Electric Picnic 2022

ROAD SAFETY MESSAGE FOR THOSE ATTENDING ELECTRIC PICNIC 2022

Many people will be travelling by car to and from Electric Picnic. A dedicated Traffic management plan is in place for the event and we remind all motorist to abide by same.

From a road safety perspective our priority is to ensure that people who travel to event are not put at risk by the minority of drivers who drive while under the influence of an intoxicant.

Members of the Garda Roads Policing Unit will be conducting roadside screening at Mandatory Intoxicant Testing checkpoints on routes to and from Stradbally over the weekend.

The roadside test for drugs has enabled members of the roads policing units to identify those drivers who are under the influence of drugs.

An Garda Síochána may test drivers for the presence of Cannabis, Cocaine, Opiates (e.g. Morphine) and Benzodiazepines (e.g. Valium).

The penalty for drug driving is the same as for drink driving – a maximum of €5,000 fine and up to 6 months imprisonment with disqualification periods of up to 4 years for a first offence and 6 years for a second or subsequent offence.

Road safety is everyone’s responsibility. Don't get into a car with anyone who has been drinking and if possible stop them from driving.

Plan for your journey home on Monday.

If driving the morning after remember that 11% of fatal collisions in which a driver had consumed alcohol occurred between the hours of 7am and 11am.

As a general rule, it takes an hour for the effects of half a pint (or a glass of wine) to wear off. It takes your body one hour to process one standard drink and there’s no quick fix.

Common examples of one standard drink include a half pint of beer / glass of wine (100ml) / pub measure of spirits (35.5ml). There is nothing you can do to remove alcohol from your body any quicker, only time.

Common myths are that drinking coffee or having a shower will sober you up but these are simply not true.

Even then it's safer to avoid drinking.

An Garda Síochána are encouraging people to consider using public transport to attend the event. Dedicated public transport routes along with an allocated drop off area close to the event entrance make this option an excellent alternative to using your car. 

An Garda Síochána is also appealing to all those attending Electric Picnic not to drive under the influence of an intoxicant, be well rested, take frequent breaks and don’t get distracted while driving.

Traffic Management plan

A Traffic Management plan will be put in place for patrons attending the Electric Picnic, Stradbally from Thursday, 1st September 2022 to Monday 5th September 2022. 

 The following dedicated routes are in use for this event: 

• (1) M7 Westbound (Dublin\East\North East) 

            Exit M7 at Junction 16, follow route signs along the R425 onto the R426 and continue to Money Cross. From here traffic will be diverted left onto the R427 to Car parks A, B, C, D. 

• (2) M7 Eastbound (Limerick\South West) 

     (i)      Thursday\Saturday\Sunday – Exit at Junction 16 and proceed as per M7 Westbound

    (ii)      Friday – Exit M7 at junction 17, proceed left towards Portlaoise town.  At Meelick junction traffic will be diverted right onto L6310 and proceed to Timahoe Road.  Traffic will turn right onto R426, and proceed to Sheffield Cross.  Here it will turn right onto R426 and merge with M7 Westbound, and proceed to Car Parks A,B,C,D. 

• (3) M8 North (Cork\South) 

• (i) Thursday\Saturday\Sunday - Continue on M8 North to Junction 19 M7, and merge with M7 Westbound. Proceed to Junction 16, M7 where it will merge with M7 Wesbound route.
• (ii) Friday – Exit M8 at Junction 3, Manor Stone. Proceed on R433 through Ballacolla to Abbeyleix.  At Abbeyleix town traffic will merge left onto N77.  Traffic will turn right on exiting Abbeyleix town onto the R425.  This traffic will travel northbound on R425 and merge with traffic at Money Cross.  From here it will be directed to Car Parks A, B, C, D. 

• (4) N80 West\Tullamore 

 Enter Portlaoise from Mountmellick on the N80.  Use Knockmay Relief Road onto Mountrath Road, R445.  At Rockdale Roundabout turn left onto Fr Browne Avenue.  Proceed to the N77 Abbeyleix Road  roundabout, taking 2nd exit and the onto the O’Doran roundabout (at Bowe’s Tyres) taking the 3rd exit and joining event traffic from there.  

• (5) Carlow\South East 

Proceed westbound on N80 to Stradbally.  Here it will be directed to Yellow Car Park on the Timahoe Road. 

A ‘Road Closure’ will be in effect from Thursday, 1st September 2022 at 12md until Monday, 5th September at 4pm on the R427, Cork Road, Stradbally from Money Cross on the South through to its junction with the N80 at Abels Corner, Stradbally. 

Event traffic only will be permitted to use this road to access car parks.  

