Electric Picnic

Electric Picnic began in 2004 as a one-day boutique event for around ten thousand people and now runs across a weekend for a capacity that has risen past seventy thousand, on the grounds of Stradbally Hall in County Laois. Its reputation rests on breadth rather than a single stage: alongside the main-stage headliners are comedy, spoken word, theatre, a literary programme at Mindfield, a science area, food stalls that are taken seriously, and several dance and electronic areas that run late. Capacity increases have been contested locally and by the council on more than one occasion. It is a camping festival - there are no day tickets - so the experience includes several nights in a field, and Irish weather in early autumn means mud is the normal condition rather than the exception. Tickets sell out within hours of release, often before the line-up is announced.

What to look for

• The breadth - music alongside comedy, theatre, literature and science areas.
• Mindfield - the spoken word and literary programme.
• The estate setting - Stradbally Hall's grounds, wooded and rolling.
• The scale - past seventy thousand people over a weekend.

When to go

Late August or early September, over one weekend. Tickets sell out within hours of release, generally months before the line-up is published.

What to expect

Camping only - there are no day tickets, so plan for several nights in a field. Mud is normal. On-site prices are high. Tickets are extremely hard to get and resale is heavily restricted.

Nearby

Stradbally village and its steam museum are alongside; the Rock of Dunamase is west.