Electric Picnic organisers give update on 2024 Festival

The organisers of Electric Picnic have addressed social media rumours casting doubt on the 2024 festival.

Keyboard worriers have been expressing their worst fears as the long wait goes on to see who will perform this year in the sold out festival in Stradbally, Laois.

That worry was amped up for several reasons.

Tickets went on sale earlier than usual, just before last year's festival, stretching out the wait.

The Cosby Estate has a licence to accommodate up to 950 Ukraine residents in temporary cabins and marquees - near but not on - the site of the festival.

Last year EP headliners including Billie Eilish, Lewis Capaldi and The Killers were announced earlier than usual, in December 2022, followed by the full line-up announcement on April 21 2023. A callout for Trailer Park designers came in March 2023.

And finally the once-off movement of the festival two weeks earlier on August 16 to 18, had raised protest among some farmers that the roads and fields will still be busy with harvests.

The festival is however firmly in a new ten year contract with hosts, the Cosby Family, with MD Melvin Benn declaring last September that Laois is its home "forever".

The Leinster Express contacted the Electric Picnic spoksperson and got the following brief but clear update.

"Of course its going ahead. We released the line up late April last year also."

Meanwhile Electric Picnic's sister Festival, Reading and Leads, also a Festival Republic event next August, has announced a load of acts, headlined by Liam Gallagher, Lana del Rey, Fred Again and Fontaines DC, who have just been given a big boost by Cillian Murphy who has chosen their song as his soundtrack to his new Versace ad.

A planning application submitted to Laois County Council in February, to set up a substation to power the Main Stage by mains green electricity instead of diesel generators, is nearing decision time.