All Together Now, the festival-shaped brainchild of the man who founded Electric Picnic in 2004 only to leave 10 years later, is back again this weekend.
The late John Reynolds may have taken a risk setting up the medium-sized endeavour in Co Waterford, but, now in its fifth year (there was a pandemic hiatus), the festival is once again set to bring thousands of eager revellers to Curraghmore Estate.
Across an area of natural amphitheatres, gentle hills and hidden forests, All Together Now boasts several stages of music, spoken word, comedy, workshops, wellness activities and whatever New-Age artsy things are in vogue today.
With more than 25,000 expected to descend on the Co Waterford estate for the festival, a bit planning can do no harm. So what do you need to know?
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When and where is it on?
The festival is on from Friday, August 2nd, to Sunday, August 4th, at Curraghmore Estate in Co Waterford. Early entry is available on Thursday, August 1st.
Are there any tickets left?
As of Tuesday, July 30th, there was a limited number of general weekend camping tickets available for €249 each, excluding booking fees. You can purchase them at ticketmaster.ie. Buy tickets from accredited sources only, and add yours to your phone’s wallet before you leave home to keep it handy.
Who is performing and when?
With a variety of acts scheduled to perform over the weekend, festivalgoers are spoiled for choice. Headliners for this year include Jorja Smith, James Vincent McMorrow, The National, The Mary Wallopers, Natasha Bedingfield and The Prodigy. Planned headliner Róisín Murphy has had to pull out of the festival for health reasons.
As with the headliners, there is no shortage of Irish music acts lined across the other stages, including The Murder Capital, King Kong Company, Kojaque and Soda Blonde, to name a few. At the Belonging Bandstand, you won’t want to miss Tommy Tiernan, Panti Bliss and Jenny Greene, plus, there are several spots for special guests across the different stages.
Check out the line-up below or see the festival’s app for more details.
Friday, August 2nd
Main Stage
- Jorja Smith – 10.45pm-12am
- James Vincent McMorrow – 9pm-10pm
- Declan McKenna – 7.15pm-8.15pm
- Trinity Orchestra – 5.15pm-6.15pm
Something Kind Of Wonderful
- Kölsch – 1.30am-3pm
- Kiasmos (Live) – 11.45pm-1am
- New Jackson – 10pm-11.15pm
- Kingfishr – 8pm-9pm
- Dave Lofts – 6.15pm-7.15pm
Lovely Days
- George Fitzgerald – 1.30am-3.30am
- Maribou State (DJ) – 12am-1.30am
- Confidence Man – 10.15pm-11.30pm
- Yaya Bey – 8.30pm-9.30pm
- Glass Beams – 7pm-8pm
- Kean Kavanagh – 5.30pm-6.30pm
- Cardinals – 4pm-5pm
Arcadia ‘The Bug’
- Yung Singh – 2am-3.30am
- Ross From Friends presents Bubble Love – 12am-2am
- Becky – 10.30pm-12am
- S-Agenda – 9pm-10.30pm
The Circle
- The Murder Capital – 10.30pm-12.30am
- Morgana – 9.30pm-10.15pm
- Abanaa – 8.15pm-9pm
- Shiv and special guest – 7pm-7.45pm
- Fynch – 6pm-6.30pm
- Sahana – 4.30pm-6pm
Belonging Bandstand
- Jenny Greene – 11.30pm-1.30am
- Stevie G – 10pm-11.30pm
- Cooks But We’re Chefs – 8pm-9.30pm
- Toshin – 6.30pm-7.30pm
- Fizzy Orange – 5pm-6pm
- And He, The Fool – 3.30pm-4.30pm
- Still Blue – 2pm-3pm
Immerse
- DJ Aya – 2am-3.30am
- R. Kitt – 12.30am-2am
- Or: La – 10.30pm-12.30am
- Ben UFO – 8.30pm-10.30pm
- Reger – 6.30pm-8.30pm
Saturday, August 3rd
Main Stage
- Róisín Murphy (Has withdrawn from festival) – 12am-1.30am
- The National – 9.30pm-11.30pm
- The Mary Wallopers – 7.15pm-8.30pm
- Natasha Bedingfield – 5pm-6pm
- Sing Along Social – 3pm-4pm
Something Kind Of Wonderful
