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7 essential tips from Electric Picnic veterans

Get the expert advice from people in the know.

IT’S NEARLY THE end of festival season (and the summer, sob!), but there’s still Electric Picnic to look forward to.

If you’re heading to the festival there are always ways to make more out of your experience. To help you out, we’ve rounded up some of the best tips and tricks from veteran Electric Picnic goers.

Go forth and enjoy yourself.

1. Pocket tissues, people

Tissues kaktuslampan kaktuslampan

The first tip we have, from multiple veterans, is to bring little packets of tissues, rather than lugging toilet rolls around with you. As one of our veterans said:

I do not understand why people bring unwieldy rolls of toilet paper when you can just bring a couple of packets.

Chances are you’ll be wearing something with pockets so stick a pack in there and away you go.

2. Rest easy – or easier, anyway

snooze It you Giphy Giphy

To ensure that you get at least a little sleep over the course of the weekend, you’d be advised to bring an inflatable mattress. According to our Electric Picnic expert:

First time I brought one to a festival was a total game changer.

Even a yoga mat underneath your sleeping bag will help. Rest well – you’ve loads to do.

3. Treat yo’self to a hair wash

PastedImage-58866 Shutterstock Shutterstock

If you’re feeling flash (or just manky) you can head to the hair salon, Pink Pamper Hair and Beauty, beside the Jimi Hendrix campsite, and treat yo’self to a wash and a blowdry. They offer all sorts of services to chill you out, and you can even get your make-up done while you’re there. Fancy.

4. Bring a scarf and douse it in perfume

Giphy Giphy

Considering there are 55,000 people camping in a muddy field for three days straight, with the best will in the world, there are going to be some less than pleasant smelling places, at times. So bring a scarf, douse it in perfume and you’ll have sweet smells all around you.

5. Don’t over plan

PastedImage-50097 Shutterstock Shutterstock

Don’t overdo band scheduling – have a handful of must-see acts each day and just go with the flow the rest of the time.

Failing to plan is planning to fail and all that, but our experts say it’s better to plan the main acts you want to see and go with the flow the rest of the time. You’ll discover bands you didn’t know existed, bump into people you haven’t seen in ages, find things you’ll never have expected (see below) and just generally have a more chill time.

6. Check out Body & Soul for the up and coming acts

Electric Picnic Electric Picnic

Body & Soul is ‘a festival within a festival’ and the place to go if you’re looking for acts that haven’t made it big yet.

Take some time to research who’s playing the smaller stages, the Body & Soul area are good at getting people on the way up.

So, you too can say, disparagingly, ‘I saw them before they were famous’ someday, too.

7. Do find the quirky parts of the festival

Anachronica Electric Picnic Electric Picnic

Electric Picnic is about much more than the music. There are all sorts of cool and unusual things to do from the Theatre of Food to the poetry slams, theatre stage, Irish language fun fair, Anachronica, the abandoned city in the woods, and the 40-tonne French trawler where ‘raspy minstrels are hoodwinked into performing’. Who knows who or what you’ll come across there.

Are you heading to Electric Picnic this year? What valuable tips do you have? Let us know in the comments below.

If you’re heading to Electric Picnic and you’re a Three customer, you’re in luck. 3 Live at Electric Picnic means you get much more – from screenprinting a souvenir t-shirt, to secret gigs, silent discos and screenings. And you can pick up a power pack to charge your phone for just €10 so you’re never out of juice. Head over to 3 Live at Electric Picnic to find out more. 

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    Mute John Woods
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    Aug 8th 2011, 9:03 AM

    Shatter to release murderers, pedophiles and rapists to make more room for people who do not buy a tv license or repay small debts to banks. This country gets worse

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    Mute Hugh Chaloner
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    Aug 8th 2011, 10:24 AM

    Possibly freeing up space for fraudsters, maverick bankers, loansharks and other white collar reprobates? It isn’t always small fine defaulters …

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    Mute Conor Hickey
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    Aug 8th 2011, 8:46 AM

    No good news on a Monday?
    Those rioters in London are upset that Gay Byrne is running for ~Aras11

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    Mute James Richard Kinsella
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    Aug 8th 2011, 8:39 AM

    Why can I not look at the article about Ireland being insolvent? The journal.ie logs off everytime I try but all other articles are fine??

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    Mute Susan Ryan
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    Aug 8th 2011, 8:43 AM

    Hi James, is that the Morgan Kelly piece? http://jrnl.ie/195495 It looks fine here, are you accessing by computer or phone?

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    Mute Brian Lenehan
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    Aug 8th 2011, 8:51 AM

    Me too, using the iPhone app, swiping through the articles as soon as I turn to Morgan Kellys’ article the app closes. Likewise, trying to open the article from the menu crashes the app. It opens fine in Safari on the phone.

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    Mute Susan Ryan
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    Aug 8th 2011, 8:54 AM

    Thanks for your comment, we’ll check that out at this side.

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    Mute Paul Lanigan
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    Aug 8th 2011, 8:59 AM

    Same on my wife’s iPhone and my iPad. App crashes. Was able to read it in a browser ok

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    Mute dave oshea
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    Aug 8th 2011, 9:16 AM

    yes same here, when on i pad, it disappears

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    Mute Phil Mc Donald
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    Aug 8th 2011, 4:58 PM

    Wood?

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    Mute Hugh Chaloner
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    Aug 8th 2011, 6:25 PM

    Same as would except woodier

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    Mute Susan Shaffer Singleton
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    Aug 8th 2011, 10:26 PM

    Manners please boys…

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    Mute John Scott
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    Aug 8th 2011, 2:50 PM

    i suggest Mary Byrne to be come the first lady’ She wood at least no how hard it is for the ordinery people are feeling. i wood not think Mary lost lots of money in shares like others now we are to help get out of it again

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