Electric Picnic contributed €36m to Ireland’s economy

Amid music, mud and more than 1,300 Portaloos, last year's Electric Picnic contributed €36 million to the Irish economy, according to the company behind the Co Laois event.

An economic impact assessment commissioned by Festival Republic found that spending by festival-goers, both on and off the Stradbally Hall site, totalled €26 million, while the company itself spent €10 million on suppliers, contractors and payroll.

Festival Republic said attendees spent €11 million on-site during the three-day event and €15 million off-site, with the figures based on a survey of 1,242 visitors.

The net economic worth of the festival in the Stradbally area was estimated at €16 million, while the economic impact in Co Laois, excluding Stradbally, is said to have been more than €4 million.

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Electric Picnic has been a fixture of the Irish festival calendar since it began as a one-day event in 2004. Last year’s Picnic featured performances from 700 acts, including Lana Del Rey, LCD Soundsystem, the Chemical Brothers, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and New Order.

The 2017 festival takes place from September 1st-3rd. Tickets go on sale from this Thursday, March 23rd, when the first acts will be announced.