Brighton & Hove Argus (Web) – May 2017
TENS of thousands of people will descend upon Brighton today in one of the busiest Saturdays of the year.
Brighton and Hove is blooming with culture as the last day of The Great Escape music event joins Brighton Festival,
Fringe and Artists Open Houses in the city’s entertainment calender.
Twenty thousand people will attend gigs across 35 venues for The Great Escape while there are over 200 events
taking place in the Festival and Fringe combined.
On Thursday night, Tunbridge Wells rock duo Slaves opened the new music festival with a special performance
from the Horror Hotel ghost train attraction on Brighton Palace Pier.
Hundreds of people braved the rain for the show, with our reviewer Finn Scott-Delaney remarking that the
conditions made for a “sodden opening day zigzagging across Brighton – though thankfully with no mud to contend
with”.
Finn praised The Great Escape, adding “it is a credit to the festival’s vast and diverse programme that punters
could have infinitely different experiences”.
Finn’s full review of the first day of music can be read below. The schedule culminates with a headline performance from Uckfieldbased
singer Rag ‘N’ Bone Man at Brighton Dome tonight.
Elsewhere, Brighton Fringe’s two main hubs, The Spiegeltent on the Old Steine and The Warren on St Peter’s
Green North, will be buzzing with activity as festivalgoers enjoy the (predicted) sunshine and choose what shows
they want to attend.
Brighton Festival started on May 6 and ends next Sunday, while the Fringe runs until June 4.
lSee page 14 for all the latest Brighton Festival news and read The Argus on Monday for a full review of Saturday’s
Great Escape programme.