Cycling Community at the Heart of Electric Picnic 2016

Another Electric Picnic has come and gone – with campaigners and artists from the cycling community converging in Stradbally for three days and three long nights of high energy and high brow entertainment!

Goldsprints bicycle racing accompanied by top tunes and compèring had the EP crowds flocking into the bicycle zone. There was no stopping DJ Seán Ó T agus lucht an Institiúid Rothar - Ruth, Robert and Sally. A big shout out to The Bike Institute for creating the most craic location within Global Green!

We were lucky enough also to have Cork Cycling Festival on board with their unique blend of bicycle robots on BMXs – nice one Brian!, Cork Cycling Campaigners and a moving performance on weird and wonderful tricycles and quadricycles………… where else would you get it!? A heartfelt thanks to the very colourful Alexis, Máirín Rua, Darren and Séan. And adding to the artistic draw of the bicycle space were the very beautiful recycled tyre and tube sculptures by Mick Davis with his son Faolan all the way from Ballyferriter on the Dingle peninsula.

Throughout the weekend we had great chats with Electric Picnic punters at the Dublin Cycling Campaign (DCC) / Cyclist.ie space about the need to make Irish towns and villages bicycle friendly. There is an exacerbation out there that so many of our otherwise very beautiful bothareens and routes around the land are simply not bicycle friendly – and this while the bicycle offers so many benefits as nicely explained in the European Cyclists’ Federation literature on the UN Global Goals. A sincere thanks to the creatives and tireless volunteers in DCC – particularly Alita, Pat, Phil, James, Anderson and LA David – for all of their work in building a very funky and lively bike space in sometimes trying weather conditions!

Last but certainly not least, we wish to acknowledge the brilliant presence of Róisin, John and Pete from Green Schools County Clare in bringing yet another bicycle dimension to the space. As well as demonstrating how much CO2 is generated in driving just 1km, they took on the job of getting punters to donate unwanted festival tents for the refugees based in Calais in France. It’s actually shocking how many tents and sleeping bags are left behind at EP……. a poor reflection of an Irish audience in an otherwise terrific festival.

Check out all the pics here and we look forward to collaborating with Cultivate as part of Global Green in Electric Picnic 2017…. hopefully in calmer weather conditions and with a more ecologically aware wider EP audience.

Damien Ó Tuama
Cycling Coordinator from Cyclist.ie for EP 2016

Tuesday, 13 September 2016 (All day)


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