Tap in: Festival director Brian McDermott with an AIB Tappy Bank wristband at Russborough House ahead of Kaleidoscope which took place from June 30 until July 2. Fuel runs the production end of Kaleidoscope and Mr McDermott has been instrumental in introducing Tappy. Last year, following the covid-19 hiatus of 20, the festival reverted to accepting cash and card for 2022.īut, for this year’s festival, from June 30 to July 2, Tappy microchips were back with a bang, built into the festival access wristband for all the nearly 20,000 punters who attended the child-friendly event.īrian McDermott is co-founder and director of Fuel, a company that co-owns Kaleidoscope alongside Electric Picnic producers Festival Republic. Punters also have to pay a €1 activation fee per wristband. In Kaleidoscope’s case, this meant waiting until the Tuesday after the festival to claim money back. Tappy requires punters to make a temporary online account for the duration of the festival: The online account can be linked to multiple wristbands, meaning a parent can allocate money to individual family members to spend at the festival.Īny unspent money left on the account is refunded on request after the event is over. One step further than card payments from customers’ own bank accounts, Tappy is an example of a type of bespoke, event-specific payment system that has been growing in popularity across the UK, Europe, and the US but which has yet to take off in Ireland. One step beyond: The Tappy Bank RFID wristband used at the Kaleidoscope Festival at Russborough House in Co Wicklow is a bespoke event-specific cashless payment method. However, despite support for his motion, Government TDs told Mr Collins that access to cash legislation is imminent and that any additional measures would be superfluous.įamily music and arts festival Kaleidoscope, held in Russborough House in Co Wicklow each summer, became the first big Irish festival to go fully cashless this year, having trialled a wireless tappable wristband in 2019 when 5,000 ‘Tappy’ wristbands containing an RFID (radio frequency identification) microchip were issued to festivalgoers. In March, Cork South-West TD Michael Collins brought a motion to the Dáil urging the Government to legally require businesses to accept cash Mr Collins was among a group of rural TDs including the Healy-Raes and Mattie McGrath who had protested against AIB’s abandoned plan to remove cash services from 70 branches. A national payments strategy is recommended by 2024 to determine whether or not State services such as driving licence and passport fees are permitted to preclude cash. In response, Government parties have said ‘access-to-cash’ legislation is on the cards, with a bill expected before 2023 is out. We are family: Kaleidoscope is a pop festival but is also pitched as a family-friendly event with plenty of activities for smallies.
Yet the convenience of cashless has meant increasing numbers of goods and service providers in Ireland - from coffee stalls to the GAA to State services such as the driving licence service - flat-out refuse to handle cash.Ī Department of Finance retail banking review published last November stressed that the Irish Central Bank, the Government, and the banking sector have a duty to facilitate cash payments for as long as they are required.
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