2027, Brighton
450+ Artists, 30 walkable venues. BRIGHTON, UK.

THE GREAT ESCAPE 2025 | 14th-17th May 2025 | Festival tickets now on sale - http://greatescapefestival.com

450+ BANDS. 30+ VENUES. 4 DAYS. Since being founded in 2006, The Great Escape has been firmly established internationally as the leading event for showcasing new music. Taking place in Brighton over 3 days in May, The Great Escape kicks starts the festival season, introducing 16,000 music lovers to the key artists and sounds of the year. With over 450 bands playing in 30+ venues over 3 days, The Great Escape is the key date in the music calendar. In addition to pre-publicised performances, impromptu street gigs spring up all over town. The Alternative Escape, numerous club nights, label parties, industry showcases, unique collaborations and outdoor gigs all add to the festivities.
“If anyone had any doubts that The Great Escape is the most important UK music festival for new bands, new trends and making new friends then they most certainly got knocked out of the water this year. 10 years in, and TGE went harder than ever before.”
Crack

“Although similar to the new-music mecca SXSW in Texas, in many ways Britain’s equivalent event is better: more manageable, less brand-led and with just as many emerging talents, who play in tiny venues across Brighton.”
The Times

‘The festival sits in a space all of its own. Billing a very international line-up in a very British city, it can rival any of the international competitors and tops the pile in the UK for value and variety alone.’
Virtual Festivals

‘The Great Escape has established itself as the best place in Europe to discover new bands’
The Times

‘The Cannes of the music world’
Steve Lamacq, BBC Radio 6 Music

“As one the biggest music showcases here in Europe, The Great Escape in Brighton was a fantastic kick off to the UK festival season. Transforming the bustling seaside town into a mecca for music lovers and performing musicians alike … The Great Escape has proved to be once again a monumental success.”
1883 Magazine

“Increasingly exciting, taste-making festival … [A] wild set in a tiny, sweltering club on Friday night is the kind of “Were you there?” moment that makes the Great Escape, well, Great”
Will Hodgkinson, Chief Pop & Rock Critic, The Times

29/10/2026

One night, seven venues, you, and your future favourite artist. Get tickets now for your intro to The Great Escape 2027 🫡

https://greatescapefestival.com/first-fifty/

28/10/2026

Our friends at Clash Magazine are taking over Hoxton's Folklore next month for our First Fifty showcase, bringing with them a stellar line up of Half Star, Tesni and Casual Smart ⭐

Get tickets here > https://tinyurl.com/3kcm9ntn

23/10/2026

That’s the -winning , to you 🙂‍↕️ A very well-deserved win last night for her stunning album This Music May Contain Hope ✨

But even before Escapism, it was The Great Escape...

From first taking Brighton by storm with us in 2015, and again in 2017, it’s been a joy watching Raye’s meteoric rise.

Who’s there for her return to the Royal Albert Hall tonight? 🙌

21/10/2026

Aubory Bugg, Gianna and Abbie Gordon take to Dalston's Victoria next month for our First Fifty showcase, presented by Ones to Watch!

Get tickets (while you still can) > https://tinyurl.com/26bybcvd

14/10/2026

Head down to the Sebright Arms on the 12th November, and you will find Bathing Suits (our Steve Strange Award winners), Chest. and Shrink, brought to you by our friends at Dork Magazine! And tickets are still available! Get yours now > https://tinyurl.com/arsnu956

12/10/2026

The countdown is on! It's just one month to go until we descend on east London for our First Fifty showcase 💫

One night, seven venues, you, and your next musical obsession.

Tickets available here > https://greatescapefestival.com/first-fifty/

06/10/2026

Jordan Joy, Pack of Animals, Xanadu, and Esmeralda Road take over Oslo Hackney for our First Fifty showcase next month 🙏

There's still time to grab tickets > https://tinyurl.com/2s49kbpp

01/10/2026

London's own Jo From School joins our First Fifty line up at Paper Dress Vintage ⭐

Jo joins Simon A., Chiderah and J Casa, with BBC Introducing's Jess Iszatt on the night's hosting duties. Get tickets here > https://tinyurl.com/4zeybt5f

29/09/2026

Make your mark at The Great Escape in 2027 - our artist applications in partnership with CD Baby are live. Open to any emerging artist, of any genre, from anywhere.

Head here to find out more > greatescapefestival.com/apply-to-play/

Know an artist or band you think should apply? Tag them in the comments...

24/09/2026

Get acquainted with your first wave of artists - our official TGE27 playlist is now live 🎧

Listen on Spotify > https://tinyurl.com/kykpb7c6
Listen on Qobuz > https://tinyurl.com/4yycsnsu

Address

Brighton

Website

http://greatescapefestival.com/, https://twitter.com/TheGreatEscape

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