Electric Picnic, Day 1 review: Zara Larsson, Lewis Capaldi, and female urinals among the stars
Zara Larsson during her early-evening set at Electric Picnic on Friday. Picture: Kieran Ryan-Benson
More than 80,000 people have descended on Stradbally in Laois for this year’s Electric Picnic festival, thousands of whom arrived at the site on Thursday to be the first to nab a good spot to pitch their tents.
Thousands more arrived on site throughout the day on Friday, with a mixed bag of weather making for perfect tent-pitching conditions for some, and run-for-cover conditions for others.
With one full day now put down at the festival, there are plenty of take-aways to highlight. Here are some of the biggest talking points from day one at EP 2026.
Swedish singer-songwriter Zara Larsson played the Electric Picnic main stage while the sun set over Stradbally on Friday evening.
The singer, who is known for her upbeat, energetic performances brought an nostalgic and feel-good energy to the main arena, but it was when Larsson brought three young audience-members, sisters Lucy Maye and Fiadh on stage, alongside their cousin Phoebe, during her performance of Lush Life, that the crowd went wild.
Larsson spoke with the girls on stage, spray painting a dolphin on a t-shirt for Fiadh and wishing Lucy Maye a by getting the whole crowd to sing to her – surely a birthday she will not forget for a long time.
They then broke into the chorus of the hit, performing the viral dance and hitting in step, with encouragement from the crowd.
Larsson finished her set with a performance of and , during which many people in the crowd got friends to hold up their legs while they attempted to put themselves in the shape of a dolphin – Larsson’s signature symbol.
Headlining EP on Friday night was everyone’s favourite Scottish singer-songwriter and cheeky chappie, Lewis Capaldi. Capaldi, who recently played Malahide Castle in Dublin and Thomond in Limerick, made his return to Ireland on Friday to headline a packed-out main arena.
Crowds as far back as the ferris wheel gathered to see the Someone You Loved singer, who performed well-known hits that have gotten many of us through breakups and heartache such as and as well as a performance of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s which Capaldi said has always gotten the best response in Ireland.
But it was Capaldi’s real and raw account of his dark days that had people in awe, as he touched on how he was due to play the festival a number of times but couldn’t.
“For those who don’t know, I was supposed to headline a couple of times. Covid was a big thing, and I also because in 2023 I had a complete and utter breakdown. I was severely depressed, it was a dark time for me.”
He went on to say he was now feeling good, and how he is grateful to be able to do the thing he loves most – performing.
“I still have my dark days,” he acknowledged before shouting out to anyone “battling some demons”.
After telling his Irish fans that he won’t be back in the country for quite some time as he has an album to write, the set finished with people belting out the lyrics of one of his most popular songs,
Don’t let social media fool you, with feeds full of people trudging through muddy conditions, thunderstorms, and torrential downpours.
Don’t get me wrong, many festival-goers with early entry to the Stradbally site on Thursday were met with the task of pitching their tents in the rain – no easy feat – but those of us who arrived on Friday were treated to clear skies and sunshine, as well as the odd puddle and soft ground from the previous day.
The sun stayed out until late-afternoon, with people donning their shorts and sunnies, before a thunderstorm struck and people ran to tents for cover. But it was short-lived, and people reemerged, this time with jackets and ponchos at the ready, just in case.
But the evening remained dry, and festival-goers were even treated to a beautiful sunset before night fell and a full moon (called the Sturgeon Moon, apparently), lit the paths back to the campsites after a day of great music.
Game-changing female urinals have made their debut at Stradbally this weekend. The ‘squat and go’ facilities are designed to be three times faster to use than conventional portable toilets.
The individual units provide coverage from the waist down and their open-air, touch-free design means people don’t need to touch doors, locks or toilet seats.
They appeal for those who don’t want to queue for an unnecessary amount of time to use a portaloo.
Another handy addition in the main arena is the Boots pop-up store, a saving grace for anyone who has forgotten the simple things while in a last-minute tizzy packing the big bits like the camping chairs and suitable footwear.
The crowds that gathered to see the Manhattan man proved his popularity among Irish fans. He brought an infectious energy to the stage at Stradbally, not only delivering impressive vocals but interacting with the crowd and having fun – so much so, that his microphone was cut at the end of his set before he reluctantly left the stage.
He performed popular songs such as and but a special moment came when The Cranberries guitarist Noel Hogan joined the American singer-songwriter on the stage for a performance of
Toward the end of the set, Sombr invited his band members to join him in ‘splitting the G’ of a Guinness pint, with those who didn’t manage to hit the mark having to chug the pint.
In what appeared to be an ‘I’ve made it’ moment, the singer hunkered on the front of the stage looking out into the cheering crowd before acknowledging how much the response to his set meant to him.
