Around 115,000 people gathered every day from July 21 to August 3 in Chicago’s Grant Park this summer for the annual music festival Lollapalooza.
The festival, which began in 1991, featured an extensive lineup over the four days, held across twelve stages.
Lollapalooza kicked off on Day One with Tyler, The Creator and Luke Combs headlining. The first day also included performances by stars Gracie Abrams, Role Model, Royal Otis, and more. Smaller indie artists also graced the stage in the hours before the bigger names came on; Chicago-based bands Ratboys and The Symposium played in their own city.
Day Two saw star Olivia Rodrigo, along with her enormous crowd, hours after Djo (also known as Stranger Things actor Joe Keery) produced an incredible day of performances. Rising star Gigi Perez of TikTok fame also performed earlier in the day. That night, artists such as Wallows, Bleachers, Bladee, and Korn showed out to close for the festival’s second day.
Electronic Band Rüfüs Du Sol and Korean Pop girl band Twice headlined the third day, following big acts like Clairo and Doechii. Other standout performances included the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and Wasia Project, which some “Heartstopper” fans may recognize as actor William Gao and his sister, Olivia Hardy.
The last day of the festival was certainly not the least entertaining. Rising girl group KATSEYE delivered an impressive performance, as did nostalgic throwback Rebecca Black. Dominic Fike, Finneas, and Still Woozy performed as night fell, leading up to the much-awaited appearances that closed out the festival. At 8:45, Sabrina Carpenter performed on the T-Mobile stage, while A$AP Rocky went on simultaneously on the Bud Light stage. Carpenter, who has been on a steady incline in popularity over the past few years, brought out Earth, Wind, and Fire for her performance in an unexpected but well-meshing collaboration.
This year’s Lollapalooza was a massive expression of creativity, community, and, of course, music, bringing music lovers together for four days of fun!