If you’re looking to get away from it all at this year’s festival, why not immerse yourself in the tranquil wonderland that is The Hazel Wood!
Returning for its second year in 2017, it promises whimsical entertainment and chilled out vibes.

The space is alive with interactive theatre & performance art, musical entertainment and mesmerising visual art installations, with plenty of seating to kick back and put your feet up.

The Gaiety School of Acting - The National Theatre School of Ireland is delighted to return to the Hazel Wood bringing its unique stamp of performance, creativity and fun into the woods. Adults and children alike are invited to enjoy “Tales in the Thicket”-featuring some of Ireland's favourite historical lore and mythology!

Spirits and artisans, farce and feelings - Footsbarn is back in the woods! Puppets, clowns, music and song, tragedy and comedy, colour, costumes and music. Plucking snippets from two new productions that mine the rich mastery of Shakespeare and Molière - "Mingling with Moliere" and "Bottoms Dream"-join the company as they delight and surprise in the Hazel Wood.

Returning this year, the Cerebral Fortress will once again challenge Picnickers to be brave in the woods-close your eyes and tap into the immersive and augmented reality of your own psyche, if you dare!

Boombox Nation, co-founded by hip hop innovator Tobi Omoteso, will bring an 80’s NYC street party vibe to the Hazel Wood this year! Live DJs will be spinning and cutting the best Hip-Hop tracks, while break dancers and graffiti instructors provide interactive workshops sure to bring an explosion of movement and colour to this little corner of the forest.

Fosset’s Circus will be returning to the forest, bringing a taste of their acclaimed performance to the Hazel Wood once again. Always a firm Picnic favourite, these talented performers are sure to delight all ages.

Dowtcha Puppets present ‘The Boy with No Story’-an Irish faery-tale about a teenage boy’s adventure at his first party. Filled with mischief, song and storytelling, this traditional story was told to the company by Clare Murphy, and has been adapted for puppetry by the Dowtcha Youth Ensemble.

As dusk settles on Stradbally, the OTC Opera Hub will be bringing a touch of operatic ambience to the woodlands. Settle in and enjoy the musical stylings of OTC Opera Hub, as they perform a new piece created to accompany the classic silent horror film ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’.

Strive Theatre will bring their critically acclaimed black comedy ‘Will It Fit in the Van?’ to the Hazel Wood stage. This farcical comedy delves into the world of poorly run drug distribution, kidnapping, murder, cocaine, biscuits, beloved horses, car batteries, the clergy and a very important chipper!

The Spook of the Thirteenth Lock will be joined in the Hazel Wood by an electric guitar orchestra to perform several pieces which reflect on the recent decade of centenaries and their continuing relevance today. The performance powerfully matches Irish traditional sounds with a wall of electric guitars, culminating in Larkin’s immortal call to arms: “The great appear great because we are on our knees: Let us rise”

The Hazel Wood will be adorned with enchanting art installations designed to captivate and inspire. Featured artists this year will include Tessa Quinn and Patsy Preston, and Triangle Productions will once again be producing a truly magical stage for our artists to perform on!

When the sun goes down and you’re looking to get away from it all at this year’s Electric Picnic, follow the path through the woods to a magical escape from the madding crowds, at the AfterDark in the Hazel Wood stage.

Onstage throughout the weekend will be: trip-hop/electronic outfit Freezer Room with guests; Choice Prize nominee Bantum, joined by visual artist Le Tissier for a live A/V set; veteran Irish singer Jack L; Hard Ground singer-songwriter Marlene Enright; legendary Leeside record-slinger Jim ‘X’ Comet; world-travelled troubadour Tiz McNamara; former RTÉ 2FM Play the Picnic winners Tanjiers, and introducing Máiréad who has toured with the likes of Van Morrison, Natalie Merchant, Elvis Costello and Tracy Chapman. Máiréad launches her comeback album with a very special exclusive performance at midnight on the opening night of the festival.

Taking over the DJ spot will be low-budget excess merchants Humans Of The Sesh, Cork house collective Fleece and stage curators Generic People. In addition to all of this, the stage will feature intimate fireside sessions with a selection of artists throughout the weekend, making the stage the ideal escape from the hustle and bustle of the festival.

So whether you’re looking for a spot to chill, a whimsical world of performance, or just somewhere to nurse a sore head, gather around the campfire with a big bag of cans, and lose yourself in the amazing late-night acts in the secluded woodland haven that is Afterdark in the Hazel Wood.