The Great Escape is a major showcasing music festival held annually in the city of Brighton, Taking place in Brighton over 3 days in May, The Great Escape kicks starts the festival season, introducing 15,000 music lovers to the key artists and sounds of the year.

With over 300 bands playing in 30 venues over 3 days, The Great Escape is the key date in the music calendar

Line-up

2012 line-up, news, rumours and our predictions

Africa Express Sound System, Jamie N Commons, Spector, We Are The Ocean, Zulu Winter, Dry The River are amongst the first round of acts to be announced.

To view the full line-up, click here, you can also check out the thinglink poster below, hover over the named artists and listen a sample of their music, and you can also see the link for tickets.

Early bird tickets and hostel packages have already been released, with details available lower down in this wiki. Although the festival is mainly 18+, organisers have also announced a 14+ programme for music loving teens. Further details which have been covered on the line-up

2011 line-up and past line-up highlights

The 2011 line-up featured Dj Shadow, Friendly Fires, Katy B, Surfjan Stevens, Example, The View, The Vaccines, The Naked and Famous. Details of past line-up highlights can be found here

Vibe

As well as the pre-publicised venue performances, many adore the impromptu street gigs that often take place.

The Convention also features panel talks, industry insight, debates and other initiatives that enrich the festival experience, Whereas The Alternative Escape provides numerous club nights, label parties, industry showcases, unique collaborations and outdoor gigs all add to the festivities.

Amongst the line-up of 300 artists, 3 high profile acts will play at The Brighton Dome towards the end of the night.

Reviews and Comments From The Media

“Think of it as Glastonbury by the sea.” NME

“Unveiling the best music from across the globe, The Great Escape is essential for discovering the hottest new talent.” The Fly

“This three day music festival and industry conference is Britain’s answer to Texas’s SXSW.” TIME OUT

“TGE’s USP is new music, so for the real spirit of things, you are best off hunting the smaller venues.” XFM

History and facts

Since being founded in 2006, The Great Escape has been firmly established internationally as the leading event for showcasing new music.

The 2007 event did not only see an inclusion of more hardcore acts, but the rate at which the tickets sold out, drew the event the reputation of becoming one of Europe’s leading new music festivals.

Due to the calibre of dedicated music fans and savvy music press that attend this event, many stars who have gone to have great musical followings previously played The Great Escape when they were up and coming. Acts such as Kasabian, Friendly Fires, Laura Marling, Tinie Tempah and Katy B have all played in previous years.

Music stages and other entertainment

With the music being spread around the city in various venues you will need to work out what you want to see over the weekend and where it is taking place

As mentioned before, there is a programme of club nights, label parties, industry showcases and outdoor gigs provided by the Alternative Escape.

For any looking to take a short break from the festival, the area of Brighton itself provides great shopping and sights, as well as the famous and popular Brighton Pier, full of seaside rides, prize games and an onsite arcade.

The Convention

The Great Escape Convention takes place under one roof in The Brighton Dome. The programme runs daily between 10am and 5pm and consists of panels and debates for experienced music industry delegates, new music entrepreneur presentations, high end key note interviews, short Q&A sessions, case studies and educational workshops for new entrants to the industry. This runs alongside the festival and is attended by over 3000 delegates annually from across the globe.

Targeted networking sessions, parties and sponsored lunches are run every day giving delegates plenty of opportunities to form new business relationships and to catch up with established partners.

Previous speakers include:

• Anthony Volodkin – Hype Machine
• Barney Wragg – Ex Head of EMI Digital
• Clive Dickins – Absolute Radio
• Colin Greenwood – Radiohead
• Daniel Ek – Spotify Founder
• DJ Shadow – Artist
• Eric Garland – Big Champagne
• Francis Keeling – VP Digital, Universal
• Howard Marks aka Mr. Nice
• Ian Rogers – Topsin
• John Leckie – Legendry Producer
• John Niven – Novelist ‘ Kill Your Friends’
• Matt Everitt – BBC 6 Music
• Michael Eavis – Glastonbury Festival
• Nathan Lovejoy – Limewire
• Nick Kent – Author / Music Journalist
• Norman Cook – aka Fat Boy Slim
• Patrick Walker – Google / You Tube
• Paul Epworth – Producer
• Seymour Stein – Sire Records
• Simon Fox – CEO HMV
• Terry McBride – Nettwerk Music Group
• Tony Wadsworth – BPI / Brits Trust
• Will Page – PRS for Music

On Site Information

Food and drink

There hundreds of places to eat around Brighton, including all the usual high street names as well as independently run cafes and restaurants.

Most of the venues will have a bar in them, but for this reason the majority of the festival is limited to 18+, however there will be a few 14+ events to be announced nearer the time.

Accommodation and getting around

With the city taking place in various venues around Brighton there is no official campsite, however, many festivalgoers do opt to stay in hostels or camp in various public campsites. This year The Great Escape is offering a 3 nights hostel accommodation with 3 day festival pass for only £125.

There are also delegate passes that you can purchase with your ticket through the official website, that includes hotel accommodation. The official delegate hotel for 2012 is The Queens.

You can also stay at Journey's Hostel for just £30, and it is well located within reach of all the TGE gig venues.

For all accommodation options and information about packages follow this link:http://escapegreat.com/book-hotel

Location and travel

The festival takes place in venues over the whole city of Brighton. Getting to Brighton is easy, wherever you’re travelling from. It takes just under an hour by rail from London, 45 minutes by road from the M25 and half an hour from London Gatwick airport. There are also regular coach services connecting London Heathrow and London Gatwick airports.

By Train:

It takes just under an hour to get to Brighton from London Victoria Station, with 2 services running every hour. There are also regular services to Brighton from Bedford, London Kings Cross & London Bridge, as well as direct services from Scotland, the North West, the Midlands, the West country and South Wales.

By Coach:

Express coaches from London to Brighton take about 2 hours. Regular National Express services depart from London Heathrow and Gatwick airports.

By Car:

45 minutes from the M25 London orbital motorway. From M25, take the M23/A23 to Brighton & Hove. Coastal route A27 links the city east and west.

Festival contact and ticket information

Official Great Escape Website