Electric Picnic 2016 // **Discussion Only / NO Ticket Sales / Requests** //

greg090

Was in warhol and it was grand, went through hendrix a lot, seen some sort if incident on the sunday night, loads of gardai around a tent.

also seen another incident on sunday when a large group of lads(40+) started singing will griggs is on fire, throwing drink all over each other and generally making loads of noise, security was moving in but there was no budging them last I saw.

scruff monkey

chicken foot wrote: »

Walking through Hendrix would depress you. It was an absolute **** hole and I wouldnt strike a conversation with most who I saw in there whereas in PM I would have random conversations with people in the Charging Tent, at the hair cubicles etc. There was also a lot of exchanging of pleasantries and smiles as you passed each other going to and from your tent..

(sorry)

Canneverfindit

ghostdancer wrote: »

it's smaller, but there was lots more free, open space than in Pink Moon.

e: or do you mean numbers of people? there were definitely far fewer people in Eco than in PM.

Ghostdancer, where abouts is Eco? and do you have to be quick to book? (please)

Lemsiper

Basically, Hendrix shouldn't be thrown in with the other sites.

MJohnston

Canneverfindit wrote: »

Yeah, last year was my husbands first EP (not mine) and it really put him off wanting to go again (stayed in Wilde). Convinced him to come this year and stayed in Chaplin - he absolutely loved it so yes - I think the campsites can screw your perception.

Was Warhol bad?
I've always been under the impression that Warhol, Chaplin and Joplin are grand.

To never, ever, ever venture near Hendrix and that Wilde is a **** hole....

Found it hard to tell where Warhol ended and Hendrix began to be honest. Hendrix definitely seemed worse with the fairground mess right in the campsite, but Warhol looked plenty horrible too. Again, lots of really messed up kids staggering about. Saw a very drunk fellow on the Saturday evening wearing shorts, sandals, and a t-shirt, absolutely soaked, legs and feet covered in muck and scratches. Would be really surprised if he doesn't get some kind of infection. The level of littering in Warhol was disgraceful too, real shame as I've always felt one of the tenets of EP has been its environmental positivity.

Anyway, on a separate note - recommendation for campers if you're going in a group next year. Buy one of these, pitch it up in the middle of your group, and buy one of these, fill it with tap water, stick it in the sunlight, and then you'll have a fantastic way to shower after a few hours! Got one of them for our campervan (which is even better cos we could boil hot water), and genuinely nothing aids the morning recovery like feeling clean from a shower!

MJohnston

Canneverfindit wrote: »

Ghostdancer, where abouts is Eco? and do you have to be quick to book? (please)

It was right beside Chaplin and the main entrance.

Mince Pie

We were camped in Chaplin opposite the Eco site and would go for that over paying extortionate prices for Pink Moon which is essentially pre erected tents for your money.
The toilets in Chaplin were perfect all weekend and never had to queue. My only issue this year was the sound from Rave in the Woods and our noisy chatty neighbours. Oh and the idiots shouting Alan and Steve all weekend. But that's geography and can be changed by moving further back.
To be honest the above gripes could be solved by getting a caravan or camper and some ear plugs.
The eco site was pristine when we were leaving Monday morning. There's more to general camping than Wilde or Hendrix. '

Still not sure if I'm going next year though. Mud at festivals has killed my enthusiasm this year and seriously considering Primavera instead.


Edited to add, just seen this on FB. Lol
http://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2016/09/06/decontamination-team-should-have-stradbally-back-to-normal-by-october/?utm_source=WWN_Facebook_Page&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=Social_Link&utm_content=Article

Pickpocket

chicken foot wrote: »

I wouldnt strike a conversation with most who I saw in there

I know that the Hendrix is pretty wild but you're essentially saying that there are literally thousands of people you wouldn't want to speak to at a music festival.

With that attitude you're better off being tucked away in the corner of the site. Or better yet, just stay at home.

greg090

MJohnston wrote: »

As many of us have said, this is really the first year that having kids out later has been a 'problem'. People are always taking lots of drugs and drinking too much (the latter being a far more annoying situation for everyone else around them imo), for me the difference this year is there were a significant amount more people in a too far gone state, and they were significantly younger and unable to deal with it as much.

