Electric Picnic: Great music, wet weather and drug testing among the talking points of a fine weekend
Crowds at the Electric Picnic festival in Stradbally, Co Laois. Picture: Paulo Gonçalves
Electric Picnic 2022 officially came to a close in the early hours of the morning as, under the pouring rain, over 70,000 people wished Stradbally goodbye once more.
This year’s festival — the first since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic— was nothing but joyous, as return attendees and first-time festival goers united under the various tents that blocked out the unwanted weather outside.
Sunday morning’s sunshine was welcome, after torrential rain washed through the 600-acre site overnight on Saturday.
Met Éireann issued an orange weather[/url] warning for Co Laois for the night and some were forced to sleep in their cars as tents began buckling after dark.
A washout, indeed, but the weekend was one that no one will forget any time soon.
“The list of highs goes on: Picture This, Terminus, the moving of Mindfield, Mind and Body, Freetown; it’s been extraordinary,” said festival director Melvin Benn.
“I think the only low is that we’ve to pack it all up and wait another year.
“I’m certain that Covid isn’t going to come back and disrupt us again. We’re going to be back next year. It’s so important to be back here.”
From dancing and DJ sets to poetry readings and interesting debates, there was something for everyone at this year’s Electric Picnic.
Day three kicked off early, with the Dublin Gospel Choir opening the Main Stage at 1pm. Even late risers made their way into the arena by lunchtime, as everyone gathered to watch Joanne McNally and Vogue Williams do a live episode of their podcast, Me.
It set the day off on a perfect note, with a stellar lineup taking the stage for the evening.
Among this year’s headliners were closing act The Arctic Monkeys, Picture This, Tame Impala, Megan Thee Stallion, and Dermot Kennedy.
Schedule clashes were common, with many disappointed about the overlap between The Arctic Monkeys and electronic duo Disclosure, who made headlines last week after being announced as a late addition.
Another talking point of the weekend was the State’s first real-time drug testing trial to take place at a festival. The HSE-run initiative proved useful early on, with a warning issued on Friday about a double-strength ecstasy tablet that was in circulation. Another warning was issued before Sunday.
Commenting on the initiative, Mr Benn said that the response on the ground has been positive.
“It’s been really well received,” he said. “We can’t pretend that drugs aren’t part of society and Electric Picnic is part of society. To have some sort of testing is really important and the HSE have come to realise that.”
On Sunday, Both Wild Youth and The Academic - who deservedly graduated from tent to Main Stage this year - gave great performances, as did The Coronas, who were welcomed back to Electric Picnic with open arms. Mary Black even made a surprise performance, delighting fans of all ages.
At the Electric Arena, Lea Heart attracted a crowd in her own right, as did Tiktok sensation Moncrieff and Irish DJs Belters Only. James Vincent McMorrow and London Grammar followed, fighting each other for best vocal performance of the weekend.
CMAT and Griff fans were also out in force, while the tent almost came down around Mimi Webb as she belted out her bestselling single House On Fire.
A fantastic performance from Snow Patrol was a particular highlight. However, no one stood a chance against the weekend’s headliner extraordinaire, The Arctic Monkeys.
It was hard to get a good spot for the closing act, with the crowd gathering early on. The festival stalwarts gave an amazing performance, closing out the festival on a perfect note.
Overall, it was a busy weekend, filled with dancing, laughter, emotion, and plenty of muck. And attendees wouldn’t have had it any other way.
