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Fans at the festival last year. Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie

Electric Picnic: Festival-goers warned of 'vigorous' drug searches

The warning comes ahead of the festival this weekend.

ORGANISERS OF ELECTRIC Picnic have warned festival-goers that they will face “vigorous” drug searches when attending the annual event this weekend. 

Speaking to reporters in Stradbally, Laois today, Electric Picnic boss Melvin Benn warned that “searching will be vigorous”. 

“We will do targeted searching where we think it’s appropriate but ultimately it’s about people making their own choices,” he added. 

With 57,500 people set to attend the festival this weekend, this is the largest Electric Picnic ever. The line-up this year includes The Strokes, Florence and the Machine, Hozier and rising star Billie Eilish.

“Illegal drugs are illegal for specific reasons and that’s principally because they’re dangerous. What’s in the drugs, people don’t know and we urge people not to take drugs,” Benn said. 

Talks are currently underway between the HSE and organisations that could provide drug-testing at festivals as calls grow for harm-reduction measures at music events. 

Meanwhile, Benn said that the festival could expand further next year.

“It feels to me like there is demand and it feels to me like potentially we could try and meet that demand if there’s space,” he said. 

This year attendees are being asked to take part in a cup deposit scheme and use reusable bottles at the festival.

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    Nov 10th 2023, 8:08 PM

    Genuine question, is there anywhere else that allows comments on Irish stories?

    Reddit Ireland or Boards.ie seem to be the only ones. Alot if people want to know real opinions on stories. The journal clearly is abandoning comments.

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    Mute HisMastersAlibi
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    Nov 10th 2023, 8:26 PM

    @:Hahaha,real opinions, coming from the likes of you is it,hahaha. I’ve never seen more deluded muppets on any Web site more than I have in my short time here.

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    Mute Nestor
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    Nov 10th 2023, 11:43 PM

    Children’s hospitals in Ireland not as busy as children’s hospitals in Gaza, thankfully!:

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    Mute Tom Dillon
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    Nov 11th 2023, 12:14 AM

    @: who cares about comments?? Write a a letter to the editor like we used to do. What a snowflake. What an entitled, privileged fck.

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    Mute C O'H
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    Nov 11th 2023, 4:56 AM

    @Tom Dillon: @Tom Dillon: tom trolled me. Therefore I am trolling you back tom. Good luck making a comment on any article in the next week. You state: ‘who cares about comments’, yet you are commenting on multiple posts within a short space of time. I comment once every 2 weeks, however for the next week I will be commenting on every one of your posts to highlight your trolling. After that I will go back to commenting casually as per previous.

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    Mute C O'H
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    Nov 10th 2023, 8:21 PM

    I agree with you. The journal was enjoyable because of the comments. There is an article just released on the Beatles and that has closed comments. Makes no sense.
    Poor children getting sick like that.

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    Mute Magnificent Mongoose
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    Nov 10th 2023, 8:38 PM

    @C O’H: This place is gone to the dogs. Can’t even comment on the Beatles getting to number 1.

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    Mute Tom Dillon
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    Nov 11th 2023, 12:17 AM

    @C O’H: enjoyable because of the comments. Wow It’s a news platform. You can billow your comments down the pub

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    Nov 11th 2023, 4:45 AM

    @Tom Dillon: why are you then commenting tom?? Off to the pub with you. I’m sure the locals in your pub would say ‘oh no look who just walked in’.

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    Mute Anna Carr (Morrigan_Dubh)
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    Nov 11th 2023, 12:32 AM

    Is it me or is everyone getting hysterical over every illness now?

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    Mute C O'H
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    Nov 11th 2023, 5:07 AM

    @Anna Carr (Morrigan_Dubh): Not fair to comment on sick children in this manner Anna. It is a very serious life threatening respiratory infection. Parents of those sick children may be reading these comments following reading the article, as it relates to their child. Could you please be kind.

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    Mute Sarah O'Sullivan
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    Nov 11th 2023, 9:31 AM

    @Anna Carr (Morrigan_Dubh): Where’s the hysteria? It clearly says in the article that the majority of children will recover without treatment, but it rightly highlights the fact that it can cause serious complications for small babies and children with underlying issues. What’s wrong with educating people on this?

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    Mute Pato
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    Nov 10th 2023, 9:42 PM

    Ringo might sue them.

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