Coaches\Shuttle Bus\Taxi’s\ Drop Off’s 

A dedicated set down area will operate on the Portlaoise side of Stradbally town.  This area will be accessed off the N80.  

Private operators are requested to arrange specific pick up times for patrons.  Parking will not be permitted in this area. 

This area will be supervised by Gardaí and Event Staff.  This is the only set down area for this event and set downs will not be permitted at any other location. 

This will be strictly enforced. 

Sunday Parking 

Sunday parking will be accessed off the N80 to car parks on the west (Green) and east (Yellow) of Stradbally town.  These will be the only available car parks on Sunday, 4th September. Traffic will not be permitted through Main Street Stradbally on Sunday 4th September. 

A diversion route is in place as follows for Sunday for non-event traffic from 12 midday to 4pm. 

This diversion route will only affect traffic travelling on the N80 from Portlaoise towards Stradbally and is as follows: 

• Traffic turning left at the Engineering works @ Park Lower
• Turning Right @ Ballymaddock Cross Roads
• Turning left @ main road at Rathmore
• Turning immediately right @ Buddocks Cross
• Travelling straight through @ Garrons Cross
• Turning Right @ Laundry Cross
• Turning Left @ Athy Road Junction back onto the N80 

All visitors to Stradbally on Sunday are advised that there is free parking in the Green event car park.

This car park is accessible throughout the entire day on Sunday. 

An Garda Síochána requests all patrons attending this event comply with dedicated routes and directions of Gardaí Any inconvenience caused by the implementation of the Garda Traffic Management Plan is regretted and every effort will be made to keep any such disruption to a minimum

Fraudulent tickets and ticket touting

Please see attached advice from Festival Republic on fraudulent tickets and ticket touting.

An Garda Siochana liaise closely with Festival Republic who will assist in any investigations of activity by persons engaged in fraudulent ticket sales.

Unauthorised Ticket Agents and Ticket Touting

The easiest way to avoid obtaining a suspect Electric Picnic ticket is to only buy from Festival Republic’s only authorised seller: Ticketmaster. 

NON TRANSFERABLE

If you see tickets for Electric Picnic advertised anywhere other than on Ticketmaster you stand a good chance of getting ripped off and possibly being refused entry.

The most usual reasons are listed below.

Festival Republic will be unable to assist you if you have bought from an unauthorised source, as we will have no purchase history available for the ticket.

All event tickets are checked by our staff at entry to the event and again at the wristband exchange for camping shows – any forged tickets will be confiscated and you will not be permitted to the event.

‘Print at home’ tickets are not issued for Electric Picnic, any tickets that are offered for sale fitting that description: are a scam.

A second common scam occurs when genuine tickets, have already been cancelled by the seller with Ticketmaster, and are then sold to an unsuspecting fan. These may appear to be genuine when received, but will not scan at the gates when you arrive on site.

To be as safe as you can and to avoid obtaining a suspect ticket, follow these simple guidelines:

• • Do not buy from an unofficial ticket agent – The only authorised ticket agent for Electric Picnic is Ticketmaster
• • Do not buy from internet auction sites
• • Do not buy a ticket online without seeing its face value
• • Do not pay more than the authorised standard booking fee per ticket. These are displayed on Ticketmaster
• • If you live in Ireland do not buy from a website with an overseas office address or with no registered address shown
• • Do not buy from another individual or tout, either in advance in your home town, or outside the event

If you ignore these pointers you are likely to pay a lot of money for something worthless as your ticket will be invalid.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Authorised agents will always make available the ticket Terms and Conditions applicable to the sale and make the transaction as transparent as possible.

This protects both the buyer and the agent and offers the customer legal protection. You will not be afforded the same protection if you buy from an unauthorised site. 

TOUTS

Great time and effort is put in to targeting touts. Many touts buy tickets from a number of sources using numbers of people to buy for them. Please be aware that touts will buy from auction sites and also advertise on websites that buy up unwanted tickets. 

AUCTION / RESALE SITES

It is also best practice to avoid Auction or Resale, Third Party sites, and you should only purchase a ticket from authorised agency.

IF IN DOUBT, DO A LITTLE RESEARCH FIRST.

Would you give you card details out and permission to debit your account to an anonymous person in the street? No. So don’t do it to an untraceable person on the internet or phone.

Certain things should immediately ring alarm bells such as:

Websites/agents with an address overseas (e.g. Spain, Hungary, USA etc.) for a supposed Irish or UK based company.

No address details at all on the website, just a contact phone number (especially a mobile number) and email address.. Try ringing the number and asking a few questions before attempting to book on-line.

Festival Republic agents are committed to keeping a set booking fee. Electric Picnic tickets are subject to max €7.15 per ticket service charge. Anyone charging above this is not a valid agent.

