Kildare comic Jarlath Regan to appear at Electric Picnic
This year’s 20th-anniversary programme promises to be its most ambitious yet
Kildare comic Jarlath Regan is to feature at Electric Picnic this year.
Electric Picnic’s famed "arena of ideas," MindField, is set to celebrate a major milestone this year as it marks two decades at the festival. Since its inception in 2006—when the concept of the "podcast" was still a novelty—the village has become a cornerstone of the festival experience, and this year’s 20th-anniversary programme promises to be its most ambitious yet.
Produced by Schweppe Curtis Nunn, the 2026 edition of MindField will host over 120 events across six distinct stages: Ah, Hear; Leviathan; Manifesto; The Theatre; The Word; and An Puball Gaeilge.
A stellar lineup of guests
The weekend is packed with high-profile appearances. Writer and broadcaster Dawn O’Porter is set to join Miriam O’Callaghan’s Picnic Brunch, while fans can expect a live edition of The Blindboy Podcast.
The weekend also features appearances from comedian Dylan Moran, CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan, and Game of Thrones actor and activist Liam Cunningham. Crime journalist Nicola Tallant will make a welcome return with her Crime World podcast, while athletics legend Ciara Mageean joins comedian Jarlath Regan for an intimate conversation on life, loss, and the power of resilience.
Political discourse and global perspectives
With America’s 250th anniversary taking place earlier this summer, MindField is dedicating much of the weekend to dissecting the US, its politics, and its future. The Leviathan stage will host a series of deep-dive discussions, including ‘Divorcing the Superpower: The US, Europe and the Next 250 Years’ and ‘Move Fast and Break the State: The Politics of Populism and the Broligarchy,’ both hosted by Andrew Maxwell and featuring a panel of experts including CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan and economist Eric Lonergan.
Europe also takes centre stage, with ambassadors from Ukraine and Moldova joining MEP Barry Andrews and journalist Shona Murray to discuss EU accession. Amnesty International will also host its ‘Republic of Conscience’ hour.
Music, writing, and the arts
Beyond politics, music acts as a heartbeat for the programme. Happy Mondays legend Rowetta will sit down with Tom Dunne, while legal podcast The Fifth Court will put the Beatles on trial, treating the iconic band as the most litigated group in history.
Culture buffs can explore the history of Irish clubbing through photographer Brendan Duffy’s massive 15,000-image archive, ‘The Only Camera in the Room,’ while The Theatre will feature performances from the Irish National Opera and the CoisCéim Dance Theatre. Sunday will be a highlight for literature lovers, featuring a rare in-conversation event with Dylan Moran and a session with Dawn O’Porter discussing her work, Feeding the Hunger, alongside Sinéad Gleeson.
The Podcast Stage
Reflecting the evolution of the festival, the ‘Ah, Hear’ stage is now fully dedicated to the medium of podcasting, featuring favorites such as The Irish Times Inside Politics, Mike and Vittorio’s Guide to Parenting, and contributions from Ross O’Carroll-Kelly, Louise McSharry, and Carl Kinsella.
Electric Picnic 2026 takes place at Stradbally Hall, Co. Laois, from Friday, August 28th to Sunday, August 30th. The festival is currently sold out.
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