Electric Picnic 2027 runs from Friday 27 to Sunday 29 August 2027 at Stradbally Hall in Stradbally, Co. Laois, with campsites opening on the Thursday, according to the festival's essential information page. One detail changes how you plan everything else: all bars, food traders and market traders operate cashless only. No float, no coin bag, just card kit that has to keep working in a field. This checklist is for food and non-food traders, market stallholders and brand activation teams heading to Stradbally, covering how to apply, what to pack, how to get noticed across a crowded site, and how to build and strike a stand without losing half your kit to the mud.

When is Electric Picnic 2027 and where is it held?

Summary: Electric Picnic 2027 takes place Friday 27 to Sunday 29 August 2027 at Stradbally Hall, Stradbally, Co. Laois. Campsites open on the Thursday. Trader build times are not published, so confirm your build window with the festival.

Detail	What we know
Festival dates	Friday 27 to Sunday 29 August 2027
Campsites	Open from the Thursday
Venue	Stradbally Hall, Stradbally, Co. Laois
Site type	Greenfield estate, grass pitches, variable ground
Payments	Cashless only for bars, food traders and market traders
Trading hours	Not published in advance, confirm with the festival

Stradbally in late August can give you three days of sunshine or three days of sideways rain. Plan for both. Anything that can act as a sail, blow over or absorb water needs a second thought before it goes on the van.

How do traders apply to trade at Electric Picnic?

Summary: Information on food and non-food trader registrations comes through the festival's own contact route, so get in touch directly and keep an eye on electricpicnic.ie for the 2027 trader call.

Have your paperwork ready before you email. A complete first reply saves back-and-forth once a trader call opens.

A short description of what you sell, with photos of your stand or unit from a previous event
Your unit or stall dimensions, including any awning, queue space and tow bar
Insurance certificates, and for food traders your HACCP documentation and local authority registration
Power requirements in kilowatts, listed appliance by appliance
Vehicle details for anything staying on site or needing access passes

Then ask the questions that decide what you can actually order:

What pitch size are you being offered, and does that measurement include guy ropes and anchors?
What are the build and breakdown windows, and when does vehicle movement stop?
Is power supplied, or do you need your own generator?
Are there rules on signage height, branding, flags or sponsor visibility?
What waste separation is expected, and who collects it?

Stand sizes, power provision, build times and signage rules are not published, so confirm all of them with the festival before you commission any print. It is a short email that saves an expensive reprint.

What should traders bring to Electric Picnic?

Summary: Pack by function rather than by box. Grouping kit this way makes it obvious what is missing at 6am on build day, when the nearest hardware shop is a long drive away.

Group	What to pack	Why it matters
Stand kit	Branded shelter or gazebo, counter, shelving, printed tablecloths, stock crates, price lists	Your pitch has to read as a finished stand from the first hour of trading, not a table with a sign on it
Power	Generator or distribution board, outdoor-rated extension leads, cable ramps, work lights, battery banks	Power is not guaranteed and cables across a walkway are a trip hazard
Payments	Two card terminals, two charged power banks, a roaming SIM or second network, printed QR backup, receipt roll	Trading is cashless only, so a dead terminal means you are closed
Weather	Storm weights, ratchet straps, ground pegs, mallet, tarpaulins, towels, wellies, spare layers	Wind and rain are the two things most likely to end your weekend early
Waste	Separated bags, a caddy, gloves, wipes, mop and bucket, cleaning fluid	A clean pitch at pack-down matters for traders as much as campers
Staff	Rota, wristbands or passes, lanyards, water, food, first aid kit, phone chargers, earplugs	Three long days and late nights need a rota, not goodwill

Two spares of anything cheap and critical is the rule we would apply: cable ties, gaffer tape, pens, charging cables, pegs. They weigh nothing and they are never for sale in a field.

How do I make a stall stand out in a festival field?

Summary: At Stradbally you are competing with stages, food villages and a crowd that reached 80,000 in 2026. Height, movement, contrast and light are what pull a passing crowd towards your pitch.

Go vertical. Feather flags read from across a field and keep moving in the breeze, which catches the eye long before any table-height graphic does.
Cut the wind load. PVC-free mesh banners let gusts pass through instead of turning your fencing into a sail, and they shed water quickly.
Own your footprint. A branded gazebo with a printed roof and valance is visible from angles a banner will never cover.
Trade after dark. A backlit lightbox display gives you a second shift once the sun goes down and the field turns into a light show.
Keep the message short. Name, offer, price. Anyone reading your stand is walking past it at pace.

For the creative side, layout ideas and photo moments, our companion piece on Electric Picnic branding strategies goes further than this checklist does.

How should I plan set-up, trading days and pack-down?

Summary: Split the weekend into three jobs with different requirements. Build day is logistics, trading days are stamina, pack-down is discipline.

Set-up (in the build window the festival confirms)

Arrive early in your build window and unload in one run
Level and weight the structure before any graphics go on
Run and cover cables, then test both card terminals on site, not at home
Photograph the finished stand for insurance and for next year's application

Trading days

Work a rota with breaks built in, and brief every shift on prices and stock levels
Wipe graphics down after rain so your stand still looks new on Sunday
Check straps and pegs each night before you leave the pitch
Restock in the quiet window rather than mid-rush

Pack-down

Strip graphics before dismantling frames so nothing gets torn
Dry fabric and banners before they go in a case, or they will come out of storage ruined
Bag and separate all waste, and leave the pitch clear
Note what you ran out of while it is still fresh

Frequently asked questions

What can festival-goers bring to Electric Picnic?

The festival publishes a door policy listing allowed and prohibited items for the arena and the campsites separately. Check the current version on the official site before you travel, as it is updated for each edition. The most recent published version is the 2026 door policy.

Is Electric Picnic cashless?

Yes. All bars, food traders and market traders operate cashless only. Bring two terminals, two power banks and a backup connection, because signal at a packed greenfield site is not reliable.

How many people attend Electric Picnic?

The 2026 festival welcomed 80,000 Picnickers, according to the festival's own post-festival news post. Plan stock, staffing and queue management around a crowd of that scale.

Do I need printed boards for my Electric Picnic stand?

Rigid boards do the jobs fabric cannot: menus, allergen notices, pricing, queue direction and health and safety signage. Weatherproof printed boards stay readable in rain and can be mounted flat against a unit, out of the wind.

What does it cost to trade at Electric Picnic?

Trader fees, pitch sizes and deadlines are not published on the festival website. Contact the festival directly through its official contact page for current rates and terms, and do not rely on figures quoted elsewhere.

How do I weatherproof a stand at Stradbally?

Assume rain, wind and soft ground. Weight every structure rather than relying on pegs alone, choose mesh over solid PVC on exposed fencing, raise stock off the grass on pallets or crates, and pack tarpaulins to cover everything overnight.

Ready to get your Electric Picnic stand print sorted?

We have over 20 years' experience in large-format print and display, and we can recommend materials that suit an outdoor site in late August. Tell us your pitch size, your build window and what you are selling, and we will spec the kit that fits.

Send your pitch dimensions and any organiser signage rules
We recommend materials, sizes and fixings, then quote per job
Approve your proof, and we print and deliver nationwide

Get in touch for a quote and give yourself time to change your mind about the artwork before August.

Electric Picnic Stand Checklist: The no-stress, all-success guide for Irish exhibitors