Ireland's celebrity architect set for his first Electric Picnic

Ireland's celebrity architect is coming to Electric Picnic for the first time.

Dermot Bannon made a surprise appearance on the press preview day in Stradbally.

Speaking to the Leinster Express / Laois Live in Trailer Park, he explained what his role will be.

"I am doing a new RTÉ show in October and November, called Superspaces. It's like a hybrid of my previous shows, and will focus on really cool designs all around the country, anywhere that good design has brought people together.

"One of the projects on it is Lily Guinness's bus. We have been following it since was just a wreck of a bus in North county Dublin. Her plan was to turn it into a trailer for Electric Picnic, with sails on top, and a dance stage.

"It just shows that people can have more freedom and creativity in small spaces because you can experiment," he said.

CoCo Production cameras will be filming Dermot and the reaction to the bus, during the festival.

Asked is he ready for lots of drunken queries on house designs, he said he "hadn't thought about that".

"It's my first time at Electric Picnic. I'm camping, it's my first time ever coming down here. It's fantastic. I'm looking forward to obviously the big names but also the smaller bands, it's about immersing yourself in the small things, the poetry readings, the food," he said.

Electric Picnic festival prepares to open its doors

Keep an eye out for Dermot wearing some very unexpected outfits.

"Lily has plans, based around that Queen video, I Want To Break Free, with me in 1950s clothes pushing a hoover," he said.

The multicoloured schoolbus populated by Merry Prankster clowns is called Yonder. Owned by Ken Kesey, it aims to "transport festival-goers to a dreamscape that captures the playful energy of a time when social rules started to relax and the civil rights movement got underway".

The sold-out Electric Picnic 2023 takes place from Friday to Monday, September 1 to 3.