Christian Lee Hutson, Tems and Kam-BU are among the line-up for 2022
(Picture: Handout)Everyone loves a big ol’ headline set, but it’s an undeniably special part of the festival-going experience to happen upon your favourite new artist on one of the smaller stages.
The Great Escape festival is basically that, but all of the time. With a line-up stuffed full of Next Big Things from the UK and beyond, this multi-venue extravaganza is all about the sound of things to come.
And with the action taking place down on the south coast — an agreeably short journey for Londoners — it’s the perfect weekend trip. Here’s what you need to know.
When and where is The Great Escape festival?
The festival will take place from May 11-14, kicking off on a Wednesday and ending on the Saturday.
It’s all based in Brighton, with the line-up spread out across 30 venues, all of which are within walking distance of each other. There will also be a festival hub landing on Brighton beach. The full schedule will be revealed on April 20 — we’ll update this page once it arrives.
Trains run regularly to Brighton from both London Bridge and Victoria stations, with journeys taking about an hour. Book ahead to get cheaper tickets.
Who’s on the line-up?
There are around 500 artists on the 2022 line-up, which might make formulating your must-see list feel like a rather daunting task. But part of the joy of the Great Escape is the happy accidents — stumbling upon the acts you had no intention of seeing, but who end up being one of your festival highlights.
That said, there are some stand-out names among the line-up. We’ll be looking out for south-west Londoner Kam-BU and his boundary-pushing rap style, witty Leeds post-punks Yard Act, the Phoebe Bridgers-approved Christian Lee Hutson, Croydon riser Rachel Chinouriri, Bilie Eilish tour opener Dora Jar, and plenty more.
There will also be a couple of standalone Spotlight gigs within the programme. On May 13, Tems will headline Brighton Dome with support rom Enny and Gabriels, while on May 14, ArrDee will lead the line-up with support from Dréya Mac, Piri & Tommy and Cassyette.
Check out the full line-up here.
Tickets
Tickets are on sale now, with a variety of options. Three-day passes, covering Thursday to Saturday, start at £90, while day tickets are priced at £40 each (apart from Saturday, which is £50).
The Spotlight gigs are separately ticketed, with the Tems show priced at £20.25, and ArrDee’s night costing £17.
Head here for all the ticket information and to secure your spot.
