Stevie G: End of summer Picnic remains a huge event

The end of summer means the Electric Picnic, and it’s bigger than ever. After a brief sojourn into mid-August last year, the festival is back at its traditional back-to-school slot, and as usual there is something for everyone on the line-up.

The headliners of Hozier, Chappell Roan, Kings of Leon and others probably reflect how mainstream the festival is these days, and it’s very much different to the original ethos of a small boutique festival which launched at the same site in 2004.

EP creator John Reynolds certainly had a different vision, and after he departed from the Electric Picnic himself, he ended up starting up All Together Now, which is probably closer to those earlier Stradbally events, before he sadly passed away a few years ago.

One of the most exciting things about those early Picnics was that the Irish festival circuit was still in its infancy, and the artists coming to Electric Picnic and indeed Oxegen may not have been here before. It was really exciting for me to catch Kraftwerk and Chic and others, who were key to the formation of modern dance and hip-hop, for the first time, alongside the best contemporary artists of the day and many newcomers.

Nile Rodgers and Chic are regular visitors now and will return this weekend, and while for some Electric Picnic regulars like me it might not be as essential as it was in 2009, there’s a whole new generation of music fans who might experience them for the first time, which is pretty cool.

The status of Irish acts in 2025 will be felt with big stage shows for Kneecap, Khakikkid, Inhaler, Jazzy, For Those I Love, Biig Piig and many others, while the numerous small stages will host many of the new wave of great Irish artists. Cork bands and DJs will be there in full effect, and you can catch yours truly at the Schweppes stage in the main arena tomorrow from 2pm-5pm.

Many of my own shows at the Electric Picnic these days have come alongside big brands and this is one of the big differences with the early days of the Electric Picnic. One of the first brands to see the potential in these festivals was Bacardi, and I played the opening set at their arena back in 2005. I say arena but it was little more than a tiny tent and a small bar, and a far cry from the iconic Casa Bacardi arena which became one of the defining areas for EP in the days when it added tens of thousands to its capacity over a few years. I was there for this era as the big brands took over, and now Smirnoff, Heineken, Three, Coca-Cola and many more have huge areas there. For artists such as myself, these gigs are crucially paid ones, because unless you are a huge name, you generally will do very well to break even on Electric Picnic weekend.

Many of us will take a nuanced view of this, and will be happy to be experiencing the festival, but it can be a sore spot too. Artists are so eager to play that they will at times participate without a fee, though generally, I’d imagine most stages pay at least a small fee these days. At times back in the late 2000s, I did a few free shows myself, and I still do the odd show in more socially aware community driven stages these days.

Anyway, let’s park the nostalgia and talk about how huge it is in 2025. Many who went to those early festivals still go, and now their kids’ generation are going too.

There’s no big alternative like Oxegen any more so bar All Together Now, EP is the biggest festival option in Ireland for the parents of those who go to Longitude and other youth orientated festivals. The broad range in ages is fairly remarkable these days, and can be also seen in All Together Now, and it’s generally fairly refreshing too. Many of my generation may moan about how big and commercial it has become, but it’s always worth remembering that Electric Picnic would not have survived the recession years without extra expansion and backing. 

I’m certainly looking forward to it, and will have a full review in next week’s column!