The Great Escape Festival has once again revealed that it will take over East London for its First Fifty launch: a series of gigs that will take place across eight venues on Thursday 13th November 2025.
Kicking off the run-down to next year’s festival in Brighton, the First Fifty shows will be held in MOTH Club, Folklore, Oslo, Paper Dress Vintage, Sebright Arms, The Victoria, and new additions The George Tavern and The Jago.
The line-up features the first fifty acts to be announced for The Great Escape 2026 – including James Emmanuel, Madra Salach, Girl Group, Saint Clair, Tanzana and more.
You can nab presale tickets for DIY’s First Fifty showcase here, while tickets for all eight First Fifty shows will be available via general sale at 10am on Friday 19th September here.
Meanwhile, artist applications for The Great Escape 2026 are now open and it’s completely free to apply.
Each year, over 450 emerging artists perform across 30+ venues in Brighton, with thousands of music fans and industry professionals discovering the next wave of talent. In the last couple of decades, it has helped to launch the careers of Adele, Stormzy, Ed Sheeran, HAIM, Skepta, Charli XCX, Wolf Alice, Dave, Hozier, Lewis Capaldi and many more.
Selected artists will be contacted directly by 31st March 2026.
The Great Escape 2026 will take place from 13th-16th May in various venues across Brighton. Find out more via the festival’s website, and check out full details of all the First Fifty bills below.
