THE FULL line-up for a free festival in Newport has been announced.

The Big Sesh returns to the city for the 2022 Easter Bank Holiday – after being put on hiatus due to the Covid pandemic and various lockdowns.

Hosted at The Westgate Hotel on Commercial Street, the festival is free as it is funded by Newport BID. 

South Wales Argus:

The three-day festival will be packed with musical talent on Friday (April 15), Saturday (April 16), and Sunday (April 17).

Friday line up

The festival will kick off at 7pm on the Friday (April 15) with performances on the ballroom stage only.

Who is performing?

  • Joe Kelly & The Royal Pharmacy;
  • Rebecca Hurn;
  • Foxxglove;
  • Ellis Thomas.

Saturday line up

On the Saturday there will be performances from 12pm to midnight on the ballroom stage. The rising stage will also have live acts from 12pm to 7pm.

Ballroom stage:

  • Bandicoot;
  • Keys;
  • Red Telephone;
  • Telgate;
  • Frakard;
  • Sub Cultures;
  • Twin Stranger;
  • Searching For Signals;
  • Oaklee;
  • The Fatemakers.

Rising stage:

  • Joe T Johnson;
  • Eurekas;
  • Bryony Sier;
  • KatieLou;
  • Bella Collins;
  • Huw James;
  • Kaysha Louvain;
  • Tom Crow;
  • Ian Lynn Palmer.

Sunday line up 

On the Sunday there will be performances from 12pm to midnight on the ballroom stage. The rising stage will also have live acts from 12pm to 7pm.

Ballroom stage:

  • Hot Knife Club;
  • Scarsun;
  • Shlug;
  • The Biggest Thing Since Powdered Milk;
  • Aaronson;
  • Bottlekids;
  • Bone Idl;
  • Kings Alias;
  • Reggie Satanas and the Dim Panico;
  • The Dirty Deluxe.

Rising stage:

  • Mike Dennis;
  • Tales In The Shade;
  • Dan Lambert;
  • Oxbowlake;
  • Crisis Talks;
  • Pay The Man;
  • Siobhan McCrudden;
  • Sophie Crabtree;
  • Selena In The Chapel;
  • Ellie Thomas

What else should I know?

Along with this diverse mix of musicians and DJs from across South Wales the festival will also have refreshments and host artists and craft makers.

The craft market will be open from 12pm on the Saturday and Sunday of the festival and will include:

  • Dirty Carrot Records;
  • Cynepin Unique Homeware;
  • She What Arts;
  • Peas N Greens;
  • Rhian Davie;
  • Knot Yours;
  • Wild Bones;
  • I Giz U Dis.

This will be the fifth year of The Big Sesh – and the first year it’s hosted at The Westgate Hotel. in previous years it has been held in venues such as NosDa Hostel and Bar in Cardiff and Riverside Tavern Newport.

The entire event is free entry, with the festival funded through the Newport BID.