Laois Offaly Gardai to close major national road to allow Electric Picnic crowds head home

Local and intercounty traffic through Laois is set to be disrupted in the direct aftermath of the Electric Picnic due to the announcement that a major national road through the county will close.

In an unprecedented move, Laois Offaly Gardaí have warned motorists that a long section of the N80 will be closed on Monday. 

Announced midway through the Picnic, they asked motorists to be aware that “the N80 between Bloomfield Roundabout, Portlaoise, and Simmonsmill Cross will be closed on Monday between 10am and 4pm.”

A map published by the Gardaí on Saturday reveals that approximately 30 kms of the national route will shut from Portlaoise's outskirts to Ballylinan.

Gardaí said all non-Electric Picnic traffic is asked to avoid the area and use alternative routes.

“As part of the Electric Picnic traffic plan, one-way systems will be in place on certain routes,” Gardaí said. 

They said: “Do not rely on Sat Navs as they will not be aware of these temporary diversions. Please follow official signage and the directions of Gardaí  to ensure safe and efficient traffic flow.” 

Gardaí thanked the public their cooperation, and wished everyone safe travels home from Electric Picnic 2025.

The capacity of the Electric Picnic rose to 80,000 this year, with many attending in their camper vans. The car parks for these campervans are located along the N80 on the Portlaoise side of Stradbally.

Rain over the weekend around Stradbally looks set to make exiting these and other Electric Picnic car parks problematic as crowds head home from the festival.

The N80 is one of the longest non-motorway national routes in Ireland. It runs southeastwards from its junction with the N52 in Tullamore to the N30 just north of Enniscorthy in County Wexford - a distance of 114 kms.

The route is used by a large amount of comercial traffic but also a busy commuting route linking Carlow, Laois and Offaly.