Not long now to go until Electric Picnic.

Just a few more weeks until thousands of people descend on Stradbally for the biggest festival the country has to offer. If the line-up wasn't enough of a reason to get excited there have been some new additions to the overall festival which sound amazing. This year the festival will be introducing the first ever on-site motel: The Bold mOTel, which will be brought to us by Orchard Thieves. The Bold mOTel will feature a giant abandoned swimming pool turned dancefloor. Festivalgoers will be invited to get in the pool and dance the day away under the supervision of the DJ Lifeguard Tower. A host of well-known DJs will take to the poolside decks, playing all the ultimate hits of the past few decades. There will be an official launch party on the Friday night but all the antics will kick off on the Saturday and Sunday from 1pm. Over the weekend, there will be different activities organised in the motel and will have some exciting live pop-up performances. Not only that, the first people to arrive will be given special keycards where they can hold their own private party in the motel. Another exciting addition is a swimming area which will be made available for the first time. This year festival goers will be able to cool off at the lake which will be located in the idyllic surroundings of the Stradbally Hall estate.

Picnic lifeguards will be on duty to watch out for everyone’s safety over the course of the weekend and they have specific times for families and adults, meaning it will be the perfect place for a dip.

There are the opening times:

• Friday: 2pm -5pm FAMILIES ONLY / 5.30pm-7pm ADULTS ONLY
• Saturday: 10am-1pm FAMILIES ONLY / 1.30pm-7pm ADULTS ONLY
• Sunday: 10am-1pm FAMILIES ONLY / 1.30pm-7pm ADULTS ONLY

The history behind the lake is very interesting. The course of the Crooked River was moved to power a mill on the land of Stradbally Hall by monks from the local Franciscan Monastery during the late 15th century.  The manmade lake was then created by the ancestral owners of Stradbally Hall: the Cosby family during the early 18^th century.

Since then it has been maintained by the family, including a memorable excavation during the 1870s when a hundred men with a hundred wheelbarrows who worked in the Malting factory from Stradbally town manually dredged the lake.

For 2016, The Lake will be open to the Electric Picnic public for the first time, allowing Picnickers to splash into history!