THE countdown to Electric Picnic is on — and The Irish Sun got a sneak peek of what’s in store for the electrifying weekend ahead. Some 75,000 Electric Picnic fans will be descending on Stradbally in Co Laois — with Kylie Minogue, Calvin Harris and Noah Kahan gearing up to headline the Main Stage. Stick Season singer Noah, 27, will be the main draw on Friday night following sets from Gerry Cinnamon and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
DJ Calvin, 40, will pump up the crowd on Saturday night, with Kodaline, Kasabian and The Saw Doctors playing before his 11pm set kicks off. And superstar Kylie , 56, will light up the Main Stage on Sunday. The Padam Padam star follows Raye and the Wolfe Tones — with Brian Warfield’s band moved to the No1 stage after drawing the Electric Arena’s biggest ever crowd in 2023.
And as EP celebrates its 20th anniversary, boss Melvin Benn told how the key to its continued success is staying relevant. He said: “It’s lasted 20 years because it stayed relevant to what the Irish audience wants, what the fans want. "It’s become one of the major festivals in the world and artists want to play it — which is fantastic.
And we would never have dreamed of that. “When we first looked at the site, I think it was 2003, we would never have dreamed of that. “We might have had a really, really outside dream that something big could happen, but not to what it’s become.
It’s become one of the major festivals in the world.” Setting up an event like EP is a mammoth task — with The Irish Sun yesterday getting a tour of the site ahead of the massive influx of punters from Friday morning on. And Melvin told us how he’s “massively proud” that this year’s festival has a major focus on sustainable electricity.
He said: “We can use sustainably sourced energy via ESB to power the main stage. “And it’s the first festival in the UK or Ireland, first major festival in Ireland or the UK to have done that. For me, Electric Picnic had to show the way, had to lead the way.
” Hermitage Green have just been announced in the final tranche of acts set to perform, with the group playing the Rankin’s Wood Stage at 11pm on Sunday. And the folk rock band — made up of Barry Murphy, Dan Murphy, Darragh Griffin, Darragh Graham and Dermot Sheedy — yesterday lit up the Main Stage with a special performance of new song Driftin’. Barry said of getting to play at EP: “It means the world to us.
We cut our teeth here as a band. “We first played here in 2013 in the Salty Dog. I think this will be our sixth year and there’s a lot of memories in this place, on this hallowed ground.
We’ve played Salty Dogs to the Electric Arena to the Main Stage — twice. “It’s a very special festival. It feels smaller than it is and I think that speaks to the parochial kind of community that we Irish people have in this music scene of ours.
So we’re really looking forward to it.” And the Limerick band expect EP to be “one of the best nights of our lives”. Barry told us: “You do get into festival mode every day.
Pack the tent, pack all the bits and pieces and just get in the buzz. "This place is unbelievable and being here a few days early is incredible. It’s like a circus.
It’s like a cultural circus. “We’ve been here not just as a band but as punters. We’ve had the best times of our lives here as friends.
It builds nicely towards what should be one of the best nights of our lives.” MindField — the festival’s original brain trust — will serve up an arts extravaganza including podcasts, debates, readings and comedy gigs. Former President Mary McAleese and broadcaster Mary Kennedy will host their podcast Changing Times at the Leviathan Stage on Sunday.
But mum-of-three McAleese, 73, told us: “My kids, incidentally, are mortified that I’m here. They think I’m a complete fraud. My grandkids think its real cool.
“But my own kids just think ‘what’s she doing there?’. Look I’m in the final quarter of my life. I’d be as well to do it now, wouldn’t I? “Because God knows, it was great to be asked.
Mary and I were thrilled to be asked.” Former Today FM star Dermot Whelan will also be hosting his Mind Full Podcast on the Ah, Hear! Podcast Stage this weekend. Elsewhere, EP’s iconic Trailer Park is a treasure of trove of surprises with pirates to be found at the The Beige Pearl shipwreck and the SOS Survivor Bar.
The newest addition to EP is the Smirnoff Stage, where “equality for artists and fans takes centre stage and your true self is celebrated”. It will include an Irish Sign Language interpreter, braille and colour-coded cocktail menus, lower bar areas, noise-reducing earbuds and an accessible lift to the upper-tier Smirnoff Mezz. Festivalgoers can also meet some furry friends at the Moulin Rouge, run by My Lovely Horse Rescue.
Co-founder Martina Kenny said: “We’re going to have Billie and Lilly goat. We’re going to have Harvey the horse. We’re going to have some Shetlands as well.
We will have Elinor, Lola and Mickey. Then also we will have 12 dogs.” In the Theatre of Food, the world is your oyster with Michelin star chefs, fish and chip experts, toastie champs and brilliant bakers ready to ensure punters are well fed.
Food and wine expert Aoife Carrigy told how it will be an “action-packed weekend” for those involved in the area. She said: “It’s lovely to have a dedicated space to the Irish drinks culture. “We might just think, ‘that’s pretty straight forward — pints’.
But no, there’s more than that. “As our food culture developed, so has our beverage culture. What we have over the weekend is a really broad range.
There’s beer, there’s wine, there’s spirits.” A brunch will be held at the Theatre of Food on the Sunday in aid of children’s charity Barnardos . And the Green Crafts area will host drop-by workshops including woodworking, pottery, flower crown crafting and even stained glass making.
With so much on offer, boss Melvin told punters his main advice is to “be prepared for the weekend of your life”..
