The countdown is on to Ireland's biggest music festival. From this Friday, 1,000 acts will perform to 55,000 at the sold-out Electric Picnic.
The XX, A Tribe Called Quest and Duran Duran will headline the main stage over three nights, while RTÉ's Concert Orchestra will re-create dance classics in the Rankin's Wood Tent on Friday from 9pm.
This is the 15th year of the festival, and if you're heading along, we've put everything you could want to know in one handy place.
Getting There (From Dublin)
Car Take the M7, and exit at Junction 16. Electric Picnic will be well sign-posted. You're best to follow these, and not your sat-nav as the route Google takes you could be longer.
Bus Companies like Marathon Travel are running bus services from Dublin city centre to the festival, and back again.
Train You can get the train from Heuston to Portlaoise, and then take a shuttle bus from there to the festival.
For more travel information, visit here.
Weather Forecast
According to Met Eireann, Friday will be a predominantly dry day with sunny spells. Any isolated showers that do occur will be light in nature and of short duration. After a chilly start, maximum temperatures will climb to between 16 and 18 degrees. Patches of early morning fog on Saturday but otherwise dry with good sunshine and highs of 17 to 19C. Sunday is predicted to be the warmest day, with humid conditions and temperatures reaching highs of 21 degrees, but there will be plenty of scattered outbreaks of rain also.
#EP2017 FORECAST
Fri: Dry, Sunny Spells 16°C 🌤ï¸
Night: Dry, Chilly 8°C ðŸŒ
Sat: Sunny 18°C 🌤ï¸
Night: Rain 13°C 🌧ï¸
Sun: Cloudy, Showers 19°C ðŸŒ§ï¸ pic.twitter.com/5y5jsXJiYR— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) August 30, 2017
Meanwhile, YR, a Norwegian website, has provided an in-depth forecast for the three days of the festival:
Statistics show that the average September temperature at the Electric Picnic site is 13 degrees Celsius, getting as warm as 18 degrees and as cold as eight.
Like every year, Electric Picnic organisers are advising ticket holders to pack clothes for every weather eventuality. No matter what the forecast says - this is Ireland and the weather can change at the last minute, for the better or the worse.
Music fans are being encouraged to pack ponchos, wellies and hoodies as well as sun-cream, sunglasses and lighter clothing. Campers can bring alcohol (decanted out of glass bottles) and cigarettes into the site, but excessive amounts may be confiscated. You can find a full list of banned items, which includes air horns, hi-vis jackets and generators, here.
Campsite Opening Hours
Campsites open at 9am Friday, and will close at 1pm Monday. If you're in a campervan you can get in from 4pm Thursday. Sunday ticket holders can enter from 11am Sunday.
The Main Arena will be open until midnight Friday and 2am Saturday and Sunday, while the Late Night Arena (the woods) will be open until 4am.
Getting Around
Once you're there, there's a lot to do and see over the weekend. Around 55,000 people will be there, so some new areas have been created - including a two-storey structure called 'Shiver Me Timbers' at The Salty Dog and a world's first listening experience at Red Bull Soundome in the forest.
The dome will host 42 perfectly-calibrated speakers that deliver a complete ambisonic environment. Organisers say punters will "feel the sound move around the Soundome and deliver the kinetic force of sub woofers from beneath your feet" describing the experience as a "whole-body sonic trip like no other".
.@redbull Soundome whose inventor and collaborators are all from Thomastown in KK looks amazing #EP2017 pic.twitter.com/PBOnT52bBm
— Juliette Gash (@JulietteGash) August 29, 2017
A full service restaurant has also been announced for Electric Picnic. Located in Trailer Park, The Hot House will be housed inside a giant poly-tunnel, dressed by The Store Yard and featuring 8 of Ireland’s most exciting chefs and makers. Expect halloumi from Cork, lobster from Mayo and cake from Diva.
Meanwhile, first time ever festival goers will experience a beach at the Just Eat Retreat which will include luxury deckchairs, over 200 tonnes of real sand, tropical palm trees as well as the sights and sounds of the ocean transmitted through a large screen. At night, the Retreat will transform into full party mode with an epic Full Moon Party planned.
Meanwhile, the Heineken Live Your Music space will host Electric Picnic’s first-ever 360 degree lighting rig, along with CO2 cannons and over 20 DJs and MCs - all powered by the crowd.
A sizeable line-up of local and international DJ and MC talent including The Magician, Lui Rwego, Betty Jimenez, NANCY and Lo Cutz are set to perform in the area over the weekend.
Meanwhile, the custom built Heineken® Starmometer will gauge the crowd’s energy by tracking noise levels, body movement and heat. Every beat, pulse and move made by the crowd will generate energy peaks that unlock a series of epic surprises to create the ultimate Live Your Music moment. State-of-the-art visuals will be curated live and screened in real time with the crowd centre stage in the Live Your Music space.
Listen to the track below created during a Facebook live video by Lo Cutz:
Always drink responsibly. Visit drinkaware.ie
Stage Times
There are loads of stages dotted all around, from big to small, in forests and in fields. There really is something for everyone. If you haven't got a shiny lanyard with stage times on it, we have the full list of times here.
Other Handy Bits
- While there are ATMs and a shop that accepts cards, it's probably best to take cash out before you leave
- Only bring what you can afford to lose; there is no way you can make a tent fully secure
- There are loads of toilets, but pack some toilet roll and wet wipes just in case
Check out more information here.
Have a great weekend!
