Summer of music ahead as major festivals confirm dates

The Electric Picnic festival will go ahead this year, it has been announced this evening. The announcement will come as a relief to fans of the festival who had feared it would not go ahead.

Both Oxegen and Electric Picnic, the major festivals of the summer, were announced today quelling speculation that either or both would not happen.

Both are partially organised by the British-based company Festival Republic.

Electric Picnic will take place from August 30th to September 1 at the usual location of Stradbally, Co Laois.

The festival goes ahead despite the continuing legal action between John Reynolds of Pod Concerts, one of the founders of Electric Picnic, and Melvin Benn of Festival Republic who has been involved with it for the last two years.

Early bird tickets will be available from €149.50 for those who can prove they have attended at least three Electric Picnics until May 27th.

Full price tickets will be €225.50. The line-up will be announced on Thursday.

The Oxegen music festival resumes this year with a reduced capacity of 50,000.

Confirmation that the festival will go ahead was made this morning by promoters MCD and Festival Republic. It will take place on the August Bank Holiday between August 2nd and August 4th at the Punchestown Race Course, Co Kildare.

The event did not take place last year with the promoters saying they were taking a break.

Capacity has been reduced from 80,000 to 50,000, reflecting the economic slowdown, which has hit the target demographic of 18 and 30 year-olds particularly hard.

Early bird tickets go on sale on April 26th.

A three-day camping pass is €149.50 while a two day weekend non-camping pass is €129.50, €75 less than 2011 ticket prices.

The line-up will be announced on Monday. Calvin Harris and Jack Beats have confirmed they will be performing.