Even though Body&Soul has just missed the summer solstice – by one day – you can still make sure that at least one of the days this weekend is your longest day of the year. Taking place in Meath's Ballinlough Castle for its ninth year, the festival makes great use of the surrounding woodlands, adding to the mischievous nature of the festival and its guests.
With Fever Ray taking her art show to the Body&Soul Stage and Jon Hopkins working his charm at the Midnight Circus stage, the line-up this year tends more to the senses rather than any music charts or trends, even though both acts are touring brand new albums. There’s a lot of extracurricular activities happening across the festival this year and with some good weather promised for Ballinlough, we’ve got a beauty of a weekend ahead.
Here’s everything you need to know before you head down to the Body&Soul Festival this weekend.
Are tickets still available?
Yes. The last of the weekend tickets - family camping, regular camping and Us & You Eco camping - are still available and they lost €199 each. Saturday day tickets (€80) and Sunday day tickets (€70) are also available but please note that you cannot camp with these, you need a weekend camping ticket to pitch a tent.
What time does everything kick off?
The car parks open at 9am on Friday, June 22nd but note that the campsites open at 12pm. You will need your wristband before you enter the festival and wristbands must be picked up before 11pm on Friday, 10pm on Saturday and 6pm on Sunday. The arena hours are from 3pm to 2am on Friday, 10am to 2am on Saturday and 12 noon until 12 midnight on Sunday. The campsites are open until 1pm on Monday.
How do I get there . . . and home?
- By bus: Marathon Travel are running a bus service from Custom House Quay to Body&Soul all weekend long. Return tickets are €25 online/€30 on the day. For more information and bus times, visit bushiredublin.net. Travelmaster are running bus services from Kerry, Cork, Limerick and Tipperary. Return tickets cost between €30 and €45. Visit travelmaster.ie for times and more information. JJ Kavanagh Buses is running services from Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow and Portlaoise. Return tickets cost between €25 and €40. Visit coachhire-ireland.com for times and more information.
- Carpooling: To cut back on the number of cars on the road, try carpooling. Body&Soul have partnered with Go Car Share and you can request or offer a lift. Visit gocarshare.com/festival/bodyandsoul to sign up. Or you can simply search on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtags #ecobodysoul or #bodysoul18 to find people dishing out lifts. Drivers of full cars may even be rewarded with a Green VIP Pack.
I’m bringing the car. What’s the best route?
Search for “Ballinlough Castle and Gardens” on Google Maps for directions or follow Body & Soul’s directions here:
Directions for general camping/Us&You eco camping/boutique camping /campervans and Sunday-ticket holders
From Mullingar direction
- Take N52 towards Delvin
- Travel through Delvin turning right in Delvin onto the N51
- Follow N51 turning left at Crowenstown National School onto the L5525
From the M3/N3/N52 (Clonmellon direction)
- Travel M3/N3 North past toll plazas to N3 Kells roundabout
- At N3 Kells roundabout take 1st exit N52 towards Clonmellon
- In village continue on N52 into Delvin
- Travel into Delvin turning left onto the N51
- Follow N51 turning left at Crowenstown National School onto the L5525
From Athboy direction
- Travel on N51 turning right after The Crowenstown Inn onto the L5525
Direction for family camping and family campervans
From Mullingar direction
- Take N52 towards Delvin
- Travel through Delvin turning right in Delvin onto the N51
- Follow N51 turning left at Crowenstown National School onto the L5525
- Turn right onto Loughlanstown road for family camping and campervans
From M3/N3/N52 (Clonmellon direction)
- Travel M3/N3 North past toll plazas to N3 Kells roundabout
- At N3 Kells roundabout take 1st exit N52 towards Clonmellon
- In village continue on N52 into Delvin
- Travel into Delvin turning left onto the N51
- Follow N51 turning left at Crowenstown National School onto the L5525 – Follow festival traffic
- Turn right onto Loughlanstown road for family camping and campervans
From Athboy direction
- Travel on N51 turning right after The Crowenstown Inn onto the L5525 – Follow festival traffic
- Turn right onto Loughlanstown road for family camping and campervans
What’s the story with camping?
A weekend camping ticket gives you access to the general campsite for the weekend but if you want to spruce up your stay, here are your options.
Body & Soul prides itself on its eco-friendly and sustainable ways and The Us & You Campsite is their green campsite i.e. it’s where all the sound people camp. Other than dedicated eco-facilities, campers get faster entry to the festival.
Boutique camping is available through Body&Soul’s ticket provider Ticketbooth. You can have a tent pitched and waiting for you, with Silk Road, LPM Bohemia and Pitched Perfect providing the tents. Pamper the Camper is a service that lets you order your camping equipment and they have it waiting for you to collect at the festival. This is also available through Ticketbooth.
Campervans are permitted into the campervan or family campervan area with an official Campervan Pass and you can purchase them through Ticketbooth here. You'll need one campervan pass per vehicle and you will need this to enter the campervan area. Please note that you cannot pitch tents beside your campervan for health and safety reasons. If you are bringing a caravan, you will need a campervan pass and can park in the campervan area. Once you pick your spot and are parked safely, you have to unhitch your car and park it in one of the car parks.
