Electric Picnic has today made a line up announcement for the 2014 Festival including Portishead, Outkast, Beck, Foals, Pet Shop Boys, Paolo Nutini, Chic Featuring Nile Rodgers, Lily Allen, St. Vincent, Simple Minds, London Grammar, Metronomy,Slowdive, Laura Mvula, Annie Mac, Flume, The Stranglers, Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, The Blades, The Wailers, Omar Souleyman, White Denim, Temples, Sohn, Jungle, Fka Twigs, Bicep, Kaytranada & John Wizards.

With captivatingly striking vocals from lead singer, Beth Gibbons, PORTISHEAD will enchant the Stradbally fields for the first time. Their debut album release ‘Dummy’ credits a Mercury Music Prize Award and a milestone in the definition of trip-hop music.  

And now with a 20 year anniversary in tow since their debut album offering, OUTKAST duo, Andre 3000 and Big Boi shall reunite much to our hip-hop, funk -soul delight. These Grammy Award winning, Atlanta natives have set the music bar to a whole new height with innovative musical creations since the get go.  Best known for hits ‘Ms. Jackson’, ‘Roses’ and ‘Hey Ya!’, the creative impact of this genius pair is globally renowned and will undoubtedly ignite the Picnic with their iconic, infectious groove. 

A pioneer of all things experimental, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist BECK gained worldwide success in the early 90s with his daring fusions of musical styles and sounds. From rock to hip hop, to funk and soul, Beck has done it all, merging countless styles and concepts to bring us such award winning studio albums as ‘Mellow Gold’ (1993), ‘Odelay’ (1994) and most recently ‘Morning Phase’(2014), which is his first official release since ‘Modern Guilt’ (2008). Spanning almost three decades, Beck’s endless dedication to perfecting his art has only increased his following. 2014 sees his much anticipated and awaited Electric Picnic debut, where he will feature front and centre at the main stage! 

Spanning almost four decades, disco group CHIC FEATURING NILE RODGERS have seen and done it all. Fusing dance, pop, R&B and contemporary sounds, CHIC have consistently topped the charts with undeniably electrifying hits, the kind that make you want to put on your dancing shoes and boogie all night! Now almost 40 years on, guitarist Nile Rodgers remains at the forefront of the music scene, having collaborated with house kings Daft Punk and Avicii. Rodgers brings an encyclopaedic knowledge of musical trends, promising an entertaining and above all explosive performance. 

And of course it’s not just about the music……

Body&Soul once again descends upon the Electric Picnic, transforming a pocket of the Stradbally landscape in to its own colourful cocoon, with a yearly promise of something completely different. This years offering celebrates the art of chilling out and is curated specifically with that in mind.

The intimate, colourful other-world is meticulously crafted around a central natural ampitheatre and its own beautifully constructed timber Main Stage

The smaller "Earthship" and Pagoda stages are programmed to offer new and more obscure music from up-and-coming artists and performers from home and around the world, while dotted around the surrounding area are a hand-picked selection of installations, quirky little music-filled cafe sitting rooms; gastronomic delights; late-night party corners; bubbling hot tubs and a specially designed holistic area offering yoga, massage and the newly added Chakra Acoustic Tipis & Sauna.

A hive of creative activity and a world of imagination, Body&Soul is the perfect place for an afternoon of discovery, an old-fashioned random adventure, or a welcome festival escape....

And as always one of the greatest attractions of Picnic is the family friendly side of the festival with the exclusive FAMILY CAMPSITE and PICNIC KIDS, nestled in the beautiful walled garden of Stradbally. This returns with the Family Ticket permitting access for two adults and four children (under 12s). 

The MINDFIELD spoken word arena returns once again with a stimulating spark-filled programme designed to entertain, inform and inflame. Set among the ancient trees on the lawns of Stradbally Hall you’ll find an oasis of literary readings, political debate, performance poetry, science experiments, inspiring talks, news quizzes, public conversations and much more. Together with the feast for the senses that is the Theatre of Food, the MindField Arena invites us to fill our brains with new thoughts, ideas and experiences that we hope will engage and help inspire us to all be change makers. 

THE THEATRE OF FOOD returns to Electric Picnic for the fourth year in a row, serving up gluttonous helpings of gastronomic theatrics, discourse and all-round high jinks. Once again the Liam Grant/ NEFF kitchen will be in full swing with cookery demos, classes, tastings, talks and the usual antics from a line-up of star chefs, food writers, bloggers, bakers, cooks, butchers, craft brewers and more. Veterans of food, John and Sally McKenna will once again play hosts to the motley cast of this year’s theatre, in between talent spotting among the festival’s food vendors for winners of the annual McKenna Electric Picnic Awards. At night ToF’s fringe acts, including ‘Wine Match’ speed dating, ‘Beer Vs Wine: The Ultimate Show Down’ and ‘Hot Sauce!’ disco, pull the punters to the MindField for some tasty alternative fun. So bring your appetite for fun, food, debate and debauchery, as the Theatre of Food takes centre stage at the picnic once again. 

Out on the edge of the Picnic, an area shared with Green Crafts, you will discover the GLOBAL GREEN. This enchanting space is hosted by a community of cultural creatives pulled together by Cultivate, the sustainability collective.  Global Green is an invigorating mix of the urban and rural, it's a space to share, where you will find activists, local foodies, artists, hackers, makers, tree folk, musicians, and eco-entrepreneurs exploring collaborative ways to respond locally to the global challenges we face. 

