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The Great Escape issues statement after three women die off Brighton coast
The Great Escape has responded after three women died off Brighton beach, confirming festival operations will continue as planned.
The Great Escape has issued a statement after three women died in the sea off Brighton on Wednesday morning, as the festival opened for its first day in the city.
The tragedy came just hours before the start of the event’s opening beach party, an NME-presented showcase set to be headlined by Angine De Poitrine. In a message to ticketholders, organisers said the festival would continue as scheduled and stressed that the site had not been affected by the incident.
Emergency services were called to the area near Madeira Drive at around 5:45am, after which the bodies of the three women were recovered from the sea. Ambulance crews and paramedics attended, but all three were declared dead at the scene.
In its statement, The Great Escape said:
“Following the very sad and tragic events that took place on Brighton beach this morning, The Great Escape Festival wish to extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the deceased at this difficult time.”
The festival added:
“For those attending The Great Escape 2026, we wish to assure you that Brighton beach is a large public area and the section of beach occupied by The Great Escape Festival site has not been affect by the incident.”
It continued:
“Following guidance from the relevant authorities, festival operations and scheduled performances will continue as planned.”
Sussex Police Chief Superintendent Adam Hays later told a news conference:
“This is a tragic incident and we are at the very early stages of our enquiries. Our priority right now is to identify all three women and contact their next of kin.”
This year marks the 20th anniversary of The Great Escape, which runs until May 16. More than 450 up-and-coming and hotly tipped artists are set to play across 35 walkable venues in Brighton, with the full line-up available via the official mobile app here.
NME is also hosting its own stage at the festival, which takes place at The Old Market on Friday May 15. French/Mancunian noiseniks Mandy, Indiana and Swedish garage rockers Girl Scout top the bill, both of whom recently featured in The Cover, NME’s flagship cover story series for emerging artists.
The NME Stage line-up also includes NYC alt-pop trio Chanpan and Aussie indie five-piece Any Young Mechanics.
NME will additionally present the NME 100 Gig Guide: The Great Escape Edition, a guide to artists from the NME 100, the publication’s annual list of essential emerging acts, who will be playing in Brighton next month.
