Criticism despite 'fantastic' Electric Picnic in Stradbally

A Laois Councillor has said rubbish, crowd numbers and traffic issues at Electric Picnic need to be addressed. 

Independent Cllr Aisling Moran described the Electric Picnic as a fantastic event but said a number of issues arose during the event. 

“There was not enough bins, it was disgraceful,” said Cllr Moran during a recent meeting of Portarlington Graiguecullen Municipal District. She said she had attended on Friday and Saturday and there was “rubbish everywhere”. 

Cllr Moran also criticised the traffic management during the event on the Monday morning. She said that although she lives ten minutes from Stradbally all the traffic was sent in the direction of Portlaoise. 

She said she was directed to Portaloise and towards Monasterevin and back towards Vicarstown and then sent into Athy. “It took me an hour and forty minutes to get home,” she explained. 

Cllr Moran also raised questions about the number of people attending the event. “There is no way there was only 80,000 people at it,” she said. 

She said at past events there was a better spread of guests among attractions at the Electric Picnic but this year it was less spread out with main stage events attracting huge crowds. 

“We are so lucky to date that nobody has been injured or killed,” she said. 

Cllr Moran said the councillors have a committee set up to deal with Electric Picnic issues but she didn’t feel it was effective.  

“We had one meeting, told what was happening and that was it,” she said. She said there needed to be a number of meetings and the organisers need to sit down and listen to the Councillors.

“Every year it is the same problems. It needs to be addressed,” she said. 

Cllr Paschal McEvoy praised the council staff for all of the work they had carried out around Stradbally for the festival.