Electric Picnic…My Top 10 Highlights

I think it is fair to say that Electric Picnic is my favourite weekend of the summer! It is sad when it arrives as it means summer is over but it is one hell of a way to say goodbye for another year. The music & arts festival did not disappoint this year – here are my top ten highlights…

The People

One of the best parts of the festival every year are the people you bump into – friends you haven’t seen since the same time last year and of course all the new friends you make like the two lovely girls who lived opposite us for the weekend and even cooked us breakfast on Sunday morning – thanks Mel & Michelle 🙂

LCD Soundsystem

Musical highlight for me – James Murphy’s LCD Soundsystem. We have seen him say goodbye to us on Shut up and Play the Hits, but he is back and if you didn’t get emotional for All My Friends, well, you are dead inside.

Special mention also goes to Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Lindsey Stirling, Catfish & the Bottlemen and Jenny Greene with The RTE Concert Orchestra.

Trailer Park

This area just gets better a better every year, from Donald Trump’s redneck republican headquarters to Christmas time in Narnia (My Lovely Ranch gets it’s own mention below). The imagination, humour and all out craziness that goes into this area made it one of the most popular places to be for the weekend.

The Art

There is art everywhere, fabulous installations as you walk through the forest and Body & Soul. Spray painting on cling film, ugly portraits and even an art class from the wonderful Don Conroy, once you hear his voice you are 11 all over again.

The Food 

Wittiest stand had to be Piggie Smalls – unfortunately I don’t like hot dogs but they deserve a hats off for the cleverly named Amy Swinehouse and Chilli Con Kanye. Closer to home, my best dish was a red thai curry from Wok & Roll.

The PodPads

Second time to stay here and I will be back, the showers, the cleaner than average loos, the off the ground bed and the lovely staff making you free tea and coffee in the morning – just look at how cute they are too.

The Fire Area in Body & Soul

Sitting chatting by the fire in Body & Soul, another EP essential box ticked this year, even if Ken did tell me I looked a bit like a gypsy fortune teller sitting there!

My Lovely Ranch

This place came into it’s own this year. Great cocktails and a super cute donkey made it a lovely place to be but on Sunday the Father Ted day was just the craic. My lovely girls competition was gas, compared by Fr Damo & Mrs Doyle and the prize presented by the original lovely girl Dawn Bradfield to a very worthy winner. The rubbish song for Europe was hilarious and I hope Steak & Spuds won, unfortunately we had to leave before the winner was announced.

Blind Wine Tasting in Mindfield

We took part in this compliments of The Wine Buff and Food & Wine Magazine. Not sure how accurate our guesses at the wine were but good fun and a nice mellow start to Saturday mayhem.

Mindfulness area in the forest

I have no idea what it was called but we stumbled across this area on Sunday afternoon. Free tea, coffee and rice krispie cakes, in return all they ask is that you are kind to someone that day. Lovely addition to the place was a tree where you write the name of a loved one suffering from mental health problems, not sure if does any good but can’t hurt and it looks really pretty too.

So overall a fantastic weekend, there was no hurricane but there was lots and lots of rain. It didn’t stop us dancing though and it even gave us a few rainbows…

See you in Stradbally in 2017 and as always keep flying your kite…

Kx