FESTIVAL ARRANGEMENTS:ELECTRIC PICNIC music and arts festival opens its gates today with more than 25,000 fans expected to make the trip to Stradbally over the weekend.
Although a large number of children may have returned to school this week, they can also enjoy the festival. Those under 12 can attend free but they must register on the Electric Picnic website first.
The official campsite opens at 9am today and will close at 1pm on Monday.
The main stage today will feature acts such as Sigur Ros, The XX, Gavin Friday and the Alabama Shakes. On the Crawdaddy stage, Ed Sheeran, The Vaccines and The Maccabees will be performing.
The Body and Soul stage will see The Strypes, Donal Dineen and guests and Dirty Dubsters.
It takes 50 minutes to drive from Dublin to Portlaoise via the M7 motorway, although there will be heavy traffic surrounding the festival site. Organisers have recommended car-pooling to reduce congestion.
The venue is more than three hours by road from Belfast. Drivers coming from the city should take the A1 and then M1 to Dublin, then the M50 on the outskirts of Dublin and leave the M50 at junction 9 to take the M7.
Stradbally is two hours or so from Galway. Drivers should take the N6 to Portumna and then the R489 to Birr, N62 to Roscrea and M7 onward. The roughly two-hour drive from Cork will see drivers take the N8 to Portlaoise and then N80 to Stradbally.
There are special bus services going to Electric Picnic, leaving from Custom House Quay in Dublin, Parnell Place bus station in Cork city and Galway bus station. Departing and return services will run from 8am in some places and from noon in others. There are also trains to Portlaoise, which is about 25 minutes away by road.
The heaviest traffic can be expected this afternoon and evening, and on Monday morning.
The Abbeyleix Road (R427) will be closed from Money Cross to Stradbally until 4am on Sunday and from 8am until 3pm on Monday. Access to Stradbally along this route will be for residents and event traffic only.
Any motorists not attending the event are advised to take alternative routes. There is no official closing time for the campsite on Monday, meaning many will be in no hurry to get on the road.
The weather today is forecast to be warm and dry with a few clouds and highest temperatures reaching 17 degrees.
Tomorrow will be even warmer with temperatures ranging from 18-21 degrees, although it will be more overcast than today. Sunday will still be warm with temperatures reaching 21 degrees, but there will be increased likelihood of light showers.