Electric Picnic promoter increases discount tickets for Laois residents

The Laois town that proudly hosts Electric Picnic is getting an extra sweetener this August in the form of more cheap tickets.

Festival Republic MD Melvin Benn has agreed to a request by Stradbally’s Electric Picnic Residents Committee, to extend the areas of the town that get tickets at a nominal price, in compensation for the disruption faced over the festival.

The committee met Mr Benn recently, to ask for homes on the Vicarstown Road and Timahoe Road to be added, bringing the discount tickets up to 2,000 for the town, or two per household in the Black and Pink zones.

People living in the Pink zone closest to the site pay €30 for a ticket, and in the Black zone it is €50. The residents are then free to go to the festival or sell their tickets.

Catherine Murphy, Chair of the committee spoke to the Leinster Express / Laois Live.

“We really can’t complain. The picnic has been very good for Stradbally. They also give complimentary tickets to local charities and schools to raffle off and raise money.

“We have a good relationship with them. We meet two or three times beforehand and they are always available during the festival.

“We are hoping for a good year this August. The fact that the schools are closed could be a big help to the traffic,” she said.

The residents committee has stated that the traffic plan is changing this year, with details to follow in coming days.

Electric Picnic 2024 will be the 20th anniversary of the festival, with a capacity of 70,000 this year. It takes place from August 16 to 18, with early bird ticketholders arriving from Thursday, August 15.