Laois farmers say new Electric Picnic dates will cause ‘huge issues’ for harvest season

The Irish Farmers Association are calling for the festival to be rescheduled.

Last month, it was announced that Electric Picnic 2024 would take place over the earlier dates of August 16-18, rather than its usual slot on the first weekend of September. Festival goers speculated that the date change could have something to do with the weather, or to avoid the clash with schools going back.

Tickets for the new dates are already on sale for members of the Electric Picnic Loyalty Scheme, but outside of the festival community the rescheduling has received some backlash.

The Irish Farmers Association have issued a statement calling for EP 2024 to be rescheduled, as the new dates clash with the area’s busy harvest season.

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 statement reads:

“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 of 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”.

According to The Farmers Journal, local farmers have contacted county councillors and Electric Picnic representatives, calling for the event to take place a week later.

Header images via Instagram / Electric Picnic / Getty 

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