This year’s Electric Picnic festival is set to feature a star-studded line-up, boasting names such as Calvin Harris, Noah Kahan, and Kylie Minogue. They will be supported by acts including Raye, Gerry Cinnamon, Peggy Gou, NAS, and many others. Numerous Irish artists, such as Kodaline, Jazzy, Kneecap, The Scratch, Damien Dempsey, and the Wolfe Tones are scheduled to perform as well.
Following a hugely successful performance in 2023, the Wolfe Tones have been invited to return to Electric Picnic and graced the main stage. The decision to have them back was an easy one, according to Festival Director Melvin Benn. He stated it was “impossible” not to invite the Wolfe Tones after their previous unforgettable performance.
Anticipation is also high for Sophie Ellis-Bextor as she will perform the revitalised smash hit ‘Murder on the Dancefloor,’ brought back to life by the film Saltburn. Hannah Laing and Skin on Skin are also slated to join the performance list.
The festival has made exciting eco-friendly plans: their main stage will utilise renewable energy in 2024, making it the first event of its kind in Ireland or the UK to significantly decrease its carbon footprint by installing mains power.
Interestingly, the Wolfe Tones controversially announced the festival line-up, doing so three minutes before the official Electric Picnic page on X, once known as Twitter.
With an array of celebrated acts such as Tom Grennan, The Waterboys, Kojaque, and Jessie Murph to name a few, this year’s festival is certainly not to be missed.
Making their first appearance at the festival are the three headliners; Calvin Harris, Noah Kahan, and Kylie Minogue. Noah Kahan, the globally renowned singer-songwriter who rose to fame with ‘Stick Season,’ will kick off the festivities alongside Gerry Cinnamon, while Saturday sees performances from Harris and Kodaline. Kylie Minogue and Raye will close out the weekend on Sunday.
Kahan, who has dabbled in blending folk, pop, and indie genres, and has also previously worked with Hozier, is also set to perform at Belfast Vital on August 17th this year.
Hailing from Scotland, Calvin Harris is a renowned DJ, songwriter, singer, and record producer, with chart-topping songs such as Feel So Close, Acceptable in the 80s, and The Girls. He has likewise worked in partnership with well-known artists like Florence Welch, Ellie Goulding, Rihanna, Frank Ocean, and Dua Lipa.
On the other hand, the seasoned Australian singer, songwriter and actor Kylie, holds the record for the highest-selling female artist in Australia, with a stunning 80 million records sold worldwide. Some of her most popular songs include Spinning Around, On a Night Like This, Can’t Get You Out of My Head and the recent hit, Padam Padam.
The esteemed Electric Picnic festival, which had expanded its reach to 75,000 attendees, made its anticipated return at the Stradbally estate in Co Laois. In a change from tradition, the festival took place two weeks earlier this year beginning from August 16th through to August 18th. This decision, the organisers revealed, was to meet the touring schedules of the artists.
The 2024 festival had an overwhelming response, with tickets getting sold out within just an hour of release. The previous year, it’s estimated around 70,000 individuals attended.
The 2023 festival saw star-studded performances from headline acts like The Script, The Killers, Billie Eilish, Fred again and Niall Horan, while other memorable performances came from the likes Gavin James, Lyra, The Saw Doctors, Nell Mescal and Cian Ducrot.