Wolfe Tones, Kylie, camping spots... 10 talking points from Electric Picnic 2024
The Wolfe Tones drew a huge crowd to the Electric Picnic main stage on Sunday evening. Picture: Electric Picnic PR
Some campers at Electric Picnic who thought they were nice and early were stunned on Friday to find many of the best tenting spots already occupied. Overflow areas were also opened up earlier than scheduled on Friday.
There were the smug groups that had managed to secure the spots needed for themselves and their friends on Thursday evening. Then the people who landed to the site early on Friday scrambled for space.
While more early bird tickets many have been sold, festival director Melvin Benn also said the Friday morning arrivals were also a sign the traffic plan was working.
“The Garda traffic plan really worked,” said Benn. “We changed quite a lot of the way we brought people in. And I think that just meant people got in earlier, and that meant we had to go into the [next] campsite area.” Cue an even earlier start next year for attendees.
From the second he arrived at his headline slot in a green-themed outfit on Friday night, you could tell Noah Kahan was here to entertain.
Launching into ‘Dial Drunk’, he wowed from the start - before admitting that he didn't think he deserved to headline and that he wanted to leave the crowd "depressed and anxious" - taking his inspiration from "Irish singer-songwriters, who are sad as fuck".
But even he seemed surprised by just how much of a reaction he received.
He paid tribute to the Irish crowd that lifted him during his last gig here, two days after he missed out on a Grammy.
You're very welcome, Mr Kahan. Come back any time you want.
In recent years, some of the Electric Picnic's grumpier critics on social media claimed the festival was “out of touch” for allowing a DJ to headline. Much like Fred Again last year, Calvin Harris’s headline performance will have shut them up.
The sheer size of the Scottish spinmaster’s back catalogue meant that he had the crowd absolutely bouncing late into the Stradbally night sky on Saturday after a two-hour set.
As part of EP’s sustainability initiatives, the Deposit Return Scheme was introduced to various parts of the festival site.
There were four reverse vending machines in the main arena which would spit out vouchers, but things were even more visible in the campsites – particularly within groups.
Any donations outside of the main arena were going to the benefit of six national children’s charities.
Fans were also given free recycling bags at points on their journey in to the camps to help out.
Often, the Monday morning clean up will see crushed cans and bottles discarded, but hopefully the pile was a bit smaller this year.
We tip our hats to the curators of the main stage on Saturday. Kicking things off with the highest selling Irish artist of 2023 in the form of Chasing Abbey, it flowed nicely into the magnificent Somebody’s Child, whose belting performance of 'I Need You' was a particular highlight. An utterly epic hour and a half followed.
First, you had The Mary Wallopers making their return on main, with the crowd left almost disappointed by their departure after 45 minutes of just pure fun (even though one member of the band was 10 minutes late!) I say almost disappointed, because they were followed by arguably one of the best live acts Ireland has ever produced: The Saw Doctors. Want proof? Try find a video or overhead shot of the crowd on social media of the choruses of either 'N17' or 'I Useta Lover'.
Just a perfect Saturday afternoon - with Kodaline rounding out the Irish involvement on main stage a couple of hours later.
We had the past and present on main stage but there’s only one answer as to who is the future. Regardless of whether or not they get the nod for an Academy Award nomination, you get the feeling the red carpet will be rolled out for Kneecap if their meteoric rise continues at the rate it’s going.
While the Belfast rap trio didn’t quite hit the crowd mark in the same stage as the Wolfe Tones's iconic performance last year on , being in the crowd as thousands of people belted out ‘C.E.A.R.T.A’ and ‘Get Your Brits Out’ like they had been taught it in school was quite an experience.
There was a powerful moment as images were projected on the screen demanding the "US Military out of Ireland" for their complicity in Israel's invasion of Palestine via Shannon Airport.
If DJ Próvaí, Móglaí Bap and Mo Chara do come back to Electric Picnic, there is no argument: they have to be on the main stage. They will more than have earned it.
Across all the major campsites, you would struggle to go more than 100 yards or so without seeing some representation for Palestine.
Keffiyahs, watermelon badges and shirts or just the flag outside a tent, the support shown for the invaded nation was heartening to see.
The Mary Wallopers repeated ‘Free Palestine’ throughout their set, as did the aforementioned Kneecap.
Flags were also easily spotted amongst the crowd around the main stage for both Kodaline and Calvin Harris’s performances.
If you had said this time last year that there would be hundreds of people avidly awaiting the arrival of a group of schoolchildren from Cork to a stage at Electric Picnic, you would have caught a fair few strange looks.
But such has been the rise of the Kabin Crew (ably assisted by the Lisdoonvarna Crew), that’s precisely what happened on Saturday afternoon.
The hundreds in the crowd at the Today FM Soundgarden were left full of energy - and they'll tell you all about it. Pure daycent.
After being the main talking point of last year’s festival for the crowd they drew to the secondary arena, it was no surprise the folk veterans were bumped up to the main stage for their set on Sunday evening. And again they proved to be Electric Picnic’s biggest draw. As well as the usual singalong, there were extra-loud cheers when they brought Olympic double-gold medallist Kellie Harrington out on stage. Brian Warfield and co have announced this is their final year of gigging, with a number of shows at 3Arena in October finally closing the account. What a way to bow out.
Kylie Minogue was the big attraction whose schedule may even have prompted the festival’s temporary move to mid-August. However, opinion was mixed as to whether she lived up to her top billing. The set didn’t quite take off until the very end, and by late on Sunday night a strangely subdued crowd may have been feeling the effects of a very long weekend.
She was decent overall, but just didn't hit the heights we expected. For many, the main-stage star of Sunday night was Raye, who had earlier put on a crowd-winning performance, aided by the Dublin Gospel Choir.
- The first batch of tickets for Electric Picnic 2025 go on sale on Wednesday, August 21