- King Kong Company – 1.15am-2.30am
- Floating Points (Live) – 10.30pm-12am
- Kojaque – 8.30pm-9.30pm
- Special Guest: Le Boom – 6.45pm-7.45pm
- Overhead, The Albatross – 4.45pm-6pm
- Biird – 3pm-4pm
Lovely Days
- Gorgon City – 1.30am-3.30am
- Long Island Sound – 12am-1.30am
- Eliza Rose – 10.30pm-12am
- Joy (Anonymous) (Live) – 8.30pm-10pm
- Gemma Dunleavy – 7pm-8pm
- Hak Baker – 5.30pm-6.30pm
- Soda Blonde – 4pm-5pm
- Glasshouse Perform Ryuichi Sakamoto – 2.30pm-3.30pm
Arcadia ‘The Bug’
- Sama’ Abdulhadi – 2.10am-4am
- Kink (Live) – 12.30am-2am
- Efa O’Neill – 11.10pm-12.20am
- Bing Nz – 10.10pm-11.10pm
- Republik – 9pm-10.10pm
The Circle
- Dublin Modular – 11.45pm-2am
- Optimo (Espacio) – 10pm-11.30pm
- Chalk – 8.30pm-9.15pm
- Ezra Williams – 7.15pm-8pm
- Rachael Lavelle – 6pm-6.45pm
- Lemoncello – 4.45pm-5.30pm
- Sweetlemondae – 3.45pm-4.15pm
- The Ryan & Podge Show – 2pm-3.30pm
Belonging Bandstand
- Marcus O’Laoire – 11.30pm-1.30am
- Elaine Mai feat Maykay – 9.30pm-11pm
- Ol Times – 7.30pm-9pm
- Guinness 1759 Moment – 5.59pm-7pm
- Kabin Crew & Lisdoonvarna Crew – 4.55pm-5.55pm
- Prymary Colours – 3.30pm-4.45pm
- Dublin Gospel Choir – 2pm-3pm
- Panti Bliss Brunch on the Bandstand – 12.30pm-1.30pm
Immerse
- Stüm – 1.30am-3.30am
- Sam Alfred – 11.30pm-1.30am
- Pretty Girl (DJ) – 9.30pm-11.30pm
- Síofra – 7.30pm-9.30pm
- Hannah – 5.30pm-7.30pm
- JWY – 3.30pm-5.30pm
Sunday, August 4th
Main Stage
- The Prodigy – 10.45pm-12.15am
- Barry Can’t Swim (Live) – 9pm-10pm
- Future Islands – 7.15pm-8.15pm
- The Wailers – 5.15pm-6.30pm
- RTÉ Concert Orchestra performs the music of Sinéad O’Connor, Shane MacGowan and Christy Dignam – 3pm-4.15pm
Something Kind Of Wonderful
- Paul Kalkbrenner – 1am-3am
- Nils Hoffman – 11.30pm-12.45am
- Slowdive – 10pm-11pm
- NewDad – 8.15pm-9.15pm
- ØXN – 6.30pm-7.30pm
- John Francis Flynn – 5pm-6pm
- Muireann Bradley – 3.15pm-4.15pm
Lovely Days
- Mano Le Tough b2b Special Guest – 1.30am-3.30am
- Hot Chip (DJ set) – 12am-1.30am
- KOKOROKO – 10.30pm-11.30pm
- HousePlants – 8.45pm-10pm
- Sprints – 7.15pm-8.15pm
- Beach Fossils – 5.3pm-6.30pm
- Mary in the Junkyard – 4pm-5pm
- Sunday special guest – 2.30pm-3.30pm
Arcadia ‘The Bug’
- Skream – 2.30am-4am
- Effy – 1am-2.30am
- Shee – 11.30pm-1am
- Puzzy Wranglers – 9pm-11.30pm
The Circle
- Mathman – 12am-2am
- Eve – 10pm-12am
- Just Mustard – 8.15pm-9pm
- Aby Coulibaly – 7pm-7.45pm
- Nealo – 5.45pm-6.30pm
- Efé – 4.30pm-5.15pm
- Uly – 3.30pm-4pm
- The Ryan & Podge Show – 2pm-3pm
Belonging Bandstand
- Kate Brennan Harding & Graham Smyth – 11.30pm-1.30am
- TBA – 9.30pm-11pm
- Nialler9 – 7.30pm-9pm
- Guinness 1759 Moment – 5.59pm-7pm
- Negro Impacto – 4.45pm-5.45pm
- Babel Brass – 3.30pm-4.30pm
- The Dolly Show (Dolly Parton tribute) – 2pm-3pm
- Tommy Tiernan Brunch on the Bandstand – 12.30pm-1.30pm
Immerse
- OK Williams – 1.30am-3.30am
- C.Frim – 11.30pm-1.30am
- Cormac – 9.30pm-11.30pm
- Mano Le Tough (3-hour set) – 6.30pm-9.30pm
- Away From Dave – 5pm-6.30pm
- DJ Time of the Month – 3.30pm-5pm
What else is there to see and do?
Like most music festivals, All Together Now’s website has a section advertising the various “experiences” on offer. As well as the music scheduled each day, festivalgoers will have access to spoken word, comedy, storytelling, yoga, saunas, hot tubs, live food demos, arcade games, magic shows, circus and craft workshops, sensory play areas for kids, football competitions, music bingo and more. At the Greencrafts Village, an “eco-conscious crafting hub”, you can take part in craft-making activities and, most importantly, you get to take what you make home to show off.
