With the news yesterday that the eagerly anticipated Boardmasters Festival in Cornwall would be cancelled due to bad weather, there was bound to be a mass of Irish festivalgoers laughing into their sleeves at the idea.
Whether you're attending the massive annual Electric Picnic in Laois, the new All Together Now festival in Waterford, or even the Ploughing Championships in Carlow, one guarantee is this: it will rain. And rain hard.
Ploughing Day 3: It's like Electric Picnic, but at least farmers don't have to buy new wellies https://t.co/hl0UVFpKZD pic.twitter.com/SQtk4iE7YI
— FarmingIndo (@farming_indo) September 21, 2017
You will be soaked. And cold. And miserable.
But Ireland's music festivals will still go down as one of the best weekends of your life, one you will fondly reminisce over as you suffer from a bone-racking flu for the next week, surviving only on Lemsip and hot whiskeys.
We got just a slight bit wet down in Stradbally today! Be sure to pack your wellies for #ElectricPicnic2014 pic.twitter.com/0mYr0l76rJ
— LHP (@LHPublicity) August 25, 2014
It’s at the point where people don’t even think about what the weather will be like – you pack wellies and raincoats into your bags, plus an extra plastic sheet to put over your tent. You accept that no matter how well you look on the first day (or first five minutes at least) by day two you’ll be a haggard wreck of windswept wet hair, makeup running down your face and cold wet clothes sticking to your goose-pimpled body.
Rain at Electric Picnic? Be grand. It rained at Slane, so we just rocked a tarpaulin up until Foo Fighters came on! pic.twitter.com/6pqJl5Txqs
— Conor (@mrstability) September 3, 2016
When you’re singing along to your favourite bands, packed against other joyous revellers who all look as shite as yourself and having just as much fun, it really doesn’t matter—particularly as you’re wrapped in the solid, heavy warmth of a beer blanket all day.
Time for the annual cleaning of last year’s mud from Electric Picnic off my Doc Martins in preparation for this year’s Electric Picnic. pic.twitter.com/AkgGvCEuLN
— Lolsy Byrne (@LolsyByrne) August 29, 2018
But as the main arena goes quiet and people start spreading out in different directions, some to the campsite, some to the rave in the woods, the cold starts biting at your bones and the flimsy tent you brought does nothing to protect you—especially as you decided against bringing a blanket to make room for more cans.
@Topshop Oxegen 2010.. Irish weather only making it better #TopFestival pic.twitter.com/0oq2RcG2Dg
— Amy Lloyd (@AimesLloyd) June 25, 2014
One particularly grim year at Electric Picnic the temperature dropped to minus one.
Minus one. Literally freezing.
Everyone at Electric Picnic right now....! 😱 #Freezing #ElectricPicnic #Camping #Glamping #EP #ElectricPicnic2018 pic.twitter.com/jRScReMOPv
— Wesley (@Wez1ey) September 1, 2018
And the optimists had come in thin, fashionable Maxi dresses or playsuits (These looked interesting paired with the knee-length wellingtons).
With a Yellow Warning storm expected to hit Cornwall during the three-day festival, of course it was right to cancel the festival for the safety of those attending—Ireland’s own Fever Pitch festival was cancelled earlier this year due to high winds causing havoc, blowing portaloos over and putting people in danger.
Galway... sadly fever pitch has been cancelled. It's far too windy and we can't have the stage blowing away coz that would be horrendous ❤️ time for a Guinness to drown the sorrows .. see you all very soon x pic.twitter.com/c3LJdNTSbX
— Gavin James (@gavinjames) June 2, 2019
But we as a people do tend to scoff at any mention of bad weather in other countries: "That's just a Tuesday in Ireland, sure".
There’s always next year.
