SINGLE-USE DISPOSABLE E-CIGARETTES have been banned by the organisers of the Electric Picnic music festival, ahead of the event next weekend.

The festival, which will take place in Stradbally Co Laois on 1 to 3 September this year, warned ticket holders that single-use disposable vaping devices will be confiscated from them if they are found in their possession when entering the festival next Friday.

Organisers of the festival said on Twitter they have taken the decision to ban the devices from the festival in order to “protect the land the the festival site is on”.

“Disposable vapes are made of a mixed compound of materials making them very difficult to recycle and hazardous if not placed in the correct waste stream,” the post said.

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— Electric Picnic (@EPfestival) August 26, 2023

“Please do not bring single-use disposable vapes as they may be confiscated on entry,” the post added.

Yesterday, the festival announced that Irish rock band The Script would be performing at the festival over the weekend. This will be the band’s first performance in Ireland since the death of their guitarist Mark Sheehan in April.

Electric Picnic said on Twitter yesterday that they were excited for The Script to join their “hall of fame” and perform alongside hundreds of other acts over the weekend.

Earlier this week, the festival release tickets to next year’s festival, before this year’s, and revealed it would be held at an earlier date for the first time in 20 years.

Electric Picnic will celebrate 20 years next year during the earlier dates of 16 to 18 August 2024 instead of the usual first weekend of September. 

Acts such as Billie Eilish, Niall Horan, Fred Again.., Paolo Nutini and The Killers are headlining the event next weekend.

The tickets for next year are now available to anyone who is signed up to the loyalty scheme, which gives attendees from the previous year first dibs on a ticket for the following year.

Last month, it was announced that Scotsman Paolo Nutini would be replacing fellow Scotsman Lewis Capaldi, after Capaldi announced in June that he is “taking a break from touring for the foreseeable future”.

Hundreds of other acts, from Ireland and across the world, will perform on the various stages the festival hosts which will allow attendees to see live music, comedy, live podcasts and take part in open discussions.

Other acts, set to take the stage in Stradbally, Co Laois next week include Steve Lacy, Tom Odell and Rick Astley – who was due to headline the festival in 2020 however was unable to after the event was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last year a record 70,000 people attended the three day music festival, which was the first event after two postponements.