Also, possibly the drug of choice has changed to something far less craic than in the past.

lots of people asking for ket at the festival..

rave in the woods saturday and sunday was ridiculous, every second person asking for pills.

ghostdancer

Canneverfindit wrote: »

Ghostdancer, where abouts is Eco? and do you have to be quick to book? (please)

to the left of the walkway just after the main entrance, on the opposite side of the trees surrounding Wilde.
it was fully booked out in about 20mins this year I think. think I read that it was 40mins last year? they said in advance the time/date when registrations would be open and we had all our 5 different groups booked in during the time it was open.

e: to add, they also came around with clipboards and took our names and email addresses so that we'd have priority next year. I believe the people who stayed in 2015 also had priority this year as the people before and after us said they booked via email, rather than the website like us. I presume this is why all the places went quicker this year, despite having more spots.

Canneverfindit

Mince Pie wrote: »

We were camped in Chaplin opposite the Eco site and would go for that over paying extortionate prices for Pink Moon which is essentially pre erected tents for your money.
The toilets in Chaplin were perfect all weekend and never had to queue. My only issue this year was the sound from Rave in the Woods and our noisy chatty neighbours. Oh and the idiots shouting Alan and Steve all weekend. But that's geography and can be changed by moving further back.
To be honest the above gripes could be solved by getting a caravan or camper and some ear plugs.
The eco site was pristine when we were leaving Monday morning. There's more to general camping than Wilde or Hendrix. '

Still not sure if I'm going next year though. Mud at festivals has killed my enthusiasm this year and seriously considering Primavera instead.

Am so dozy, stayed in Chaplin and never spotted ECO. Good to know - thanks.

On the Alan and Steve (f**king hate it!) I think I may have unintentionally started that sh1t on one occasion. Cos I shouted 'ALAN' really loudly. But only cos my husband's name is Alan and he was walking towards the loos - heading in for a breakfast roll and I wanted him to get me a coffee too.... <blush>
Was raging with myself.

Lemsiper

greg090 wrote: »

lots of people asking for ket at the festival..

rave in the woods saturday and sunday was ridiculous, every second person asking for pills.

Ket is pretty much a festival essential these days.

Canneverfindit

ghostdancer wrote: »

to the left of the main entrance walkway, on the opposite side of the forest from Wilde.
it was fully booked out in about 20mins this year I think. think I read that it was 40mins last year? they said in advance the time/date when registrations would be open and we had all our 5 different groups booked in during the time it was open.

Ok. This is good to know - I'll keep an eye out and a finger on the button for this. Thank you.

Mince Pie

Canneverfindit wrote: »

Am so dozy, stayed in Chaplin and never spotted ECO. Good to know - thanks.

On the Alan and Steve (f**king hate it!) I think I may have unintentionally started that sh1t on one occasion. Cos I shouted 'ALAN' really loudly. But only cos my husband's name is Alan and he was walking towards the loos - heading in for a breakfast roll and I wanted him to get me a coffee too.... <blush>
Was raging with myself.

Nope deffo wasnt you. It was a bunch of lads shouting it at 5am ad nauseum. Alan Alan Alan Alan Alan Alan Steve Steve Alan.

Missed loads this year due to lack of sleep.

MJohnston

greg090 wrote: »

lots of people asking for ket at the festival..

rave in the woods saturday and sunday was ridiculous, every second person asking for pills.

See these kids should take the opportunity to try something different than the same thing they're ingesting every weekend at wherever the kids go! Something nice, friendly, trippy and personal.

Canneverfindit

Mince Pie wrote: »

Nope deffo wasnt you. It was a bunch of lads shouting it at 5am ad nauseum. Alan Alan Alan Alan Alan Alan Steve Steve Alan.

Missed loads this year due to lack of sleep.

****ers.

Mince Pie

Canneverfindit wrote: »

****ers.

Yup.

p.s Lol at username and not noticing Eco site.

kg703

This was my first time 'fancy camping' at Pink Moon and I will never ever go back to staying in a regular campsite. Overpriced - yes but I will 100% pay it again for the peace, lack of queues coming in (was there before 12pm Friday so no issues) for the fact that it was kept clean, the handy charging station (wont ever bother buying that 3 portable charger again - was never able to swap it for a full one as they only distributed about 20 every hour and the queues were ridiculous) the cafe in the morning for a sausage roll (queues for the coffee were mad but you could get it at the food station aswell which was about a third of the size!) The space in between tents and the older crowd who pay to stay there

2 friends of mine stayed in Oscar Wilde and we went over to have a couple of drinks..... oh the horror. An absolute mess, tents literally on top of each other which = drunk people falling over pegs etc. Half naked youngfellas and jungwans shouting and running around all over the place, smells of bodily fluids lingering in the air..... going back to PM was like a dream.

