Culture
12 Dec 17

Electric Picnic announces all female comedy line-up at Hazel Wood stage

A chance encounter between Hot Press' Electric Picnic photographer (and sometimes stand-up) Emily O'Callaghan and Festival Republic Managing Director Melvin Benn led to this initiative being put forward for the 2018 event.

Having noticed that there was a distinct lack of female talent in the comedy line-up at Electric Picnic 2017, Emily pointed this fact out to Melvin Benn during a press event at the festival itself, who agreed that the problem needed to be addressed.

Three months later, and the seeds of this initial idea have finally bore fruit. At the Hazel Wood Stage, an all-female line-up will perform to 5,000 early campers on Thursday, August 30 - before the three-day festival kicks off the following day.

The line up for the event will include: Joanne McNally who will be MC for the evening, Aoife Dooley, Lisa Casey, Sharon Mannion, Aine Gallagher, Harriet Braine, Ashlee Bentley, Sahar Ali, Blaithin DeBurca, Aoife O'Connor, Christina McMahon, Orla O'Doherty Brown, Fiona Frawley and Grace Mulvey.

Commenting on the news, organiser Melvin Benn said: “We launched a first initiative in the UK in August this year, ReBalance, which will enable future and current female musicians within the industry, to have the support they need to be recognised. In Ireland our first step is to introduce an all-female comedy line up which will perform on Thursday night on the Hazel Wood stage. The Thursday night will have incredible meaning as well as incredible comedians.”