Researching the agent / website.

If you are suspicious then research the company. Try Google and other search engines and also web forums are an excellent source of feedback.

Most tout websites use a drop address. There will be no staff to talk to just an office with someone collecting mail for 20 or 30 different companies. If there is an address displayed, Google the postcode/address and see how many separate companies are registered to the same address.

Use web service such as whois.domaintools.com to find the domain details and who they are registered to and where they are hosted.

Festival Republic cannot be held responsible for any purchases made through unauthorised sources. 

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUT

If you do encounter problems contact your credit card issuer as soon as possible, and if you believe a criminal offence has taken place contact the Police. If you are not sure that a criminal offence has taken place then ask advice first from your card issuer The Competition & Consumer Protection Commission. 

SEARCH ENGINES

As a search engine Google is very effective, however typing in Electric Picnic will not automatically display the official Electric Picnic website or Ticketmaster first. Please check you are buying from the valid agent (Ticketmaster.ie) and not an unauthorised site set up to look like the official one. Some sites will carry ads/links from unauthorised ticket agents. Only use the official Electric Picnic site (https://www.electricpicnic.ie/) for ticket links. 

SOLD OUT EVENTS

The number of tickets available for any event is limited by the venue capacity. Once the tickets have all sold the safest thing to do is accept the fact it is sold out. We all understand the disappointment of missing out - but is it really worth risking your hard-earned cash buying from an authorised source when there’s no guarantee you will get in?

There are people who currently buy extra tickets to sell on to cover their own ticket costs. In doing this you deprive genuine fans (the ones you party with at the festivals) from buying at the correct price. Please be considerate and think of others and only buy for personal use. 

SPARE TICKETS

Occasionally due to genuine circumstances you may find yourself with a spare ticket.

Please do not be tempted to sell it on an auction site or to sell to a ticket tout or on-line agency. This just

perpetuates the problem. You are risking the purchaser not being able to enter the event (under the Terms and Conditions). You are liable should this happen and you may end up on the wrong end of legal action if something occurs to prevent the buyer from entering or you fail to supply information relating to the event entry Terms and Conditions e.g. age restrictions.

If you have a genuine reason for not being able to use your ticket such as a bereavement or accident please call the official Ticket Information Line for advice. 

Crime Prevention Advice

Each year, An Garda Síochána make every effort possible to ensure that this event passes off without incident. We would like your help to ensure that this year’s event is no different. Before you travel An Garda Síochána would like to offer the following Crime Prevention Advice. We would ask those attending to comply with directions for parking and traffic routes including pick up and drop off area.

DON’T:

• Don’t bring valuables to the event. Only bring with you what you can afford to lose. There is no way to make a tent 100% secure, so only bring what you absolutely need
• Don’t be tempted to leave valuables in your vehicle. Empty the glove box and leave it open to show thieves there is nothing of value inside. Remember where you parked your car. Car parks are clearly marked and identifiable
• Don’t keep all your money, bank cards and valuables together. Keep them in different pockets
• Don’t leave your backpack or handbag unattended
• Don’t challenge people if you witness an incident. Report suspicious activity to event security, staff or Gardaí immediately. Remember  Use your Brain not Your Fists
• Don’t bring illegal drugs to the festival there are dedicated units on site throughout the event for drug crime investigation.  Don’t make a decision that will result in a court appearance and conviction
• Many illicit drug users may think that the only bad thing about doing drugs is that they are illegal but the truth is there are negative health effects associated with every illegal drug out there and some of them can be fatal. Please see www.drugs.ie for the latest information

DO'S:

• Remember there’s safety in groups, camp with friends or make friends with your neighbours - they will keep an eye on your tent while you’re gone and you the same for them!
• Remember where you pitched your tent. It will be dark when you return
• Remember to use on-site lock-ups to store property each time you enter and leave the site
• Remember to drink alcohol responsibly
• Record your unique 15 digit mobile phone International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number. It is a 15-digit number on the back of your handset under the battery and can be found on most hand-sets by pressing *#06# on your phone key-pad. The IMEI will appear on the screen. Save a screenshot of your IMEI number.
  Email the Image to yourself or a friend
  Consider saving a contact number (other then your number) of a friend or family member as a screen saver which will help establish ownership of your phone should it be handed into us in An Garda Síochána or onsite security e.g. this phone belongs to (First name) if found please contact ( number) 
• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Avoid walking alone. Cultivate a “buddy” system. Tell someone where you’re going and when to expect you back. Only use the well lit walking tracks on site during the hours of darkness. Keep your phone fully charged and remember in the event of an emergency to call 999/112