New music areas have been added this year including the Hidden Sounds with Dingle Gin and Neighbourhood Wines as well The Bloom, a towering installation of light and colour made of bamboo poles from artist Joseph Williams.
What time should I arrive?
Early access to the campsite will be open from 4pm-10pm on Thursday, August 1st. Gates open for general admission from 9am until 10pm each day.
How do I get there?
As with many festivals held in remote rural locations, it takes some planning to get there.
By car:
First and foremost, festival organisers have advised not to follow directions on a sat nav or Google Maps as it will not get you all the way to the festival site. Other key points to remember if travelling by car are:
- Do not travel to the festival via Carrick-on-Suir; presumably the town would become a traffic choke point if thousands of cars piled through in short succession
- Car parking will be available from 2pm on Thursday, August 1st, and from 9am on Friday, August 2nd. There are six car parks on the festival grounds which can be seen on this interactive map
- Driving directions for travel by road from different parts of the country can be found on the festival’s website
- Drop-off at the event site for those coming by private car or taxi is prohibited on Friday and Monday. There is a designated drop-off zone at the nearby Highfield Business Park, Portlaw, which is serviced by a free shuttle bus to the festival grounds. This shuttle bus will only run between 9am and 9.30pm on Friday and 8am to 1pm on Monday
- To avoid festival traffic, the organisers also suggest dropping fans off at Waterford City bus terminus where Bus Éireann festival shuttle will operate a regular service to the festival site which can be booked here
- Regular Traffic updates will be available on Garda X account, local radio stations WLR 95.1FM and Beat 102FM as well as the festival’s app and X feed
By bus:
- Expressway will run return services from Waterford, Cork and Dublin to the festival site. You can book your spot here
What if I’m camping?
Many people will choose bring their own gear and camp at the festival. You can also hire basic camping equipment from Camplight for the weekend from €150. When it comes to camping at All Together Now, there’s no shortage of boutique options for those looking for more than a flimsy tent among the chaotic masses. Fancy paying more for accommodation? There are Podpads, Yippee tents and Silk Road tents, all at varying levels of modest luxury, and you can find out more here.
Toilets are dotted around the festival grounds and showers will be located in the campsites and available for use at specific times throughout the weekend. Camp fires and disposable barbecues are not permitted on site, and campers have been asked not to smoke in their tents for safety reasons.
What’s the security?
You must be aged 21 or over to gain access to All Together Now, with the exception of children aged 12 or below, who must be accompanied by a paying adult. There is a maximum limit of two children aged 12 and under per adult. People aged between 13 and 20 will not be allowed entry.
Festival organisers have suggested if you don’t need an item, don’t bring it. It’s a cashless festival so no need to bring any cash.
Stringent searches will be conducted upon entry to the festival grounds. Items not allowed include: fireworks, illicit drugs, glass, animals (except guide dogs), weapons, petrol generators, barbecues, gazebos, flag poles, garden furniture, laser pens, professional photographic equipment, selfie sticks, drones, umbrellas, megaphones and air horns, high-vis clothing, bicycles and sound systems.
Each person with a weekend camping ticket can bring alcohol at their first time of entry. They can bring either: 24 cans or 1 litre of spirits or 1.5 litre of wine for personal consumption. No glass bottles are allowed. Pre-packaged and cooked food is allowed to be brought to the campsite and no cooking is allowed. There will be food stalls and a supermarket at the festival.
Fans have been asked to report any crimes to on-site gardaí as soon as possible and anybody participating in antisocial behaviour will be liable for eviction from the festival without re-entry. The Garda station at Portlaw can be contacted on 051 387 105.
Anything else?
There will be phone charging facilities on site, but no harm ensuring your phone is fully charged when you’re leaving the house. The festival bars are cashless and accept card and contactless payments – that means if your phone is your card, best make sure it’s charged. At music festivals, power banks are your friends.
For all things All Together Now, you can download the festival app and keep up to date with things throughout the weekend.
What’s the weather looking like?
According to Met Éireann, it’s sunny to overcast early on Friday, but with more persistent and heavy or thundery rain tracking eastwards through the afternoon with spot flooding possible. A clearance to mostly dry and sunny weather will move into western areas early this afternoon, reaching eastern areas during the evening. Highest temperatures 17 to 23 degrees, warmest in the east, with moderate to fresh and gusty southerly winds, easing westerly as the rain clears. It’ll be largely dry overnight into Saturday, at 13 degrees during the night, and sun beckoning in the morning and a high of 20 degrees expected.
As always in these situations, don’t forget to pack your rain jackets and suncream!
