Lollapalooza lessons learned: Why the festival is now the gold standard in Chicago
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General atmosphere at Lollapalooza at Grant Park last year. Photo: Michael Hickey/Getty Images
Lollapalooza takes over Grant Park this weekend, drawing hundreds of thousands to downtown Chicago, while being lauded as the festival for other big events to emulate.
The big picture: With other local music and summer festivals having problems with neighborhoods, the city and unfortunate weather patterns, critics point to Lollapalooza as the ideal.
- That wasn't always the case.
Flashback: Lollapalooza ditched the touring model and chose Chicago as its permanent home in 2005. At that time, Grant Park hosted public events like Taste of Chicago but rarely rented out the full park.
- The city touted the deal as a big win, but it wasn't an immediate success story.
Follow the money: The initial contract between Lollapalooza and the city included an exemption for the amusement tax, saving the festival millions of dollars. After several news investigations highlighted the deal, the Park District and Lollapalooza renegotiated.
- Last year, Lollapalooza paid the Chicago Park District a record high of $9.6 million to use Grant Park.
- The amount was $2 million more than 2021 after the contract was renegotiated in 2022 to let Lollapalooza sell more tickets.
Friction point: Other festivals like Riot Fest have had very public battles with neighbors frustrated with the use of parks as concert venues.
- A recent Harris Poll said that only three in 10 Chicagoans would be affected by Lollapalooza and that the four-day festival audience is mostly tourists.
- But don't tell that to people who live near Grant Park. Street and park closings have sometimes lasted weeks, without notice, while the city fixed damages.
Mega music fests have long been criticized for just dropping in and not supporting local music.
- The local music community were early detractors of Lollapalooza, criticizing the festival and the city for squeezing out other venues and not allowing bands to play there within months of the August event.
Reality check: Lollapalooza doesn't just showcase big acts, it gives back to the local music community with after-shows, local showcases and ancillary events.
- In 2012, the Illinois Attorney General's Office investigated alleged antitrust practices. Since then, Lolla started promoting more after-shows and relaxed some radius clause rules in band contracts.
Weather woes: One issue outside the control of festival organizers has been new weather patterns caused by climate change. Cancellations, evacuations and delays have become the norm, rather than the exception. Lolla is touted for having an evacuation and weather-preparedness plan.
Yes, but: That wasn't always the case. In 2012, weather forced the festival to close and move everyone into underground parking garages and train stations. Eyewitnesses said they were just told to leave the park; for months later, the city and the festival refused to share evacuation plans.
The bottom line: Lollapalooza will almost certainly continue to be used as a shining example for other festivals looking to operate in Chicago parks, but let's not forget that it took years for it to get there.