Last year Electric Picnic was the proud recipient of two awards for its attempts at making it a more environmentally friendly festival. The Irish Festival Awards voted it Greenest Festival and A Greener Festival awarded it The Greener Festival International Award. A Greener Festival recognizes environmentally-friendly music festivals and Electric Picnic is the only Irish Festival to receive the award in 2008. The long term sustainability strategy that was implemented at last year’s festival will be closely followed with plans for ‘Year 2’. The ‘Global Green’ will return along with the successfull carpool.ie and Bin Your Empties team. There will be increased number of recycling stations throughout the festival and many more new intiatives to try on build on last year’s efforts.
Such was the success of last years Greencrafts it has been decided to enlarge the area. Specialist meets beginner to share practical skills and inspiration, enabling green philosophy and aspiration to be shifted into a practical reality…while having lots of fun.
In the Greencrafts area, you’ll feel the pounding energy and spirit of all the makers during the day leading workshops: smiths forging hot metal, silver rings and shamanic drums, pole lathes chatter while shavings fly, bow-top wagons, yurts and tipis built, fire and flint, knives and arrows, glistening axes splitting and shaping timber, fluff and fur, rhythmic weaving of willow basketmakers, dazzle and delight, twinkling lanterns formed, raku kilns a blazing
The Hot Press Chatroom offers festivalgoers a unique chance to get close to their favourite stars, with lively question and answer sessions involving experienced Hot Press interviewers and the fans themselves. Legendary chatroom appearances over the years include Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, Mani of The Stone Roses/ Primal Scream, New Order, The Frames, The Undertones, Damien Dempsey, The Go! Team, DJ Shadow, Bloc Party, Carbon/Silicon and Michael Franti. Hot Press journalists Stuart Clark, Roisin Dwyer and Paul Nolan will be fielding questions from the crowd this year. The crew look forward to chatting to the creme de la creme of the Picnic’s 2009 line-up.
Last year’s introduction of the Family Ticket proved hugely successful with a record number of families in attendance. The Family ticket permits access for two adults and up to four children with access to the Family Campsite, there will be a vast array of activites for children and the Kids Area will return bigger, brighter, more colourful than before…if that’s possible! The Electric Picnic isn’t just for grown up and we intend to make the festival as family friendly as possible. The Children’s Festival will have all sorts of creative workshops, kids yoga, chill out space for parents, and games.
More info at http://www.electricpicnic.ie
