Forest Fest - Emo, Co. Laois - July 21-23 2023

Thundercats Ho

https://forestfest.ie/

2nd edition of Forest Fest, Friday July 21st to Sunday July 23rd 2023

Might as well set up a separate thread for this festival, as the lineup is taking shape now.

Lineup below *last updated 09.12.2022*

Really happy with those announced so far, and only 40 minutes from home!

Thundercats Ho

From the website

"James have been announced to headline the opening Friday of the Forest Fest weekend in Emo village in Laois next summer."

So that's the Friday headliner boxed off.

sydthebeat

only about 8 mins from me :D

thats a pretty spectacular line up to be playing in Emo to be honest......

Dreamweapon

Dream Wife really stand out in that lineup. As in 'hip young things' rather than 'old codgers'. Odd booking for them i'd have thought.

Thundercats Ho

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119975258#Comment_119975258

Yea it's a great lineup and aimed at the 'maturing' festival goer.

Half man half biscuit are touring again next year and would be a nice fit for this I think.

SteM

Bell X1 headlining the Saturday and Suede the Sunday I guess. Might bring our son to it this year, his first camping festival.

Stillill42

Fair play, that's a very appealing line up to those of us of a certain age. Emo's a gorgeous spot too and reports from last year were very positive (@sydthebeat ?). I'm certainly considering this. Anyone tell me where the camping was last year, what it was like?

sydthebeat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119976015#Comment_119976015

haha dont read my last post in the EP forum then.

a few small gripes with it, but all in all well worth it.

on camping, these were the camp site:

camp site A is the best one (closer to the pubs! pub :D )

ive a feeling it mighty be enlarged for next year though

funnyname

What's it like for kids (last year to get them both in for free), thinking of going with campervan?

sydthebeat

copied from the EP thread:

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119976027#Comment_119976027

Stillill42

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119976057#Comment_119976057

Cheers Syd. A little disappointed with that. Assumed everything was on the estate, actually none of it is, right?

sydthebeat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119976079#Comment_119976079

correct, none of it is within the grounds of Emo Court. its all adjacent.

Emo court would be a fabulous backdrop for a festival, but its OPW now so unlikely it ever will be.

One of the big attractions of Groove festival was it being in the grounds of Kilruddery. with the house being a foundation point of the layout.

sydthebeat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119976060#Comment_119976060

i cant comment on the kids angle as i didnt bring any, but there certainly was plenty of families around during the day

scruff monkey

fcuk it, I am now a two festival person

sydthebeat

Just pulled the trigger myself for 2 weekend tickets.

As sometimes who lives in Laois, we're being spoiled for music festivals lately, between EP, forest fest and the coupler of years we had of "BARE in the woods"

scruff monkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119977949#Comment_119977949

Bare in the woods sounds like a dogging festival or if you change the spelling a festival specially for fans of the hairy mano a mano crowd.

Penfailed

Very tempted by this one.

sydthebeat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119978252#Comment_119978252

haha probably not too far off with that description :P

a little bit of debauchery in the bog is never a bad thing :D

(and for our urbanite readers "bog" does not mean toilet!)

princemuzzy

for anyone that went last year was it free flow

Thundercats Ho

Mate of mine was there last year, no free flow and they were seemingly strictly enforcing that.

However all beers were €6 including from 2 craft breweries, Ballykilcavan and Wicklow Wolf.

Not sure about next year, I didn't see it mentioned anywhere.

scruff monkey

For anyone that camped last year, what were their faculities / camping areas like?

Penfailed

Ticket purchased 😊

bodhrandude

That's a pretty decent lineup, was checking if some of the lads from the volunteering admin was gonna be working this one, as I'd jump at the chance of trying a different festival to vary it a bit. None of them have heard anything yet, but hopefully running the volunteering for this one.

scruff monkey

(sighs in having to track two of them now...)

There are 218 sleeps

Thundercats Ho

Day splits released.

Paul Brady added, and Daoiri Farrell for the Fleadh is great news too.

Stillill42

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120014202#Comment_120014202

Wete Bleach Lab on the last announcement? Maybe Dream Wife were feeling a bit lonely. Looks good, no doubt.

LowOdour

James, Ash and Hookie in the one night would be pretty good

Penfailed

How many stages are there at this?

Thundercats Ho

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120016889#Comment_120016889

I wasn't there but a friend of mine said there were 2 main stages, with a 15 minute gap between when a band finished on stage one, and another band starting on stage 2, so no clashes. There was also music in a tent but he didn't really go to that.

There'll be at least 3 next year with the Fleadh, and possibly a 4th would be my guess.

Penfailed

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120021123#Comment_120021123

Nice one. Thank you 😊

sydthebeat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120016889#Comment_120016889

on recollection there was 3 stages

the main stage was the full of the main GAA pitch (Forest Stage, yellow)

there was a smaller circus tent one where the fleetwood mac tribute band were the highlight (Finnegans Wake stage, Red)

and then there was a large canopy / tent style one at teh most remove from the main stage (Forest edge stage, Blue)

There was a 4th stage down at the main Batonis camp site that i didn't go to... and there was DJ in a small canopy that was wayyy too close to the finnegans wake stage for me. The soundbleed was stupid.

For this year, with the line up thats announced, id imagine there will be at least one stage more, if not two. The area given over to the fun fair was quite large so id imagine another stage could be located in there without too much hassle. The actual area the festival can encompass is actually quite immovable. its not like they can just push the boundaries out into adjoining lands.