This is why Irish farmers are fuming over Electric Picnic

The Irish Farmers’ Association are calling for Electric Picnic organisers to revisit the dates for next year’s festival.

The festival recently announced that next year’s event will take place two weeks earlier than usual, from August 16th – 18th, 2024.

However, IFA County Chair John Fitzpatrick has claimed this will cause “huge problems” for farmers in the Stradbally area of Co. Laois.

In a statement, he said: “The Electric Picnic has become a huge event and much hard work has gone in over the years to retain the support of the local community. This changing of the dates came out of the blue and it is going to cause huge problems for local farmers.

“The dates announced for 2024 – August 16th-18th – are right in the middle of harvest season. To expect that the harvest and the movement of grain can take place with 70,000 people piling into a small rural town is not realistic.

“It’s a time where there will be lots farm machinery on the roads at the busiest time of the year in one of the busiest tillage areas in the country.

“There needs to be serious dialogue to resolve this issue and everything must be on the table,” he added.

The Irish Farmers Association wants Electric Picnic to change its dates for next year because it’s in the middle of the harvest season. pic.twitter.com/2mK4wvRtaz

— Richard Chambers (@newschambers) September 1, 2023

The festival usually takes place on the first weekend of September every year, but organisers want to hold it two weeks early next year to celebrate it’s 20 year anniversary.

The news was confirmed last week as the first batch of tickets went on sale as part of the Electric Picnic Loyalty Scheme, which quickly sold out.

A second round of tickets will go on sale as part of the Early Bird offering after this year’s Electric Picnic from 8th – 30th September.

There will be a final release of tickets on sale from 1st October.

This year’s festival returns to Stradbally in Co. Laois this weekend.

The lineup includes huge acts like The Killers, Billie Eilish, Fred Again, Niall Horan, and The Script.