With the gates for Electric Picnic 2026 open as of 2pm on Thursday, August 27, there’s much excitement ahead for the impressive line-up at this year’s festival. From incredible big names to smaller, emerging acts, Electric Picnic 2026 has no shortage of queer representation.
Headliners across the weekend include Irish musician CMAT. Dunboyne’s own bisexual pop star is set to perform at the Main Stage on Saturday, August 29, from 9pm to 10:15pm.
New York-based band Geese is known for their ’80s rock-inspired sound, drawing from acts like The Velvet Underground and The Strokes. Just like their bands of inspiration, a lot of their music features themes of queer expression in unique ways. You can catch them in Rankins Wood on Sunday from 9pm to 10pm.
YouTube star turned alt-rock musician, James Marriott, is set to make his appearance at the Main Stage on Sunday, August 30, from 2:45pm to 3:30pm. If you want to get a glimpse of him, make sure to get into the arena early to be part of the crowd!
Cork-based alt-pop band, Cliffords, will undoubtedly make the stage shake this weekend with their incredible and diverse sounds. The band’s lead singer, Iona Lynch, has spoken about how her experience of growing up queer has influenced her creative style and how that bleeds into the powerful songwriting the group is known for. If you want to see them live, make sure to be front and centre at the Rankins Wood stage on Saturday from 3:30pm to 4:15pm.
To cap off an already impressive headliner list, Gorillaz are one of Electric Picnic 2026’s biggest acts. The worldwide sensation’s lead singer, the character 2-D, is non-binary according to the creators Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. If you don’t want to miss out on the catchy and incredible sounds of the band, be sure to be at the Main Stage from 11:05pm to 12:35am on Saturday.
And you most certainly can’t forget about Mother After Dark, taking place across the weekend. If you’re in the mood for amazing music, late-night dancing, and a queer safe space, head to the woods for an unforgettable experience.
There is a range of other queer acts to enjoy throughout the weekend, including Florence Road, Emer Maguire, Dame Stuffy, Sorcha Richardson, Pillow Queens, Kayleigh Noble, Felispeaks, Breda Larkin, Madonna Kebab, George Houston, Regina & The Queens, Calum Agnew, Dose, Dirty Circus, MAV666, DIEBYVEG and more. They’ll be joined by a range of queer favourites, such as Adéla, Jade, Oklou, Michael Fry and MayKay.
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While the festival lineup features a number of talented queer acts, there have been reported issues regarding safety and homophobia at the event in recent years. With this in mind, if you or another festival attendee is in need of support, do not hesitate to use any of the resources at hand at Electric Picnic 2026. Resources and security are available all across the Stradbally site, with key information available here.
© 2026 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
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