GREAT NEWS. OUR Electric Picnic is safe–for at least another ten years.

Speaking today at the site preview for the festival in Stradbally this weekend, Melvin Benn of Festival Republic said that there was little uncertainty about the future of the event.

“There was doubt about the event for a while,” he said, “but we were always certain we were going to go ahead with it.”

But not only was this year a given, Benn said that the next ten years of the festival are in safe hands after an agreement with Stradbally Hall owner Thomas Cosby.

Both Thomas Cosby and myself have a document in hand for a further ten year commitment. People are keen to learn that it’s got a long term future, and it’s very much got a long term future. Jerry Fish said to me, it’s part of the Irish psyche now and it’s hugely important to keep it going.

Staging a huge event in deep recession was always going to be a challenge, but Benn says he believes the successful ticket sales were down to prices, the event’s 10 year history, and the fantastic line-up on offer.

Ticket price was a key factor for me, we wanted to encourage more people to come at a smaller ticket price than less a higher.

The festival promoter said that ticket sales had gone “through the roof” and were very much a result of the price decrease and not waning competition from the likes of Oxegen.

He said he was ‘flabbergasted’ that it sold out, as they only ever expect enough to pay all the bills.

But now, the ticket market has taken on a life of it’s own.

It would appear that the mood in the county at the moment is feverish to get hold of a ticket. People are showing me texts and tweets about tickets being sold at a ludicrous site price.

The festival begins this Friday and is set to reach capacity of 35,000.

Here’s a sneak peek at the Electric Picnic site!

Here’s how you can still get Electric Picnic tickets>

Here is the schedule for the main stage at Electric Picnic>