Two hours, one broken cart and a tent: Welcome to Electric Picnic 2026
Festivalgoers during the Electric Picnic festival at Stradbally in Co Laois. Picture: Evan Treacy/PA Wire
Thousands of people trudged through soft ground on Friday morning, dragging wheelie bins, wheelbarrows, and carts full of camping gear across the Electric Picnic grounds.
Those who arrived at Stradbally in Laois were treated to clear skies and sunshine, which made carrying the overpacked carts and heavy backpacks more bearable — and the realisation then hitting home that you didn’t, in fact, need that foldable table, second chair, or third pair of shoes.
We, the optimists who convinced ourselves we would arrive early enough to find a camping spot on Friday morning, were grateful that we hadn’t made the decision to arrive during Thursday night’s rainfall, remnants of which were evident in the abandoned carts and trolleys, with wheels that had given out on the soft ground.
Early entry ticket holders descended on the site on Thursday, with some putting the fear into the rest of us — using social media to say godforsaken things like: “Yer not going to find a camping spot tomorrow morning, lads, everywhere is FULL”.
Now, they wouldn’t be entirely wrong. More and more people seem to be opting for getting to the site early, setting up and being organised for the three days ahead, and that means that a lot of campsites do fill up on day one.
As we dragged — after the wheels of our cart became locked — our camping equipment, as well as too many outfits than required for a rainy weekend in a field, through the site on Friday morning, it became apparent that popular campsites, such as Samuel Beckett, Andy Warhol, and Jimi Hendrix, had filled up with tents of all shapes and sizes.
Luckily, we were basing ourselves in the guest camping, which is much less crowded, for the weekend.
Unluckily, the guest campsite is located on the opposite side of the site from the entrance gate.
Not much fun dragging a dodgy cart through the site for two hours.
Reaching the campsite was a real moment of joy.
The biggest test of the day had been passed, and we would soon be soaking up the atmosphere of the main arena, or so we thought.
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After a fight with our tent — never, ever pitch your tent for the first time at a festival — and some encouragement from our new neighbours for the weekend, we eventually figured it out, standing back to admire our hard work before exploring the facilities closest to us.
The showers, separate cubicles with hot water and enough space inside to change, were immediately a big hit.
Further afield was the Main Arena, Electric Arena, Trailer Park, Croí, The Hazelwood, Salty Dog, Rankin’s Woods, and Glow Depot, all offering different genres of music and distinct atmospheres.
Festival-goers were making the most of the sunshine on Friday to explore the grounds, with people donning shorts and sunnies before a thunderstorm struck and heavy rainfall saw revellers running for cover.
It was short-lived, thankfully, and the tent was still standing upon our return to the campsite.
People anticipating an impressive line-up of acts on the Main Stage and across the Electric Arena, Rankin’s Wood, and Red Bull X Terminus stages queued at popular food vendors to fuel for a night of music, dancing, and good vibes.
Crowds gathered to see Zara Larsson perform her popular song , with the viral dance matching the energy she brought to the Electric Picnic main stage.
A tough act to follow, but Sombr and Lewis Capaldi had us all reminiscing, embracing each other, and remembering that ex-partner who broke our hearts.
Cork’s Darren Kiely played Rankin’s Wood, as well as Men I Trust, Jpegmafia, and Loyle Carner, while Gurriers, Wunderhorse, Wolf Alice, and Ben Hemsley took to the stage at Electric Arena.
And as if that wasn’t enough, those who wanted more found themselves at the Late Night Arena where DJs played to every taste.
Not me, though.
I was back in my well-pitched tent, if I do say so myself, at a reasonable hour.
We have another two days to see and do everything on offer at Electric Picnic 2026.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
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