The Great Escape Opens Artist Applications For 2027

Emerging artists have until 15th February to apply for a shot at Brighton's biggest new music showcase.

The Great Escape has opened artist applications for its 2027 edition, giving emerging musicians the chance to play Europe's leading festival for new talent.

Run in partnership with CD Baby, the application process is free to enter and doesn't require artists to hold an account with the distributor.

Applications will remain open until 15th February 2027, with the festival warning that due to the sheer volume of submissions it receives each year, it won't be able to respond individually to every artist. Anyone who hasn't heard back by 31st March should take that as confirmation their application wasn't successful this time around.

Held every May across venues throughout Brighton, The Great Escape has built a reputation as one of the key breeding grounds for artists on the way up, pairing hundreds of emerging acts with thousands of international music industry professionals over the course of the festival. Past lineups have included Adele, Stormzy, Ed Sheeran, HAIM, Charli XCX, Kneecap, Sleep Token, Wolf Alice, Dave, Hozier and Lewis Capaldi, among many others who've gone on to headline stages far bigger than the ones they started on in Brighton.

Artists interested in applying can do so via the festival's official application portal, with further updates on the 2027 lineup to be announced across The Great Escape's website, social channels and mailing list in the coming months.