The earlier Electric Picnic date for 2024 is a temporary one with it set to revert to its traditional slot in 2025, according to festival director Melvin Benn, who was speaking to media this afternoon.
And he said that Electric Picnic is committed to Stradbally “forever” despite conceding that a different location for 2024 was considered if the earlier date didn’t work.
The Festival Republic chief said he had been in negotiations with local farmers in recent days over the earlier date for next year, which he says is to accommodate the schedule of a specific act.
“In fairness I didn’t know it was blinking harvest season,” he laughed when asked about the recent controversy.
The earlier festival date of August 16-18 next year will mean it’s far more likely to clash directly with the grain harvest, something that ensures a busy time for tillage farmers in the Stradbally area.
Since arriving to Ireland this week from his UK base, Mr Benn has been meeting with the most affected farmers in the Stradbally area on almost daily basis.
“Maybe I should (have known) but I didn’t,” he said of the issues with the earlier date.
“I asked Thomas (Cosby) the landowner, and he didn’t bloody tell me and I was like ‘is everything ok to go’ and he was ‘yeah, it’s all fine’.
“They (the farmers) were a bit shocked but they’ve overcome their shock. Yesterday was the only day I didn’t meet them this week. I met them again this morning.
“I’ve given some of them the plan as to how I’m going to overcome it. It’s a good plan, they’ve accepted the plan and I can still get people into the grain store when the festival is on.
“One of the beauties of Stradbally is the grain store is right in the middle of it, it’s right on the main street. It’s challenging for the grain store when the festival is on.
“This time of year is generally at the end of harvest, next year it will be at pretty peak time. But we have overcome the problem. I was meeting with them on Wednesday and Thursday and Friday and again this morning again. I think I’ve got a solution.”
When pressed on what the solution was, he joked that “building the M25 around Stradbally” before saying “it’s not that difficult … we’re taking advantage of tracks and roads that are already there, we can do it.
“I’ve got great commitment from An Garda Siochana. It went from being ‘Jesus Christ, I’m really up against it’ on Wednesday and Thursday to actually now it’s really relaxed.
“One or two of them are going to change their crop rotation from winter barley to spring malting barley. The fields that we’re using will just be in grass.”
“Next year is a one off,” he said in reference to the date, though he did add that the capacity is set to increase by 5,000 to bring it up to 75,000.
“The specific artist that we wanted for the Picnic and their availability is that weekend and we were like, ‘let’s see what it’s like, let’s explore it. Sometimes you explore things that bite you on the arse – and that one did!”
In 2017, the festival organisers announced that the Picnic was committed to the Stradbally site for ten more years. Covid halted two years, leading us to ask where that commitment stands now.
“‘Forever’ ‘Is that enough?,” he replied.
“I did suggest that if I couldn’t hold it the right weekend next year then I might move it.
“But no it’s forever. Stradbally is great. I love the town, the layout of the festival, the make up of the fields is wonderful. We could recreate it in another place but there is no point. This is just beautiful here.
“There’s always discussions. Negotiations – all sorts of things get said and talked about but not really. this is home for me as much as my home in London.
“Trust me, it would have been a big loss to (Stradbally locals). In truth the idea of holding the Picnic somewhere else it doesn’t sit.
“Can it be? Of course it can but there is no point. We have a beautiful home here and great relationships with everyone locally. We’re not moving.”
Is it written in stone then for a specific length of time?
“You can do whatever you want in society (but) I’m not moving, let’s be really clear.
“It doesn’t matter what the bit of paper says, what the length of agreement says, trust me Thomas and I are here forever together.”
SEE ALSO – Check out all our Electric Picnic coverage here
