Epic weekend at Electric Picnic 2015
This past weekend I was lucky enough to attend Ireland’s biggest music festival, Electric Picnic.
To say I was excited about the weekend is an understatement. I finally got my hands on a ticket a few weeks ago even though they’ve been sold out for months. So I was unbelievably excited!
Electric Picnic is the THIRD music festival I’ve been to since moving here. I went to Body & Soul 2015 in June for the weekend and Longitude Festival 2015 for a day in July and had an amazing time at both. So, I knew this weekend was going to be just as epic.
In the weeks, even months, leading up to Electric Picnic 2015, it quickly became clear to me that it was one of the most highly-anticipated events of the summer for the Irish. People kept telling me that “it’s the best craic” and that “it’s unbelievable.” When I didn’t have tickets, the thought of missing out was too much to bear. Especially because some of my favorite artists were on the lineup (Sam Smith, CHVRCHES, Florence + The Machine, etc). But when I found out I was going, the anticipation and excitement was all too real. Needless to say I had very, very high expectations.
I walked in ready. Ready to experience Ireland’s biggest music festival with 50,000 other people, to see what all the hype was about, to meet new people, make new friends, and see some of my favorite artists who I’ve never seen live. Ready to take it all in – the sights, the sounds, the smells….everything that together makes music festivals such amazing experiences. And Electric Picnic definitely did not disappoint.
It’s the biggest music festival in Ireland. It’s also the biggest music festival I’ve ever been to AND camped out at. So, it was overwhelming for me in the best of ways.
The Good
One of my favorite things about Electric Picnic was the installations/decorations that you can tell took a lot of thought and preparation.
The craft area with workshops throughout the weekend that looked like a make-shift Hobbit town.
There were also a lot of funky stages that set it apart from other festivals. The Body & Soul stage was a miniature version of the amazing Body & Soul Festival that I went to only a few months ago, which was like an enchanted fairy forest. The Salty Dog stage was made out of a huge, wooden boat. Then there was the Trailer Park area which was decorated with a mix of vintage and hillbilly/country American vibes. That was my favorite part of the whole festival.
Another highlight of the festival was that all the performances I saw were amazing. Of course, the people I was really excited to see did not disappoint (Sam Smith has the voice of an angel). But the random acts that I happened to stumble upon, both Irish and not, were what really impressed me. Jurassic 5 was such a fun show, and a girl named Joni that I had never heard of really impressed me.
All the food that I had was frickin delicious. And good thing it was, because it was a bit pricey (but I’ll discuss that later.)
The fun literally did not stop. After the headliners would close out the main stage, other areas would have dance music playing until the wee hours of the morning. The Red Bull Stage, or, as the festival-goers lovingly called it, “The Rave in the Woods,” was THE place to be in late hours.
And one of the best things about the weekend…IT DIDN’T RAIN. Let me repeat that. IT DID NOT RAIN.
The Bad
Despite the many things that made the weekend great, Electric Picnic 2015 still had the same flaws most music festivals have:
- Long queues for security checks (even though people still managed to sneak various things in…)
- Over-priced food and drinks (especially drinks)
- Semi-obnoxious corporate brand areas
- Scheduling conflicts that made me miss some of the performances I wanted to see
- Portable bathrooms that got a little worse as the weekend progressed.
We also managed to pitch our tent next to THE loudest people in the campsite (naturally) who stayed up talking/partying in their tent until 8 in the morning. And I’m veryyyy cranky when I’m sleep deprived.
It. Was. COLD. And I’m not exaggerating. Sleeping in a tent when the temperature dropped was so, so miserable. It felt like no matter how many layers I wore, I would still be shivering as I was (unsuccessfully) trying to fall asleep despite the noise (see above). But I guess that’s the case for all Irish music festivals.
The crowd was really rough on Sunday. Since it was the only day that day passes were available, people who only came for the day were READY to party. The people who had been there all weekend looked like zombies, forcing each sip of beer down with a pained look on their faces. The people who had arrived on Sunday were absolutely wild. They had one day to let loose and they definitely did. But that caused more crowds and a really rough crowd during one of my favorite sets, Florence + The Machine.
Lessons Learned
Basically, I learned a lot over the weekend at Electric Picnic 2015. For example, I learned what you should/should not pack for 3-day camping at an Irish music festival, and that layering is essential. I learned that Sam Smith is, in fact, that most precious human being and that Florence is most likely half-fairy. I learned about some new Irish musicians that I will definitely be listening to more often. And I learned that maybe, just maybe, I’m getting too old for this whole festival thing. But oh well, I’ll be damned. Despite the misery of sleeping on the ground, in a tent, in the freezing cold, next to loud neighbors and being exhausted for 3 days straight, I still had an unbelievable experience.
So thanks for a great weekend, Electric Picnic 2015. There’s no other way I would’ve wanted to spend my weekend other than with 50,000 of my closest friends.
When it comes to Irish music festivals, Electric Picnic is definitely the largest one with the most mainstream acts. With that comes good and bad, but overall my experience was positive, and I would definitely go again!
