Mother After Dark is set to make its highly anticipated return to Electric Picnic, bringing its celebrated Queer Dance Party in the Woods back to Stradbally with its biggest and boldest lineup yet.

Running from 11pm until 4am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the takeover promises three nights of music, performance and celebration in one of the festival’s most distinctive after-hours spaces.

The much-loved woodland venue will once again be transformed into a vibrant home for disco, house music and queer nightlife, with Mother’s resident DJs joined by an expanded roster of special guests. 

Since launching in June 2010, Mother has evolved from a club night created for Dublin’s LGBTQ+ community and its allies into one of Ireland’s most influential and celebrated queer cultural brands. Over the past 16 years, it has built a reputation for delivering unforgettable nights centred on inclusivity, music and community, while becoming a permanent fixture on Ireland’s festival calendar.

 

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Mother’s relationship with Electric Picnic has grown steadily over the years. Its resident DJs first became regular performers across the festival before Mother was awarded its own dedicated late-night woodland venue in 2022.

Since then, Mother After Dark has become one of the festival’s defining after-hours attractions, drawing thousands of festivalgoers into the woods each night for an immersive celebration of music, performance and self-expression.

This year’s edition marks the event’s most ambitious production yet, featuring its largest programme of talent to date. It combines world-class DJ sets with drag, live performance, choreography and spectacular visual production.

Behind the decks throughout the weekend will be Mother residents Rocky T. Delgado, Ruth Kavanagh and Ghostboy, joined by guest DJs Kelly-Anne Byrne, Glamo and Shrem.

A diverse cast of performers will also take to the stage across the three nights, including Abrakedavre, ADW, Annie Queeries, Anziety, Blaq Coffee, Blue Flame, Butch Chastity, Cornflake Girl, Crimson leCreme, Diablo, GayDHD, Haus of WIG, Naomi Diamond, Queenn Marie, Richard Joke, Scarlett Van Tassel, Shaqira Knightly, Terri Fierce, The Mother Dancers, Tony & Toni, Tricksy Nixx and Vicky Volltz.

Mother After Dark is once again set to deliver one of the festival’s standout late-night experiences, combining exceptional music, dazzling performances and an unrivalled sense of community in the heart of the woods. Electric Picnic 2026 takes place in Stradbally from August 28 to 30.