Forest Fest founder scotches rumours about Festival Republic buyout

RUMOURS that Electric Picnic is to buy a large share in Forest Fest have been roundly rejected by the founder of the smaller but rapidly growing Laois festival.

Forest Fest founder and director Philip Meagher has scotched widespread rumours that Festival Republic plans to buy 50 per cent of the boutique annual festival in Emo, which has built up a faithful following since it began in 2022.

When contacted by the Laois Nationalist this week, Mr Meagher said emphatically that there was “no truth whatsoever” in the flattering but false rumours, surrounding a possible investment by the Festival Republic group that runs Electric Picnic.

While there is obviously no comparison in terms of size, with the Stradbally event ranking as Ireland’s largest music and art festival with 80,000 weekend ticket sales, Forest Fest undoubtedly punches above its weight with world-class headliners, local food and drink vendors and a less frantic, more easy-going vibe.

Electric Picnic is always a fantastic experience and this year was no exception, despite challenging weather as a site that had basked in sunshine all summer was suddenly engulfed in relentless rain across the entire weekend.

There is always some criticism and controversy at the Stradbally event and this year again was no exception, with crowd control and some over-packed venues drawing negative comments from fans.

Among the main gripes was the fact that DJ Armand Van Helden, who draws huge crowds, was given the Smirnoff stage rather than a much larger venue. His scheduled 90-minute set had to be cancelled on Friday evening, after a huge crowd created gridlock and safety concerns.

Van Helden’s set was cancelled before he reached the stage, with nearby bars closed and announcements asking disappointed fans to disperse.

There was another capacity problem on Saturday during Duke Dumont’s packed performance at the Electric Arena. Organisers sent several alerts through the festival’s official app asking people to stay away, while stewards and gardaí tried to limit the number of people approaching the tent.

When he was asked to comment, unflappable festival director Melvin Benn said that medics and security staff were present and organisers had acted as soon as the near-crowd collapse became apparent. He added that there had been no crowd collapse at any other stage during the weekend.

In his inimitable, direct style, Mr Benn said it was “bonkers” to think any capacity changes were required, adding: “Quite frankly, I don’t think it could have gone better.” Electric Picnic’s capacity has increased by about 15 per cent in the past three years, rising from around 70,000 in 2023 to 80,000 this year and last year.

As fans made their weary but buoyed journey home, tractors and 4x4s were busy pulling vehicles out of deep mud around the car parks on Monday, where conditions were still mucky despite regular spreading of bark and wood chip throughout the weekend.

The site was a mess on Monday, as always, with litter, tents and cans strewn everywhere but local charities, including PATH (Portlaoise Action to Homelessness) and the LSPCA did a fantastic job clearing tents that will be cleaned and reused.

Despite everything, especially the weather gods, it was still a wonderful weekend!