I dont quite think you get that at 'regular camping at European festivals' I was at a festival recently in Germany and while I would go so far to say the campers seem far more respectful - we were treated to a mud fest, packed campsites and queues for the toilets every time you wanted to go.

I didnt have to queue for a toilet once!!!! That was one of the best things about the weekend, if it's overcrowded to some people now, you should see some of the other festivals/day festivals. Anyone who like me had the misfortune of going to Slane last year may remember 30 min queues for the toilets, 40 min queues for food and not being allowed to carry water with you. I was soaked, dehydrated and spent half the whole gig queuing for the toilets. It was a shambles. I think the longest I queued for food was about 5 - 8 minutes and only because I wanted to eat somewhere that had a queue. I thought I was shortchanged once though and the amount of alcohol being given out was very questionable but I switched to my own drinks on Saturday which was better.

Found the peeps on the happier drugs were just dancing and smiling, the less happier drugs and alcohol are always going to give a bit of trouble no matter where you go (although we are fond of the 'go hard or go home' mindset in this country)


Overall had an amazing experience, the size of the place is enormous, so much to see and reading other peoples reviews I'm thinking 'Oh I missed that' but it was such a great weekend, I'm glad it all went the way it did. Was btching about line up beforehand and seen so many small brilliant performances that the main line up didnt even matter that much (but it was also amazing!) Rain sucks but hey....

Bar having the 2 day fear. Was genuinely contemplating not hitting my brakes on the m50 this morning. Clocks are going backwards. I'm still sweating and cant look directly into sunlight.

Lester Freamon

This was my 9th Picnic this year and yes the festival has changed so much since my first one in 2005 but it still doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it.
Saying that I have not camped now for the last 2 years so I did not see one campsite as we walked in and out of the paintball entrance everyday. The crowd around the Salty Dog having a few cans every afternoon were all sound out and we often saw the same faces. I am guessing many were like us (non-campers) and instead of sitting around their tent all day, they hung out there. It was great for random chats, etc.

Things that annoyed me:
- While there were loads of 16 - 20 year old's I didn't see any totally out of their minds myself. However, my biggest annoyance now of EP is the way the younger folk think it is acceptable just to barge through the crowds to try and get up towards the front or meet their friends. Kids will be kids I suppose and alot of them don't have the confidence to leave the groups they travelled in but it doesn't excuse this bull****. I find it even more annoying as the majority are not so called knackers but often little rich kids with arms linked. I had to stop myself elbowing some of them at Jenny Green and the Chemical Brothers.
- Friday seemed PACKED! Strangely I thought Saturday and Sunday weren't as bad
- I had no reason to go up near the fun fair area or Electric Ireland tent but agree with people the FR should try and cool the music from food vans, etc. People should use the entrance by Salty Dog - if i needed to go Body and Soul then I went in across from the Little Big Tent.
- The rain but what can you do!

Why I will probably go back next year:
- The early bird ticket is unreal value so will defo buy a ticket and then see but I know I will most probably go
- 55,000 people so you will always get dicks but I found the vast majority of people are bang on down there. Myself and my wife got chatting to some lads about 18 year and had good craic. They were good kids into their music. For every dick there are often 2 sounds lads in the world.
- Even when the line up is supposedly poor, I love finding new bands both on spotify and just wondering around down there. Most of the gigs I've enjoyed most down there have not been on the main stage. I still find EP really good for those tent gigs and good value for the early bird price. Until that changes, I will still go.
- The Comedy and Mindfield areas are always great and a millions miles from the fairground/Hendrix vibe that seem to stick in many people's heads.
- I live 30 minutes away so a gang of us chip in for a taxi in and out for 3 days. This way I can party well into the small hours, get home for 8-9 hours good sleep and still be back at EP having a cold can for 3pm the next day. If I had to camp, I'd probably only do Pink Moon. Long gone are the days that the Hendrix was a grand spot.

