Electric Picnic, the largest music festival in Ireland, will return later this year for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
Dermot Kennedy, Tame Impala and the Arctic Monkeys will headline the festival in Stradbally in Co Laois in September.
Electric Picnic will be held on 2 - 4 September, with over 70,000 attendees in what is expected to be the biggest year yet for Ireland's largest music and arts festival.
Across the wooded 600-acre site organisers have increased the capacity of the main stage field by reconfiguring the position of the stage in the newly created larger arena. The Jimi Hendrix arena entrance has also doubled in size.
Sharing his excitement on social media, Dublin-born Kennedy said: "It feels surreal to announce that I'll be headlining @EPfestival this year.
"I first played EP 7 years ago, to about 20 people sitting in front of the stage at 2 in the afternoon.
"And I almost didn’t make my set cause they wouldn’t let me into the Artist car park in my old Ford."
It feels surreal to announce that I'll be headlining @EPfestival this year. I first played EP 7 years ago, to about 20 people sitting in front of the stage at 2 in the afternoon. And I almost didn’t make my set cause they wouldn’t let me into the Artist car park in my old Ford. pic.twitter.com/ZISGudpR5H
— Dermot Kennedy (@DermotKennedy) March 10, 2022
He added: "The people working there didn't believe I was actually playing cause I just rocked up with my guitar in the passenger seat!! So you know it’s gonna be special, I’ve waited and waited for my turn, 70,000 people this time. Thank you!"
Other highlights across the weekend include Megan Thee Stallion, Picture This, Snow Patrol, Anne-Marie, Annie Mac and Fontaines D.C.
Other popular stages including MindField, Ah, Hear!, Fish Town and the Salty Dog will return, as well as Hazel Wood where you can immerse yourself in this artistic haven of theatre, spoken word, music, comedy and art.
Speaking about this year's line-up, Festival Director of Electric Picnic, Melvin Benn, "I’m overwhelmed actually.
"I think it’s been a long wait really and obviously during a two year sort of hiatus you lose acts, you gain acts, we are not immune from that but Dermot Kennedy, Tame Impala, and of course Arctic Monkeys, it’s pretty much a dream come through for us really and if you start to add people like Snow Patrol I think you are getting an incredible array and full description of what the Electric Picnic is really.
He added that returning to Stradbally after a two-year break was "enormous".
"Oh gosh it’s actually almost 10 – 12 days short of two years since the lockdown started in 2020 would you believe? And the wait to be back in Stradbally has been enormous, it’s been enormous for me and my team, it’s been enormous for the artists, and of course for the fans, most of whom had kept their tickets and those who are still expectant and hoping to buy tickets, the wait has been too long and you know.
"We live in an incredibly troubled world but we have to remind ourselves that life has to go on, we have to have our diversions - we have to support people that are in need and need our support but we have to have our diversions and our amazing cultural lives that we have and Electric Picnic is at the top of that and so being at Stradbally in September is something that I just can’t wait for to be honest, it’s very special."
Tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday, 11 March, on ticketmaster.ie.
