Anyone for a quick Picnic?
ELECTRIC Picnic organisers face a race against time to salvage this year’s festival.
The Stradbally event is an annual mainstay for music lovers, celebrities and the masses who unite in peacocking around a soggy Laois field in fancy dress and trendy wellies.
Until the success of the ongoing vaccine rollout, it was generally thought there wasn’t a chance of the festival raising a tent this year. But recent remarks from owner Melvin Benn have lifted fans’ hopes.
When asked if a version of the Picnic could go ahead in September, Mr Benn – drawing on his success in organising Britain’s first pilot Covid concert in Liverpool – said: ‘I can see no reason why it wouldn’t be.
‘Ireland is about four or five weeks behind the UK in terms of planning. I can see no reason why the Irish Government wouldn’t be saying “you can be back to normal by August, or in August”.’
His upbeat festival forecast was given a boost by Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan after he signalled that festival and sporting events could resume later this year if infection rates continued to decline.
However, the Irish Mail on Sundayhas learned that no real planning has been undertaken for a festival this year. A source said: ‘Nobody has heard anything and there’s nothing being arranged. So you would have to pull a massive festival together at the last minute. But, saying that, while it’s improbable it’s not impossible.’
One concert that definitely won’t be going ahead is Andrea Bocelli’s series of Dublin dates scheduled for October. Bocelli serenaded the footballing world as he kicked off the action at Friday’s UEFA Euro 2020 opening ceremony in Rome.
But his three-night Dublin extravaganza has been postponed because of the coronavirus.
There is disappointment too for Westlife fans, who are set to postpone their Cork concerts for another day. But the boys will be taking wing and flying to London as their Wembley gig is likely to be given the green light.
On a more positive note, Christy Moore is dusting off his trusty guitar and oiling his vocal cords for his postCovid comeback at the Gleneagle INEC in Killarney on Saturday, June 26.
The gig is one of a series of pilot events. Arts Minister Catherine Martin said: ‘It has been a long and difficult 15 months for so many musicians, artists, venue operators, crew and audiences. I am delighted to announce the INEC gig.’
Meanwhile, the Cannonball Run, is on track to raise the chequered flag on August 13 and 14. This year it’s going back to the golden era of motoring, when taking a drive didn’t require government permission, face masks, a boot-load of sanitiser and passport just to travel from Dublin to Doolin.
‘While it’s improbable it’s not impossible’