Last year’s COMEDY STAGE at the Picnic resembled 'Henman Hill' with thousands sitting in the sun watching the hilarious action unfold on giant screens, having been unable to gain access to the packed tent. Well, the good news is, that this year’s line-up will be even stronger and all will be revealed at the end of July. It promises to be a Festival within a Festival. 

The BACARDI brand and family’s story can be summed up in one word ‘Untameable’ – this legacy will be fearlessly honoured by the biggest production on site yet. With more than 150 years of uncompromised passion triumphing against extraordinary odds, BACARDI is the rum brand where the truth is better than any fiction and will be back at Electric Picnic for its 10th successive year showcasing a stellar line up of both international and local acts and delicious cocktails. 

RED BULL MUSIC ACADEMY takes to the woods of Electric Picnic with the Red Bull Music Academy stage at Stradbally with a stellar line up of alumni and affiliates.The Red Bull Cocktail Bar will be mixing the finest of drinks throughout the weekend and promises to keep your levels charged. The Red Bull Stage quakes the Stradbally woods from Friday right through the weekend, with final curtain call at a hard-core 4am on Sunday. 

Earlier this year TRAILER PARK opened its doors a couple of inches to see if there was anyone out there who wanted to get involved, to bring their own caravan or mobile home dream to life, and host it at the Electric Picnic. One hundred and twenty lunatics responded, and now we don't know what to do. 

After two years of Trailer Park paying modest homage to the humble caravan, the glittering airstream, the vaudeville circus van, the game is up. It has now grown become the Montparnasse of the Picnic, a home for people with a constant stream of impractical but passionate ideas about how the world could be. This vintage vacation park has hit the absinthe, and the result makes no sense but it's fabulous. 

At its centre, a stunning theatrical enclosure made of joined-up, stacked campers, vintage caravans, mobile homes, vintage and retro trailers, the whole area will now be significantly expanded to create an eccentric community of performers, stylers, feeders and imbibers, miniature restaurants, wacky clinics and oddball theatres. 

The CARAVAN STAGE hosts bands in the living room, bedroom, kitchen and lavatory of a mobile home - a vaudevillian carnival cabaret which brings together exotic hula dancers, contortionist, burlesquettes, acrobat clownsters, and a rabble of three-legged dogs. 

Complete with picket fencing, trellis-work, flamingos, gaudy colours, retro sun-loungers, roaring braziers, frilly curtains, our bar-staff dressed in fluffy negligees with curlers will serve beers to anyone in a grubby white vest and a comb, and pina-coladas to anyone with orange cleavage and tattoos. Lamb barbeques will glow beneath palm trees, and the deck chairs will be out. 

The Captain of the SALTY DOG trousers the change from the tip bowl at the local greasy spoon, shuffles back to the forest at Stradbally, pokes the creaking timbers of shipwreck that has consistently lowered the tone at Electric Picnic, and considers his work done for another year. 

This 40-tonne French trawler, washed up in the forest at Stradbally, offers her deck as a stage for raspy minstrels hoodwinked into performing, and her sails as shelter for deluded revellers who spend all three days trying to get to the main arena. The ship's wheel will be salvaged once again from the pawn shop, the masts and sheets hoisted into the sky, and a rabble of layabouts press-ganged into service. The line-up will be announced in July and in the meantime rest assured we are searching high and low for the best there is. In the Bahamas. 

The Salty Dog promises this year to be by far the best year ever. Come to the mothership, sons and daughters, and be in the company of the lost. 

TRENCHTOWN, the Jamaican gem of Stradbally forest, promises an eclectic action packed weekend with more Caribbean than ever before. Based on The Jamaican Village, Trenchtown is a favourite among revellers in the woods, offering the finest in home-grown and international Reggae, Dun, Ska & Dancehall artists. Each year the stage is set on ‘Fy-ah’ by the hottest acts on the scene and this year is set to be no exception. With new space, a new stage and some new acts all  you have to do is feel de beat and follow ya’ feet!

Back for its 6th annual instalment TOUR DE PICNIC will be bigger and better than ever. Last year we broke €1 million in funds raised for various children's charities since our first ride to EP with 30 people. In 2013 Cyclists and Runners raised a net sum of just under €200,000 which was split amongst Laois Hospice, Laura Lynn House, Thank You Crumlin, Love Mia and a host of local worthy recipients in Stradbally. We saw an encouraging increase in the number of students taking part and plan on growing the event even bigger this year. The specific projects for 2014 will be released soon. We invite everyone to sign up ASAP at the Electric Picnic website with just a €50 deposit that secures your place on the cycle or run and a ticket to the festival, the deposit is also counted towards your final fund raising total. Get in touch if you have any questions on [email protected] or 01 497 9337. 

TICKETS:

Between March 19th – April 18th

€154.50 if you can prove you’ve been to 3 or more Picnics

€174.50 if you can prove you’ve been to the Picnic once/twice before

€194.50 if you haven’t been before

Family Weekend Camping ticket as above (2 kids U12 permitted per adult FOC)

Sunday Day Tickets; €90 (No camping permitted)

April 19th – July 4th midnight

€194.50 weekend tickets

After July 4th midnight

€229.50 weekend tickets [price remains the same as 2013] 

Campervan Tickets for access to Regular and Family Campervan Parks are €60 

For further information and ticket links click here.