What if I want to bring my family?
A family ticket grants one adult and two children access to the Family Campsite. The Family Campsite has its own entrance, dedicated shower and toilet facilities and access to the Soul Kids area. If your family has more than one adult, then each additional adult needs to purchase their own Family Camping ticket at the same price as a traditional Weekend Camping pass.
What about disabled access facilities?
Body & Soul is always trying to improve its access facilities but take note that this is an outdoor festival, with muddy and uneven ground an obstacle. If you require Access Camping facilities, contact the festival directly at accesscamping@bodyandsoul.ie
What three acts each day should I absolutely see?
- Friday: get your booty down to the Body&Soul Stage at 11pm for Fever Ray. As soon as she finishes up, run over to the Midnight Circus and bask in the glory of Pantha Du Prince for 12.45am. If you can somehow drag yourself away from that, get to the Woodlands Stage to watch Ships and Laoise play until the closing time.
- Saturday: help yourself to some Shamir at 8pm on the Body&Soul Stage and get ready to lose your mind for Jon Hopkins on the Body&Soul Stage at 12.45am. If you have any energy left, make your way to the Reckles in Love Stage to see the magnificent Mother DJs play until close.
- Sunday: It might be a little bit harder to move after two days on th etear, but ease yourself into it with Daithí at 2pm on the Body&Soul Stage, find some will to live with BARQ on the Woodlands Stage at 9.15pm and then give your all to James Holden & The Animal Spirits in Midnight Circus at 10.45pm.
If I’m not into music, what else can I do?
Well, if you’re not into music, you’re certainly in the wrong place but if you need some quiet time, here’s what you can do.
The Irish Times will be taking over the The Woodland Stage from noon to 7pm on Saturday, June 23rd for a day of incisive discussion
- 6pm: The Irish Times Ticket Presents: Kendy Gable
- 5.40pm: Activism: Then and Now featuring Irish Times journalist Kitty Holland and Dublin Theatre Festival Director Willie White
- 3.30pm: Bordering on Insanity with Irish Times journalists Hugh Linehan and Simon Carswell
- 2.20pm: Delete Your Account with Patrick Freyne, Gavin Sheridan and Alison Spittle
- 1pm: The Irish Times Women's Podcast Presents: The People Have Spoken. Ailbhe Smyth, Anna Cosgrave reflect on the Yes landslide with music from Pow Pig.
- Noon: Late-Late Breakfast Club with Irish Times Magazine Editor Rachel Collins and food writers including Lilly Higgins and Carmel Somers
The Veuve Clicquot Garden will host a number of salon talks, champagne pairings and some tasty treats. A number of panels promoting some excellent women will also be on the go. The Creatives Panel will see filmmaker Dearbhla Glynn, photographer Ruth Medjber and Head of Design at Body&Soul, Mary Pike nattering away, the Music Makers Panel will see DJ Kelly-Anne Byrne and DJ Sally Cinnamon chatting about the Irish music industry, and the Innovators in Media Panel will have female authors and journalists Aoife McElwain, Eithne Shortall and Caroline Foran solving all of the world’s problems. And Veuve Clicquot ‘House of Rose’ Masquerade Ball will take place on Saturday night, with disco music and burlesque dancers seeing you through to the wee hours.
On Saturday at 3.45pm, a screening of Sinead O'Shea's A Mother Brings Her Son to be Shot will be held in the Library of Progress, followed by a Q&A, and on Sunday at 3.15pm, in the same venue, Blindboy will be sitting down with Tommy Tiernan for a live recording of his podcast.
Do I need to bring ID?
Yes. Body & Soul is strictly an over 20s event and you will need proof of age (driver’s license, passport or Garda Age Card) when you attend. However, children under the age of 23 are admitted free of charge when they are accompanied by a parent with a Family Camping Ticket. 13 - 19 year olds are not permitted, even if they are accompanied by a parent.
What about food and booze?
There will be plenty of food stalls and bars open across the weekend, catering to all tastes. There will be designated BBQ areas in the campsites where you can use your own disposable BBQs. Gas camping stoves are not permitted. If you are camping, each individual is allowed bring 24x500ml cans of beer, cider or ready-mix drinks or 1x750ml bottle of spirits or 3 bottles of wine (decanted into a plastic bottle) or 1x2 litre wine box. Saturday ticket holders and Sunday ticket holders are not permitted to bring any alcohol into the festival.
Once you are in the festival, there is a free-flow policy in place, meaning that you can bring your own alcohol into the main arena but remember that no glass containers are permitted on site whatsoever. Decanting services are available at the main entrance and you can buy one litre plastic bottles for €1.
What will the weather be like?
The forecats is for dry weather all weekend long, which is some form of a miracle, and temperatures will average at 18 degrees. Pack the sun cream and dress as sensibly as you can for an outdoor event, without cutting down on your sequins and glitter.
