Day three of Forest Fest 2025 – live gallery and review from Emo County Laois 27.07.2025

So that bittersweet day finally arrived the one where it all comes to an end. There’s always that mix of emotions: glad to be heading home to a proper bed, but sad that it’s over, especially when the weather’s had been so good.

As with most Sundays at a festival, day three had a more laid-back feel. Fewer acts than Saturday, but still a solid lineup across all stages and enough variety to keep every corner of Emo buzzing.

I gave the main stage a miss early on, skipping Rattle and Hum (U2 tribute) and instead headed over to the Village Stage, which kicked off at 12:15pm with Ryan Sheridan. Elsewhere, The Fleadh Stage and Dance Tent both got going at 12:00, and the Perfect Day Stage also opened its doors at 12:15pm.

The Village Stage delivered a strong run of acts throughout the day, Paddy Casey, Andrew Strong, the soulful blues man from Louisiana Robert Finley, and Hermitage Green were all standouts. Things wrapped up in style with Billy Bragg and The Magic Numbers a perfect way to close out the weekend.

Over at the Perfect Day Stage, crowds were treated to the likes of Fizzy Orange, Basht, and Motion Sickness. Pogueology packed out the tent with their lively energy, Sack played a blinding set, and the stage finished strong with The Drive.

The Fleadh Stage which leans more toward trad and acoustic, though it threw a curveball at the end with The Complete Stone Roses. Trad? Not so much but they had the crowd going. Before that, artists like Eva Coyle & Band, Buíoch, and Freddie White brought a more chilled out tone to the day.

As always, the Dance Tent was heaving. Alan Prosser, Nick Coles, and Gee Moore kept the beats rolling, and to my delight, Mr. C (The Shaman) played again giving me the chance to catch his set after missing it the day before. Gee Moore closed the tent for the third and final night in a row.

The Forest Stage took on a mixed bag, starting off with Rattle and Hum doing their U2 tribute before rolling into sets from the likes of Nick Lowe, Bad Manners (with Buster doing his usual tongue antics), Jack L, and Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet. The penultimate act, Travis, drew a huge crowd, and things came full circle with another tribute band Qween closing out the main stage.

In short: what a weekend. Fantastic music with something for everyone. Glorious weather (which always helps), great crowds, and a well run family friendly festival atmosphere throughout.

Would I go again? Hell yeah.

Ryan Sheridan photo: (The Village Stage)