Electric Picnic 2026

Electric Picnic 2026 — What You Need to Know

Electric Picnic is Ireland's biggest music festival and one of the best-organised camping festivals in Europe. It takes place on the grounds of Stradbally Hall in County Laois every August Bank Holiday weekend, drawing around 80,000 people across three days. If you've never been, there's nothing else like it in Ireland. If you go every year, you already know.

This guide covers everything — dates, headliners, the full lineup, tickets, what to pack, and how to make the most of the weekend.

Electric Picnic 2026 — Dates & Location

Dates: Thursday 28 August to Sunday 30 August 2026
Location: Stradbally Hall, Stradbally, County Laois
Capacity: Approximately 80,000 attendees

Stradbally is about 90km from Dublin — roughly an hour's drive, or accessible by dedicated festival bus from Dublin city centre. The site itself is a working estate with rolling fields, woodland areas, and enough space that it never feels as crowded as the numbers suggest.

Electric Picnic 2026 Headliners

The headline slots for 2026 are confirmed as Gorillaz and Fontaines D.C., with CMAT and Sombr also in major billing positions. Fontaines D.C. taking the Sunday night headline slot is a significant moment — a Dublinn band headlining Ireland's biggest festival is the kind of thing people remember.

Other big names confirmed across the weekend include Zara Larsson, Skepta, Wolf Alice, DJO, JADE (formerly of Little Mix), Loyle Carner, Duke Dumont, Ben Hemsley, Wunderhorse, Role Model, Ravyn Lenae, and Violet Grohl — daughter of Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl, making a name entirely her own.

Irish acts on the bill include The Mary Wallopers, The Saw Doctors, Florence Road, Cliffords, Madra Salach, and Gurriers. The homegrown contingent at Electric Picnic is always worth watching — these are often the sets people talk about longest after the weekend.

Stages & Areas

Electric Picnic is more than a music festival. The site spreads across multiple stages and distinct areas, each with its own character. The main stages handle the big headliners, but a lot of the best moments happen elsewhere. The Terminus stage, set just beyond the trees, is where the dance and electronic acts play — it runs late into the night and has its own dedicated crowd. The Salty Dog is a long-running fixture, a replica pirate shipwreck with its own lineup announced separately. The Body & Mind area covers wellness, yoga, and holistic activities during the day.

There are also theatre and comedy stages, a dedicated kids area, art installations throughout the grounds, and food villages with a level of quality that puts most food festivals to shame.

Tickets

Electric Picnic 2026 tickets are now sold out. If you're looking for a returned ticket, the official Ticketmaster resale platform is the only safe place to look — avoid third-party resale sites and social media sellers.

For 2027, tickets are expected to go on sale in early September 2026 based on previous years. They sell out within 24 hours. The best way to make sure you don't miss them is to subscribe to our newsletter below — subscribers get notified the moment tickets drop, and are automatically entered into draws for a chance to win tickets to some of Ireland's top festivals.

Getting There

The easiest option from Dublin is the official festival bus, which runs from various city centre pickup points directly to the site and back. Tickets are sold separately through the festival. If driving, parking passes are required and must be booked in advance — you cannot turn up and park on the day. The nearest train station is Portlaoise, about 15km from Stradbally, with taxis available but limited during peak arrival times.

What to Pack for Electric Picnic

Irish August weather is unpredictable. Electric Picnic has been gloriously sunny and it has been a complete mudbath — sometimes in the same year. Pack for both. The essentials are a good tent, a warm sleeping bag, and waterproof layers you're not afraid to ruin.

The full packing list worth having:

• Tent — a good quality 3-season tent, not a cheap pop-up that won't survive Irish rain. A 3-person festival tent gives you room to store gear inside.
• Sleeping bag — rated to at least 5°C. Nights in Laois in late August can get cold. A 3-season sleeping bag is the right call.
• Waterproof jacket — a proper one, not a pac-a-mac. You'll wear it.
• Wellies or waterproof boots — festival wellies are worth buying if you don't own a pair.
• Portable phone charger — a 20,000mAh power bank will last the full weekend.
• Reusable water bottle — there are water stations on site. A 1-litre insulated bottle keeps water cold through the day.
• Layers — t-shirts for the day, fleece or hoodie for the night. The temperature drop after midnight is real.
• Dry bags or zip-lock bags — for keeping your phone, cash, and a change of clothes dry when it rains.
• Camping mat or roll mat — for under your sleeping bag. Makes a significant difference to how well you sleep.
• Sunscreen and insect repellent — if it's a sunny year, the fields have no shade. DEET-based repellent is recommended for the woodland areas at night.
• Small backpack or bum bag — for carrying essentials around the site without going back to your tent.
• Card and backup card — Electric Picnic is fully cashless. All bars, food vendors, and market stalls require contactless or card payment. Bring a backup card in case of any issues.

What not to bring: glass of any kind (banned on site), drones, your own alcohol into the arena (sealed cans are allowed into camping, not the arena), and anything you'd be devastated to lose or ruin.

Where to Stay If You're Not Camping

If camping isn't for you, Portlaoise is the nearest town with hotel options — book well in advance as it fills up completely for the festival weekend. Dublin is a viable base if you're using the festival bus both ways, though it makes for a long day. Airbnb options in the surrounding Laois/Kilkenny area are worth checking early.

Is Electric Picnic Worth It?

For most people, yes — emphatically. The lineup alone would justify a standard concert ticket several times over. The site, the atmosphere, the food, the variety of things happening at any given moment — Electric Picnic earns its reputation as one of the best festivals in Europe. The logistical faff of camping is real, but it's also part of the experience.

If you're on the fence about going for the first time, go. You can decide next year whether it's for you.