The Great Escape Ends Barclays Partnership After 163 Artists Dropped Off This Year’s Festival In Protest

This year, one way that many musicians have protested agains Israel’s campaign of genocide has been to boycott events sponsored by the British bank Barclays, which has invested huge sums of money into companies that sell weapons and military technology to Israel. Earlier this year, a number of bands boycotted the Barclays-sponsored Download, Latitude, and Isle Of Wight festivals, until Barclays suspended its sponsorship of those Live Nation fests. Now, Brighton’s Great Escape festival has also ended its partnership with Barclays.

This year’s Great Escape festival happened in May, and a number of bands and artists pulled out of the festival after the Brighton band Menstrual Cramps circulated a petition. According to the BBC, 163 acts ultimately dropped off the multi-venue festival, with some joining protests and playing Gaza benefits instead. Now, the Twitter account of the Bands Boycott Barclays movement reported that next year’s Great Escape will happen without Barclays sponsorship, writing, “BOYCOTTS WORK! After hundreds of artists and music industry professionals took collective action in solidarity with Palestine this year, Barclays are no longer in any way affiliated with The Great Escape Festival!”

The BDS movement uses strategic, targeted boycotts to disrupt the flow of financial support to the Israeli military – & this is yet more evidence of how this strategy works. pic.twitter.com/FbV0pRMuBi

— bandsboycottbarclays (@bands_boycott) October 6, 2024

HOWEVER: The status of Barclays’ partnership with other festivals is unclear. For this reason, we are launching a Bands Boycott Barclays PLEDGE for artists and industry professionals to take. pic.twitter.com/MrnNKITlGY

— bandsboycottbarclays (@bands_boycott) October 6, 2024

Take the pledge via our Link in Bio.

Free Palestine! Boycott Barclays!

— bandsboycottbarclays (@bands_boycott) October 6, 2024