By day three of Electric Picnic, the 80,000 festivalgoers made their presence known. Campsites were in disarray, cans littered the ground and toilets were worthy of a biohazard warning.
For Eoin Kelly from Mullingar, some moments left a lot to be desired. “Someone pissed on our tent. It wasn’t nice. We got rid of him anyway and sorted it out,” Kelly says.
His fellow UCD agricultural-science student Phillip Casey advises people to bring a waterproof tent, in part due to the weather, which he describes as his only low point of the weekend.
“You hear the wind picking up and tents flying all around the place,” Casey says.
Seán O’Brien, from Wexford, adds: “I fell into grass last night and fell asleep there for about 20 minutes. That wasn’t great. I didn’t enjoy that. That was my low point.”
But the group still thoroughly enjoyed the weekend, including great craic at the Andy Warhol campsite.
“I got my ticket two days beforehand, and I wasn’t that hyped up about going, but it has been class. The Kneecap mosh pit was unreal,” O’Brien says.
Gillian Kearney, from Offaly, cites Chappell Roan as the highlight of the festival – and says the bad weather didn’t stop people from having fun. “It’s not even the rain. It’s the wind. You’re in the tent and it’s rocking side to side. You’re terrified it’s going to blow away with you in it,” Kearney says.
She’d advise future picnickers to bring less. “I brought four gear bags full of clothes with me. You don’t need that many clothes even if it is cold.” Instead she tells future festivalgoers to “focus on your tent and your drink”.
Gerry and Marjorie Watchorn, a couple from Carlow, say the variety at the festival is an appeal.
“Everybody is in good form,” Gerry says. “It would put you in good form. There’s so much that’s bad and sad, so to come to a place like this and see everybody enjoying themselves, it’s a bit of a tonic.”
“Our three adult kids are here as well, which is lovely. It’s a bit of a family day out for us,” Marjorie adds.
But the bathrooms could be cleaner. “I know there are people working hard [to clean them], but, God, they are not great,” Gerry says.
“Especially in the main arena at night,” Marjorie adds.
The couple also say food and drink are too expensive: pints are €7 and a burger without chips can set you back €20.
“I’d say some of these young kids are finding it hard if they don’t have plenty of food with them.”
Marjorie advises future festivalgoers to plan ahead. “Bring a packed lunch and snacks. Don’t feel you have to be buying all the time.”
Siobhán O’Connor, a local, came with her three children, Ally, Tom and Lucy Fraser, to see their dad, Michael Fraser, perform in the Timahoe Male Choir.
The other highlight of the weekend, they say, was Chappell Roan on the Main Stage on Friday night.
“I volunteer at the festival every year,” O’Connor says. “As locals we love having this. We are very proud to have this in our town.”
The festival has a positive impact on the area, they say, but it’s disappointing to see “all the rubbish everywhere and the waste”.
“When everyone leaves here tomorrow they will just leave all their tents. If all these young people appreciated their tents, and brought them back next year, that would be better.”