A week to go, the countdown begins in earnest, next week we will see the stage times and planning begins properly and more tidbits about this years festival creep out each passing day.

The Jolly Boys and Trenchtown will bring some Caribbean vibes to EP, Jolly Boys are Jamaica’s answer to Buena Vista Social Club is what were told and will be making their first visit to Ireland, no better place to start than the Jamaican area of Trenchtown. They are promoting their latest album “Great Expectation”.

Also appearing in trenchtown over the weekend are One World Sound / Discovery Gospel Choir / Wassa Wassa / The Barley Mob / Wiggle / Roots Factory / Skaz / Dub Investigation / The Bionic Rats / Treasure Beach International / Worries Outernational / The Launch Crew / Indica / The Italics / Intinn

Trenchtown will be providing Jamaican delights from 5pm to 4am over the 3 days of the festival. You can also find Jamaican foods of all varieties and exotic cocktails.

Providing visual stimulation, is The Eclectic Art Trail which will include the following.

1. Kaleidescape – Paul Gay
Paul Gay, Kaleidescope artist, in collaboration with the The Invisible World Theatre and Music Guild, presents a collection of giant interactive kaleidoscopes – the largest in Europe. An intimate atmosphere of light, sound, colour and movement transports us from this world to another, quite unimaginable. A “must see and do” for children of all ages, come step into the dream of Kaleidescape

2. Hortisculpture
The hortisculpturists are back, once again creating a space for the viewer to mingle with abstracted natural forms – a fantasy like forest of pods & cocoons away from the din of the festival

3. Peace Pagoda – Christy Collard
Expanding on this beautiful permanent Peace Garden from last year, Christy Collard and his fabulous team are back to create the Peace Pagoda in the Zen Gardens. A temple space made of round wood from the surrounding land, it will a space to unwind, relax and be serenaded by uplifting music.

4. Lus na Sidhe (Light of the Fairies)
Sprung from the meeting place of natural beauty and imaginative fantasy, this piece crafted from West Cork Hazel and Kerry wool will nourish both body and soul – providing a place of calm and beauty as well as a lantern to light your way.

5. Thrashold Entrance – Shrine & Christy Collard
The Trashold entrance, kindly sponsored by the European Recycling Initiative (ERP) will be an inspirational and cutting edge entrance way, built from the components of 22 tonnes of electrical waste by artist Shrine and Christy Collard .

6. Graffiti – Chris Reeves
As you wander around the weird and wonderful landscape of Electric Picnic keep an eye out for a large land locked boat, once the property of James Bond and a large wooden train carriage. Each year the old girls get a fresh coat of paint from some of Ireland’s premier illustrators and street artists. Fresh from their well received show “The Temple “in Monster Truck Gallery Temple Bar, Brian Coldrick, James Kirwan and Risto will be joined by Brazil’s Askim, the Nom Nom Collective’s Lamps and Jine as well as Eoin Holland are but a few lined up to provide this years aerosol antics and marker mayhem.

7. Giant Tulips – Jig Cochran
Beautiful giant tulips lanterns illuminated at night

8. Roxanna Stevens – Tree Faces
Look out for the mystical faces in trees which are made from cardboard, cornflour and coffee to stain them. They are tied to the tree with string, the leaves/ivy are naturally fallen and cause no damage to the tree.

9. All Wasted – by Sophie Maltzan/ Fieldwork& strategies
An art installation made out of tents abandoned at festivals, the sea of tents poetically sways in the wind and is lit from within. However there is also a distinct strain of social commentary in this work. F&s hopes to encourage people to be more conscientious to not destroy and leave their tents behind on the campsite. Through making “rubbish” look beautiful, F&s motivates people to first look and enjoy the beauty and then secondly reflect about the rubbish we create. If we just piled up rubbish no one would look at it and thus think about it.

10. It’s Never too Late to have a Happy Childhood! – Away with the Fairies
Once again Away With The Fairies Arts Collective combine with Circle of Wyrdd to create a funfield of weird and wacky interactive art. Tikki woodcarvings blend with sculptures made from recycled materials in an insane souffle cheerfully out to lunch…It’s never too late to have a happy childhood !

11. Depaul Ireland ‘Life’s No Picnic on the Streets’
The Life’s No Picnic on the Streets art exhibition is created in collaboration with homeless people living in the services of Depaul Ireland. The tent will have video installation as well as paintings and other artwork created by the service users.

12. Mad Hatter’s Tea Party – Harry Harris in collaboration with Rosalind Jellett
Sculptor Harry Harris (Kilkenny) and festival stylist Roz Jellett, will bring their take on the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party to the Mindfield Spoken word area. Furniture suspended from trees, giant books to sit inside, cakes and porcelin piled high… The giddy marriage between lunacy and literature in this installation will even come to life: Alice, the Hatter, the Cards, the rabbit, the queen, they’ll all be at the table.

13. Art // Fashion // Activism
This year at the picnic, Re-dress present the Art of Fashion; an instillation in collaboration with For The Love Of which will see artists and designers work together to create one of garments inspired by the theme ‘Together we are Electric’. The live event will take place on the Saturday culminating in a live shoot at 8pm in the Slow Food Tent. JOIN us and WEAR the clothes – together we are electric !

14. Rubbish Art and Sculptures with BYE
6 to 8 sculptures made out of rubbish and recycled products will form a gallery garden in Global Green. These will be interactive and illuminated at night.

15. The ‘Head, Heart and Hands’ of Transition
A stunning interactive and informative piece of art from the folks at Transition Towns asking, what are you thinking, what are you feeling, what are you doing?

16. Electric Art
In association with Electric Picnic the European Recycling Platform will be exhibiting the winner of the Electric Art contest at Global Green which uses waste electrical and electronic equipment.

17. Bike Art
This will include the amazing tall bikes, long-bikes, Kerry Bicycle Festival’s Automobike, furry bicycles, bicycle furniture together with the beautiful “Cyclize-your-city” 2-D images. Various other bicycle projections and films will be shown over the course of the weekend.

18. Mandala – Geoff Fitzpatrick
A mandala is an artform originating in Tibet over 2,500 years ago. They are circular in design and are expressions of wholeness. The global green mandala is a collaborative piece based on the Heptad (the archetype of seven) representing the Electric Picnics Seventh Year. The Theme of the mandala is the ‘Part representing the whole’. It is a celebration of how we as individuals come together to create something much bigger than ourselves. You are invited to contribute to the mandala by selecting one of the provided materials, making a wish and placing it within the Mandala. All hands are welcome!!

19. Nymph A-Fishing by Imogen Stafford
A stealthy form leaping to catch a fish in the pond formed at the source of the river. The scene mayevoke a sense of how wonderful it would be to find our food so wild and free . . . . Located in the Greencrafts Village.

20. White Light by Marie Brett & Nic Piper
An intimate art installation a circle of 200 white flags with a card tied to each with a written
personal intention for someone’s future. This is a participatory art piece which will develop and change over the course of the festival weekend. Picnickers are welcome to write a card & add it to the artwork & make their own personal wish or intention. Located in the Greencrafts Village.their own personal wish or intention. Located in the Greencrafts Village

21. The Shrine Stage
A new addition to the Body&Soul, and a permanent feature for years to come – a brand new stage , a one off design by one of our favourite artists, Shrine, aka Brent Spears. An artist who has painted over sixty interactive murals around the world, and over fifty murals in Los Angeles.
Shrine also paints cars, furniture, and shoes, and does paintings on wood-framed glass windows. He has created two large-scale temples made from trash at Burning Man.