Electric Picnic issue statement on plans for this year’s festival

Electric Picnic have issued a statement on plans for this year’s festival after reports in the media this morning said it “will go ahead unless told otherwise by the Government.”

An article in the Irish Times quoted an interviewee as saying: “given the conditions we are looking at in terms of vaccines, you would not be fully insane to say that it should go ahead. The only thing that will stop it going ahead as far as I can is what could be perceived as an overtly cautious approach by the Government.”

However, Electric Picnic has now issued a statement which says that the person was speaking on Melvin Benn (MD of Festival Republic)’s behalf. It reads: ‘An article has appeared in the Irish Times this morning that makes statements on Melvin Benn’s behalf and appears as one of the event organisers is speaking on behalf of the Electric Picnic.

‘The person being interviewed is not one of the organisers and his points are his points and we have asked for the article to be taken down. The Electric Picnic team remain hopeful that the vaccination roll out will be complete in sufficient time to allow the festival to go ahead obviously but remain in Government hands for that.’

Electric Picnic takes place annually at Stradbally in Co. Laois during the first weekend of September but it was cancelled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Acts that were scheduled to appear include Rage Against the Machine, Snow Patrol, Chemical Brothers and Lewis Capaldi.

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