**What is Lolla?**
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Lollapalooza, or Lolla, as it’s sometimes called, is a three-day music festival in Chicago. The festival started in 1991 when Perry Farrell, the lead singer for Jane’s Addiction, wanted to do a farewell tour. Lollapalooza toured North America with a small but diverse lineup representing the best of alternative rock and continued until 1997, when the festival was suspended. In 2003, Lolla was brought back, but was canceled yet again in 2004 because of low ticket sales.
Farrell teamed up with C3 Presents and established the festival as a two-day celebration of music in Grant Park, Chicago. Since then Lollapalooza has grown in popularity, extending its original two-day lineup to three days and even bringing back the touring element. In 2015, Lollapalooza was also in Brazil, Chile and Berlin.
Lollapalooza has hosted some of the most popular artists of today in addition to many smaller alternative artists. Headliners from last year include The Weeknd, Paul McCartney, Metallica and Florence and the Machine.
**Lollapalooza 2016**
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This year will be Lollapalooza’s 25th anniversary. To celebrate, the festival has been extended to four days, and the hype is real. The worst thing about Lollapalooza is that the lineup isn’t revealed until after the ticket sales, but there’s been speculation about Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers and LCD Soundsystem as headliners for this year.
Tickets go on sale Tuesday, March 22, at 10 a.m. Four-day general admission passes are $335 each and one-day general admission passes are $120. If you have your heart set on going to Lolla, you better make sure you are ready to purchase tickets at exactly 10 a.m. Tuesday because they sell out fast and resale tickets are often sold for twice as much, sometimes more.
**Preparations**
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Chicago in July tends to be hot, so dress accordingly. Wear a pair of comfortable shoes that you are willing to part with at the end of the weekend; you’re going to be on your feet all day and the ground tends to be muddy. Sunglasses are probably a good idea if you don’t want to squint all day, and sunscreen is a must. Sun poisoning is a thing and it’s very painful, so save yourself the trouble.
The most important thing you should bring though is **water**. The rules at Lollapalooza allow you to bring empty water bottles to fill at water stations or two sealed plastic water bottles you can refill. Keep yourself hydrated. It’s not cute to be fainting in the middle of a set. Also plan out what you’re going to be eating that day. You can easily get distracted by all the activities going on, but it’s important that you eat something to keep your energy up for the later shows.
**Pros and Cons of Lolla**
Lollapalooza is a weekend of great music and can be really fun, but as a college student, is it worth your hard earned cash?
The festival is one for all ages, so there’s always a range of attendants, including young teenagers who don’t know how to drink. Lolla is known for its high number of hospitalizations because of young teens who don’t know their alcohol limits yet. There are also a lot of people who get sick because of the heat. The festival has faced weather issues and just last year, had to evacuate 100,000 people out of Grant Park for an hour to ensure safety.
As mentioned earlier, the lineup isn’t usually announced until after ticket sales, which might make it more difficult to gage whether a four-day or one-day pass is worth it. Tickets are expensive, and if you don’t get them right away, the price gets even higher.
But if you’re a music lover or just want to have a good time, Lolla is the place for you. While Lolla has had some great headliners, it’s true strength is in all the smaller bands that represent the alternative rock vibe that the festival originally had. One of the cool things about the festival is that sometimes they’ll host a band when they’re smaller then host them again when they’re more established.
And music isn’t the only thing at the festival. There’s an art market, a food court and even booths for charities that help make Lolla unique. Good music and good vibes can make for a great time.
If you decide to go to Lolla, the experience is likely to be one you’ll never forget.
_Edited by Katie Rosso | krosso@themaneater.com_