“No other choice” – Electric Picnic has officially been called off for 2021

After a protracted saga, the festival is off.

Following a summer of speculation and recent suggestion that Electric Picnic 2021 might actually somehow go ahead, the festival has officially been cancelled for this year. Organisers released a statement on Wednesday evening confirming the news, stating that they had "no other choice" but to pull the plug. The decision follows attempts to persuade Laois County Council to reverse its initial ruling that Electric Picnic could not go ahead in line with current public health advice concerning the presence and transmission of Covid-19. Festival organisers had called for a full capacity event, with 70,000 fully-vaccinated attendees present in Stradbally for the three-day event and with no social distancing in place. Noting that they had "run out of time", the organisers added:

"We would not be able to do the festival justice this close to show day, and it would be unfair to ask ticket holders who’ve stood by us throughout this pandemic to come to EP and not get the full experience they are used to and deserve."

https://twitter.com/EPfestival/status/1433115280461402118 All ticket holders will be offered an option of a full refund including booking fees and are asked to contact Ticketmaster directly within the next 30 days in order to avail of a refund "as soon as possible". Alternatively, those affected may hold onto their ticket and carry it over until the planned 2022 festival if they so wish. Further information on the refund or holdover process is available by emailing enquires@festivalrepublic.com. As of now, Electric Picnic is set to return from 2 – 4 September, 2022.