'Pure craziness' - Farmers at odds with Electric Picnic over date clash

Farmers have objected to the plan to hold the Electric Picnic in the middle of August 2024 because of the impact on the harvest.

Festival Republic announced in the run-up to the 2023 event that it is planned to hold 20th anniversary of the show in Stradbally from August 16-18 a fortnight earlier than usual.

Stradbally is also a hub for malting barley harvested in the surrounding farms which are intensive tillage lands. Agriland reports that Laios farmers are shocked by the move.

Bobby Miller, who farms in Stradbally, the new date would clash with “prime harvest time”.

Paul Cushe lives in the town and farms locally. He summed up the views of farmers.

“It’s pure craziness, that’s what it is,” Cushen said.

Apart from needing the co-operation of farmers and local people to hold the festival in Laois, Festival Republic rely on farmland in and around the village for parking.

The late 2023 harvest caused by a summer of bad weather could also cause problems. Met Éireann is forecasting a dry and warm weekend in Laois.

The expected weather led to a reply from one farmer to Carlow Weather that at least one road will be out of bounds to picnicers.

If that’s the case I’ll be cutting corn ye may use a different road to get there

— Enda fingleton (@EndaFingleton) August 29, 2023

Over 70,000 are due in Stradbally from September 1-3. Full Agriland story HERE.