My highlights:
- Jenny Green and RTE, The Chemical Brother's, Closing band in Trailer Park on Friday, Lemaitre, Jack Garret, King Kong, LCD, Attention Bebe, Savages, Wolf Alice, New Order and just plenty of random moments over the weekend in Salty Dog, Mindfield and Body and Soul.

In Summary:
As I said, yes it isn't the completely laid back vibe of yesteryear but for me it is still a weekend I massively look forward to. It is not that hard to keep away from the things that are annoying for the most part.

chicken foot

scruff monkey wrote: »

(sorry)

Yeah, I agree!! Look, im sure not everyone in Hendrix decided to piss and **** all over their own doorstep, knock down tents on purpose, scream and shout all night and hop cans off each other for fun but for those that do, that alone is the reason I wont go there.

I have nothing in common with people like that, they're just as unlikely to start chatting to me as I to them but if you want to perceive it as snobbiness on my side, then yeah, work away.

Im 35, ive two kids and all the other crap that comes with being an "adult", this was a weekend away for us to enjoy, i really dont want to spend it wondering if my tent will still be standing when i get back from the main arena.

The point of my post was to give an opinion on PM. This was our first time and it was other peoples opinions and stories of Hendrix from previous years that was a deciding factor in us going to PM.

EP was always presented as a "chilled out" event, one of the main reasons we went. That feeling is not evident everywhere unfortunately.

Im actually fairly sound really

IamMetaldave

The group I was with were all seasoned festival goers and I have to say with the exception of a few of the knackers in Hendrix it was great fun (although somewhat of a warzone), it never stopped! Always music or laughter to be heard and for me that's what I was there for. Fun and music. Each to their own as always

Thundercats Ho

ghostdancer wrote: »

I didn't compare it to Hendrix though, I compared it with the Eco campsite, which had security, space and cleanliness and cost nothing. lots of nice people too, loads of families and people conscientious enough to be clean and tidy and recycle their rubbish in the correct bins provided.

How long did it take for the Eco places to be snapped up when they needed to be booked online? Was it something silly like an hour this year?

I've done the camperans for the last 6-7 years, but honestly the walk takes it's toll, especially if you're nipping back a few times for tins.
We were lucky, as my sister had a camper, so we didn't have rental cost, but it still needed to have gas (for the fridge), camper ticket obv, and other bits and pieces that go along with being in a camper. Naturally you'd give her a few quid for the camper too.

In my case at least, the monetary difference between the 2 (camper & podpad) was minimal. It cost us (I think) €113 each for a 6 person bellepad, and between one thing and another, the campervan setup was approx 40-50 quid each.
€25 a day on top of what i paid last year to have good clean toilets, showers, hair dryers etc for the women, and free tea, coffee and biscuits too. Not to mention the handiness of being a few mins walk back to your tent.

I know you were comparing PM to eco camping, in terms of value, rather than the campervan area, but if people want a bit of comfort, be close to the main arena, and don't mind paying a few quid extra, then i don't see the harm.

I may sound like a PM (well podpads) cheerleader, but we had two 6 man bellepads and everyone was of the same opinion as me. We'll certainly be back next year.

Seathrun66

I was tempted by Pink Moon this year (normally camp in Warhol) but instead opted for a B&B in Athy with pals. Basic but friendly place with a nice breakfast, 40 per head for four of us in two rooms. Got taxis there and back daily for 20 each way (thus 5 each and 30 in total). Thus it cost us 170 each and that included breakfast so you could reasonably subtract 30 from that total adding up to 140 for the weekend.

Not for everyone (and it's quite possibly cheating) but it's an option used by a fair few people staying in Athy, Portlaoise, Durrow, Abbeyleix & Stradbally itself. I didn't see the campsites for the entire weekend (to me Hendrix & Wilde have never been good (even in the quiet years), Warhol has been fine and if camping next year I'll likely be in Joplin despite the walk) and thus missed much of the more difficult behaviour from people. Which I'm grateful far.

Overall I'd say I prefer camping, but the cooked breakfasts, en suite showers, toilet & soft bed were a nice change this year.

Canneverfindit

Seathrun66 wrote: »

I was tempted by Pink Moon this year (normally camp in Warhol) but instead opted for a B&B in Athy with pals. Basic but friendly place with a nice breakfast, 40 per head for four of us in two rooms. Got taxis there and back daily for 20 each way (thus 5 each and 30 in total). Thus it cost us 170 each and that included breakfast so you could reasonably subtract 30 from that total adding up to 140 for the weekend.

