Field of Dreams

Burn, Baby Burn
If you too enjoy watching your fellow man make a complete fool out of himself, don’t let a weekend at EP pass without paying a visit to the Silent Disco - which runs from 11pm to 2am nightly - where punters can enjoy the luxury of flicking through several channels of choons on their specially-designed headphones. There’s nothing quite like the rush of seeing several hundred dancing maniacs bop together in total silence.

Gimme Zen
Located in the ever-lovely Body & Soul area, The Zen Gardens will be home to over 30 hand-picked therapists over the weekend, all ready to help the weary music-lover unwind, relax and vanquish any tensions they might have built up on the drive down to the site. The Panchammas Acoustic Tipi & Sauna also proves extremely popular year after year, for reasons I don’t think I need to explain.

If You Got The Funny
The Comedy Stage at Electric Picnic boasts one of the strongest comedy line-ups of any Irish festival, headlined this year by the irrepressible Reginald D. Hunter and Gift Grub funnyman Mario Rosenstock. A trip to the comedy tent is an absolute must for Picnic-dwellers, and HP’s money is on Brit improvisational comedy whiz kids the Stephen Frost Improv Allstars to provide the biggest laughs of the weekend.
Wheel Of Fortune
We wouldn’t usually be first in line for festival amusements (the bells and whistles hurt our aching noggins!) but the view from atop the ominous EP Ferris Wheel really is worth 20 minutes of your time. Top marks if you can secure a headlining musician in your passenger car (Here’s looking at you, K’Naan).

Mad For It
With such a varied range of nosh on offer at Lecky Picky, it’s hard to pick a favourite food stall but the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party takes the cake (sorry...) for light refreshments. Also one of the prettiest-looking huts on site, you can enjoy your cup of Earl Gray amid an oddball décor of flocked wallpaper and fringed lampshades. Curiouser and curiouser!

Paint It Red
Conveniently enough, the most advanced base camp in Irish Paintball is set in a beautiful mature wood on the Stradbally hall grounds and this year, lucky festival-goers will be permitted to take part in the splattery game. A round of Supershot Paintball is 800 times more fun than flaking out on the grass (a proven statistic from the University of Combat Trousers) so mask up, crouch down and select your target wisely.

Yoga So Good
Believe it or not, there’s nothing better than a spot of gentle exercise to reconnect your body and mind after a night of hooting and hollering, so why not re-charge your festival batteries, stretch your tired muscles and kick-start your energetic flow down at the Yoga And Dance Theatre? Our pick of the schedule is the House Of Yoga classes, which are soundtracked by the rhythmic beats of the finest house music around.

Craft Work
The vibrant Greencraft Village is one of the few places in Ireland you’ll get a chance to wrought hot metal on an anvil, smith your own silver ring, and chisel your own wooden bowl. Blacksmithing, feltmaking, pottery, silversmithing and wood turning are all on the cards, making this happy haven the perfect place to indulge your inner lumberjack or have a Ghost moment with your festival romance.

Weird Science
In a bid to feed the inquisitive Picnic-goer’s brain, Dublin’s Science Gallery has a whole host of experiments planned for this year’s festival. Located in the Mindfield area, the Science Gallery tent will feature, among other nerdy delights, a robot-making workshop, a thought-provoking spoken word showcase Ignite, and a group of mad scientists from Queens University, who’ll be turning Picnic-ers into human wires in Chain Of Emotion.

Preen On Me
Appearing at the Electric Picnic for the third year running, The Pamper Palace provides a haven for the hundreds of guys and girls who just can't bear to be seperated from their hairdryers for a whole weekend. For the rest of us, the body art and false lashes come highly recommended.

Straight To The Arts Of The Matter
Aside from the music, there are a stellar array of other activities on offer at Electric Picnic. For those who want some cerebral stimulation, checking out Mindfields is advised, as here you will encounter all manner of fascinating discussion on the arts, culture, politics and much more besides. Star turns this year include Howard Marks & Peter Hook, Irish language poets Louis De Paor & Ronan Browne, and award winning author Julian Gough - not to mention Hot Press luminaries Olaf Tyaransen and Declan Lynch.
Revellers in need of some r ‘n’ r can repair to the ever-popular Body & Soul arena, which will be home to over 30 handpicked therapists over the weekend, while you can also recharge the batteries at the Yoga and Dance Theatre. Another EP perennial is the Comedy Tent, which again hosts a remarkable line-up of comedic talent, including Reginald D. Hunter (see the Hoot Press interview this issue), Mario Rosenstock and the Stephen Frost Improv Allstars.
All this plus the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, Supershot Paintball, the Ferris Wheel, the Greencraft Village, the Science Gallery and the Pamper Palace - not to mention the world renowned Hot Press Chatroom. Truly, 2010 Picnickers are spoiled for choice.