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
