by Yvonne Gordon

Posted 29 January 2008

Electric Picnic was voted the Best Large Festival and Primal Scream was voted the Best Headline Act at the first ever Irish Festival Awards. Irish music fans voted online for their favourite music festivals and acts for the awards which had 17 categories and covered music festivals in Ireland in 2007.

The Irish Festival Awards were organised by CherryCool Promotions, who run the Castle Palooza festival (which was excluded from the voting process in the interest of fairness).

According to CherryCool, 2007 saw a huge increase in Irish music festivals and these awards brought the supersized and small festivals together.

“We set up the Irish Festival Awards because of the huge increase in the amount and quality of festivals taking place in Ireland,” said awards organiser Cillian Stewart. “There were over 4,000 votes received from all corners of the globe and we’re hoping there are many more festivals next year.”

Winners of the awards will receive a festival gong. The organisers decided not to give an award for greenest festival and called on festival organisers to reduce their carbon footprint in 2008.

For more information see www.irishfestivalawards.ie

Here are the winners:

Best Large Festival: Electric Picnic

Best Medium Festival: BudRising

Best Small Festival sponsored by EQ Audio: Hard Working Class Heroes

Best Dance Festival: Life

Best Traditional Festival: Sligo Live

Best New Festival: Cois Fharraige  

Best One Day Festival: Lovebox

Best Lineup: Oxygen

Best Rock Act: Arcade Fire (at Oxegen)

Best Headline Act: Primal Scream (at Electric Picnic)

Best Alternative Act: Final Fantasy (at Electric Picnic)

Best Dance Act: The Chemical Brothers (at Electric Picnic)

Best Irish Act: Snow Patrol (at Oxegen)

Family Festival Award: Festival of World Cultures

Best Service Award: Indie-pendance

Social Responsibility Award: Hard Working Class Heroes

Best Toilets: Flushing toilets!

MelodyTrip will be again covering the hottest Irish festivals in 2008 – check in for regular updates, previews and blogs during summer 08.

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