Not for everyone (and it's quite possibly cheating) but it's an option used by a fair few people staying in Athy, Portlaoise, Durrow, Abbeyleix & Stradbally itself. I didn't see the campsites for the entire weekend (to me Hendrix & Wilde have never been good, Warhol has been fine and if camping next year I'll likely be in Joplin despite the walk) and thus missed much of the more difficult behaviour from people. Which I'm grateful far.

Overall I'd say I prefer camping, but the cooked breakfasts, en suite showers, toilet & soft bed were a nice change this year.

You see I did this in 2014 - stayed in an AirBnB a couple of miles away. I totally agree on how nice it is to have a bed, a shower etc but I really think you miss out on so much of the atmosphere that comes with camping/ staying 'in house'. I love the 1st can after setting up camp, love the chat and craic at the site, love that you can nip back and forth as much as you like. Its a pain in the arse trying to get a taxi out - wasnt unusual for us to wait over an hour in 2014..

MJohnston

Big part of EP for me is the complete disconnection from reality. That's why I could never stay off-site, no matter how appealing a nice comfy bed sounds sometimes!

Seathrun66

scruff monkey wrote: »

MJohnston wrote: »

The more I think about it, the more I wonder if the Hendrix/Warhol campsites (and the Sunday crowd plus the Sunday weather) just messed with my perception of the EP crowd as a whole. I don't think it was a *bad* crowd this year, I just think it was enough to put off a lot of the older attendees, and the families, which will make things even worse next year.

Think I said it earlier, I thought the crowd was less rough/aggressive than last year and the year before esp around the main stage, plenty of people (esp kiddies) completely borked out of it but less aggressive.

Fully agree. Saw no trouble, and heard of none from pals. Some inconsiderate pushing past people & the odd confused teenager approaching us who was out of it but zero aggression.

I've seen it be a lot rougher in the past, particularly 2010 when there was a crime spike (Gardai on site said they believed there were a large number of gatecrashers). Friends reported a few scuffles during The Frames on the main stage and I saw a fair bit of jostling during Leftfield. At that stage I thought the festival was heading to a bad place, but I don't think that's the case anymore.

See you in the ticket queue on Friday.

Seathrun66

greg090 wrote: »

MJohnston wrote: »

As many of us have said, this is really the first year that having kids out later has been a 'problem'. People are always taking lots of drugs and drinking too much (the latter being a far more annoying situation for everyone else around them imo), for me the difference this year is there were a significant amount more people in a too far gone state, and they were significantly younger and unable to deal with it as much.

Also, possibly the drug of choice has changed to something far less craic than in the past.

lots of people asking for ket at the festival..

rave in the woods saturday and sunday was ridiculous, every second person asking for pills.

Bodhrandude?

bodhrandude

MJohnston wrote: »

Found it hard to tell where Warhol ended and Hendrix began to be honest. Hendrix definitely seemed worse with the fairground mess right in the campsite, but Warhol looked plenty horrible too. Again, lots of really messed up kids staggering about. Saw a very drunk fellow on the Saturday evening wearing shorts, sandals, and a t-shirt, absolutely soaked, legs and feet covered in muck and scratches. Would be really surprised if he doesn't get some kind of infection. The level of littering in Warhol was disgraceful too, real shame as I've always felt one of the tenets of EP has been its environmental positivity.

Anyway, on a separate note - recommendation for campers if you're going in a group next year. Buy one of these, pitch it up in the middle of your group, and buy one of these, fill it with tap water, stick it in the sunlight, and then you'll have a fantastic way to shower after a few hours! Got one of them for our campervan (which is even better cos we could boil hot water), and genuinely nothing aids the morning recovery like feeling clean from a shower!

It used to be at the point the pink fairy lights changed to blue in the campsites.

MJohnston

bodhrandude wrote: »

It used to be at the point the pink fairy lights changed to blue in the campsites.

Couldn't look up as I was trying not to get trampled to death, but I'm pretty sure they were all just white lights this year.

billybonkers

Tent got ransacked and robbed on Friday night, Gazebo and chairs completely destroyed on Sunday night! Was a particularly worse crowed then usual IMO. No real hassle inside the arenas but Hendrix/Wilde were pretty messy throughout the weekend.