Documentary on Electric Picnic to premiere ahead of 2022 line-up reveal

A documentary exploring the past two years of Electric Picnic – or rather past two years when the festival didn’t take place – will premiere this Thursday, March 6 on RTE 2FM’s YouTube channel.

The documentary, a Piece of the Picnic, was filmed over the past two summers by a community of festival organisers and musicians and ” will give audiences a flavour of some of the most-loved elements of Ireland’s largest gathering of music and arts.”

In a statement released by the Departments of Culture and Arts, a spokesperson said: “Everyone has missed the presence of the Picnic on the summer calendar over the last two years and this documentary invites you to take a trip down memory lane ahead of the long-awaited return of music, arts, and free-spirited revelry at the Picnic this year.

“With performances across an array of genres in a festival setting, featuring the very best Irish musicians, artists, comedians and more across some iconic Electric Picnic stages and installations, the film captures the unique essence of the festival through the eyes of those who contributed not only to this project itself, but who are pivotal year upon year in creating the magic at Stradbally Hall.”

As Salty Dog curator – a popular stage at the festival – Chaz Preston puts it: “Whether you are 11, 75, 80, 100 you are inspired by your surroundings, the people, the ideas, and that is what the Electric Picnic is about, it’s a festival of music, creative ideas and breaking the moulds of our daily lives and realising anything is possible.”

The project engaged with Irish artists, crews and contractors to build the production from the ground up, all the way through to making the film.

“It’s a celebration of all things live – the people, the art, the festival, and the industry.

“The project could not have been created without the hard work and support of the artists, crews, contractors and contributors who worked tirelessly to make this project a reality,” the spokesperson said.

“A particular thanks must be said to Thomas Cosby, and the curators, makers and creators from Art Lot, Conradh na Gaeilge, Cerebral Fortress, the Comedy Stage, Crypto Mining Co., Greencrafts, Hazelwood, Jerry Fish Electric Sideshow, Mindfield, Salty Dog, Trailer Park and Trenchtown.”

The documentary comes just days ahead of the line-up reveal on Thursday, March 10 at 11am.

If you’ve yet to get your hands on passes for this year’s festival, Electric Picnic tickets for 2022 will go on sale at 11am on Friday, March 11 from all usual outlets.

A Piece of the Picnic was funded and supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media as part of the Live Performance Support Scheme 2021.