While Electric Picnic has music at its core, there's so much else to explore across the weekend, with over 27 stages, realms, areas, and venues that aim to feed both your body and mind.
With an abundance of live theatre, comedy, craft workshops, debate, yoga classes, and even hot tubs, here's RTE Entertainment's guide to several of the unique and immersive activities you can try out across the weekend.
Whether you want to learn, to laugh, to luxuriate, to lap up culture, or to discover the best things for the little ones, we've got you covered...
TO LEARN…
Craft workshops
In the Greenfcrafts area, festival-goers can partake in a series of craft workshops, learning how to make a variety of objects including flower crowns, crystal jewellery, leather purses and belts, pottery, slate frames, soap, and organic body products.
You can also try your hand at blacksmithing, woodwork, thatching, and stained glass.
Walk-in workshops happen all day with prices starting at €5. Each last between 30 minutes and an hour, and this area offers an additional bonus for those looking for a digital detox – it's the only part of the festival that's completely off-grid.
Human Lab
Brand new to MindField this year is Human Lab, presented in partnership with Science Foundation Ireland.
Highlights of this science hub's programme include a hangover clinic led by Dr Lydia Devenney (that aims to inform rather than cure!), a deep-dive into conspiracy theories with Professors Luke O'Neill and Aoife McLysaght, and a citizen think-in on Artificial Intelligence.
Theatre of Food
Theatre of Food promises "a slice of pure foodie heaven", with inspiring talks, tastings, cooking demos, and cocktail workshops throughout the weekend, featuring some of Ireland’s best-loved chefs, food producers, cocktail makers, storytellers, and food & wine writers.
Croí
This area, new to the festival this year, aims to help you take a few moments of zen, to realign your body and energy, through sound practices, igniting breathwork, and grounding cacao.
The area will offer workshops on everything from belly-dancing to womb love to twerking.
On Saturday and Sunday, start your day with Sunrise Clubbers' Special, a sunrise yoga class hosted by Yoga with Maura that aims to restore balance and harmony to your being. All fitness and experience levels are welcome.
Podcasts
Podcast lovers need to hit the Ah Hear! Stage at the Mindfield area, which aims to bring some of Ireland's most popular podcasts together in one place for a series of live recordings.
Many of the country's most popular podcasts will be present, covering everything from economics, politics, sport, mental health, culture, and comedy.
These include: The David McWilliams Podcast; The Blindboy Podcast; Hold My Drink with Charlene and Ellie; Where is My Mind? with Bressie; Stall It with Darren and Joe; Three Castles Burning with Donal Fallon; The Group Chat with Gavan Reilly, Zara King and Richard Chambers of Virgin Media News; Inside Politics from The Irish Times; and Off the Ball.
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TO LAUGH…
Main Comedy Tent
Once again, EP brings a stellar line-up of comedians to their big top comedy tent from 1.30pm on Saturday and Sunday, with Karl Spain the ringmaster and MC of proceedings across the weekend.
Top of the bill is BAFTA Award-winning comedian Aisling Bea. The multi-talented star brings her sharp, straight-shooting style of stand-up to the stage – in the words of The Guardian, it'll be "a ridiculous, furious treat".
Other comedians performing over the weekend are sketch trio Foil Arms and Hog, Russell Kane, Neil Delamere, Gearóid Farrelly, Emma Doran, Tony Cantwell, Sinead Quinlan, Shane Daniel Byrne, and many, many more.
The atmosphere is always electric in this venue, so be sure not to miss out.
Dreamgun Film Reads: Titanic
Film Reads is a parody comedy show where Dreamgun, a gang of comedians and funny people, take a film, make some amendments to the script, and perform them in front of a live audience without doing any rehearsal beforehand. The unpredictable and at times chaotic show has received rave reviews since its debut in 2017, so if you haven't checked it out yet, they'll be tackling Titanic at the Theatre Stage over the weekend.
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TO LUXURIATE…
Beautifying
As the official Premium Beauty Sponsor of Electric Picnic, Boots Ireland will be offering a number of services at its Boots Beauty Box, which is located in the Pink Moon campsite.
Beauty-conscious festival-goers can book in for a complimentary 15-minute makeup application, as well as availing of other beauty services including brows, lashes, full eye looks, tan top-ups, and nail applications.
Staying on the theme of beauty, the Pink Pamper Hair and Beauty Salon opens again this year. It'll be located beside the entrance of the Jimi Hendrix campsite and offers hair and beauty services, as well as hair braiding. A wash and blow dry will set you back between €30 and €40.
For those who prefer the DIY approach, there will be hair straighteners and hairdryers available to rent, with prices starting from €12.50.
Spa Experience
Nestled away from the crowds is the sanctuary of a Nordic spa called Water and Warmth.
This area aims to help you to "relax, reset, and rejuvenate", offering wood-fired hot tubs, a sauna, and cold dunk tanks, leaving you feeling restored and refreshed.
Take it from experience: this is the ultimate Sunday morning pick-me-up and will see you flying for the final day of festivities.
It costs between €150-€180 to use a hot tub for 50 minutes, with up to six people allowed per tub. Saunas can accommodate up to groups of three and they cost €20 per person for 45 minutes. You can book in advance.
The Electric Picnic Lounge
Festival-goers who are looking for a slightly more boujee and relaxing experience might consider treating themselves to a ticket to the Electric Picnic Lounge area.
Located near the Main Stage, this festival sanctuary offers a premium bar, food, and a plethora of hammocks, sofas, and bean bags to help you recharge while you enjoy a cracking view of the Main Stage.
Other little perks that can ease the pain of the Sunday session include free phone charging, flush vacuum toilets, and a complimentary cloakroom.
It aims to mirror the backstage artist area but, of course, this comes at a price - tickets to enter the Lounge start at €85 for a day pass.
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TO LAP UP SOME CULTURE…
Theatre: Waiting for Godot
If you're after something a bit deeper this weekend, France-based theatre group Footsbarn Theatre will stage Beckett's cult tragicomedy Waiting for Godot.
The group tours the world, specialising in theatre for circus big tops, and promises that "between tears and laughter, the company brings out all the humanity, absurdity, and end-of-the-world humour of the play".
Ballet: Minus 16
Ballet is not something you'd normally associate with Electric Picnic and this might be just the ticket if you're looking for something a little bit different.
In Ohad Naharin's Minus 16, Ballet Ireland promises a "ballet performance with a difference", with an eclectic score ranging from Dean Martin to mambo, techno to traditional Israeli music.
The piece is heavily improvised and each performance is renowned for its unpredictability, fun, and the fact that no two shows are ever the same.
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FOR THE LITTLE ONES...
Located in the woods is Little Picnic, devised by the people behind Kaleidoscope, Ireland's family-friendly music and arts festival.
Little Picnic is open to anyone attending Electric Picnic with children. It will be located on the back lawn of Stradbally Estate from 2pm to 7pm on Friday, and from 11am to 7pm on Saturday and Sunday.
There'll be a kids' disco with Will Softly, a laughter yoga session, a pretty cool-sounding bubble show, a tie-dye workshop, and much, much more.
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And finally…
The Lake
Be sure to include a visit to the lake into your festival schedule.
Located in the surroundings of the Stradbally Hall and surrounded by a copse of ancient Oak and Ash trees, the lake has been available to enjoy since the 2016 festival.
It'll be well-signposted from the Jimi Hendrix campsite, with lifeguards on duty all weekend and changing facilities available.
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At time of publishing, many of the timetables for each of the different stages are yet to be announced – so keep an eye on electricpicnic.ie as well as the EP app, for more info across the week.
