Electric Picnic opens applications for Trailer Park creative caravans

The countdown is truly on for Electric Picnic 2024 with the first line-up announcement this Friday, April 25 and now applications have opened to make your creative mark in Trailer Park and be part of Ireland's biggest music and arts festival here in Laois.

Grants of up to €2,000 are available to construct each caravan. Up to 20 will be given, and each caravan may have up to 10 crew who get passes to the festival in their spare time, number at the discretion of the festival team.

Electric Picnic describes the Trailer Park as a good "dose of homegrown creativity".

"Would you like to be part of this year's festival? Applications for Trailer Park's Caravan Competion open now.

"We are looking for jaw-dropping and bewildering caravan-based ideas to join Trailer Park – we seek fresh designers, artists, engineers, technicians, builders, architects, and dreamers and ask them to emerge from their cerebral laboratories with preposterous inventions.

"Since 2014, over 200 creators have been given grants to help them realise their wildest ideas and become part of one of the strangest design communities in the country. We are pleased to announce that the 2024 search is underway.

"We will offer up to 20 grants to help you make your own caravan projects come to life at Electric Picnic, ranging from €500 to €2,000. These bursaries are not for your labour; they are for materials or skills you do not have. We are looking for projects that stand on their own as installations, independent of performances or activities, although these may well complete the installation. They do not need to be roadworthy, but it would definitely help. They do need to be safe.

"The key word to consider is that these caravans need to be INTERACTIVE. Organisers receive a large volume of applications which are spaces with DJs and unfortunately cannot accommodate these, theatrical interactions are the priority!

"The caravans need to focus on the design of the exterior as well as the interior, and applicants should think about lighting as the area of Electric Picnic operates at night-time as well as daytime.

"Be realistic: this project will probably require a significant time investment, and the ability to adhere to firm deadlines, and is going to need to be fueled by both artistic and practical passion.

"If you have an amazing idea but are unsure if you can actually construct it – let us know. And likewise, if you are great at building, woodwork, welding and general DIY and you’d like to be connected with an idea – we’d love to hear from you too. Please get in touch at: trailerparkcaravanchallenge@gmail.com

The number of crew passes required to host a venue for the three full days of the festival will be assessed on an individual basis; the maximum number of passes that will be provided to a single project for this purpose will be 10.

The Trailer Park Artistic Director is Roz Jellett.

“In Trailer Park we really do just set out to make people laugh, inspire and engage – with projects that marry creativity, participation and style. This competition loves a good host, so if you have a gang of friends who like to make people around you have fun, simply think of how you might do that in the most unusual way, and either inside or in front of a room on wheels.” Roz said.

If you need a steer, some of the past submissions have included Undertakers, Sound Studios, Redneck Theatres, Karaoke, Hot tubs, Seaweed baths, Pantomimes, Graffiti shops, Céilí sessions, and Alpine snow scenes.

1. Terrible Terry’s Crazy Golf - The EP Open, a nine-hole golf course run by a rag tag group of crap golfers.
2. Caravan Club Extravaganza - the front side folds down to become a stage for bands
3. The Vaniel O’Donnell Experience - thrilling hardened cynics with an homage to Donegal’s finest.
4. Quizivan - An infamous and glamorous TV quiz.
5. Céilí Kitchen - where trad is in full swing ‘out the back’.
6. Tow Ho Ho – a caravan full of Christmas cheer, carols, drunk Santa.
7. Caravanaoke -  live karaoke where chaos ensues.
8. Band Wagon - offered a recording studio in a caravan to passing dreamers

The deadline to apply with your detailed idea is Friday, May 10 at 11.59am. Email trailerparkcaravanchallenge@gmail.com

Electric Picnic 20-24 takes place from August 16 to 18 in Stradbally, Laois, and all tickets are sold.