Each year for the past 20 years, Lollapalooza has drawn in hundreds of music fans from across the country. This year should be no different. Lollapalooza takes place each year during the first weekend in August at Chicago's Grant Park. Lollapalooza (meaning "something wonderful" and "giant, swirly lollipop") is the three-day music brainchild of Perry Farrell, lead singer of alternative band Jane's Addiction. Though it is only April, Lollapalooza's newly released lineup has fans making plans and plotting out the must-see shows of the summer.
Last year's festival drew in 270,000 people over its three day span. Despite the increase in ticket prices, this year's demand should be no different. Three-Day Souvenir and Early Bird passes (at $75 and $200, respectively) sold out within hours. With over 115 acres of land for multiple stages, Lollapalooza's popular festival boasts over 130 artists. Moving away from the more indie vibe it has had in the past into a more mainstream position on the music scene, Lollapalooza seems to have something to please everyone. Jam-packed and full of energy, Chicago's much anticipated and hallmark festival promises not to disappoint.
As usual, Lollapalooza will feature artists and groups from many different musical genres, including alternative, rock and rap. Headliners of the past two years have included Lady Gaga, Arcade Fire, Mumford and Sons, Coldplay, Cee-Lo Green and Eminem. This year's headliners and smaller acts have fans counting down the days until summer arrives.
Must-See Acts
Headlining this year's festival are Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Black Keys, a reunited Black Sabbath and Jack White. Other acts include well-known names like Florence + The Machine, The Shins, Franz Ferdinand and Passion Pit.
In the past, lesser known artists have performed at Lollapalooza and later skyrocketed in popularity. Lady Gaga is one such example. Having performed on a side stage to less than wonderful reviews at Lollapalooza in 2007, she headlined in 2010.
Walk the Moon performed as a non-headliner in Grant Park last year and released an EP through RCA Records in February.
This year, Lollapalooza welcomes rising groups like Fun. (now famous for top tracks "We Are Young" and "All the Pretty Girls") and Walk Off the Earth (known for covers of "Somebody I Used to Know" and "Someone Like You").
In addition to Lollapalooza's traditional concert-type performances, festivalgoers can look forward to a bigger selection of electronic acts. Building off the success of Perry's electronic stage, Lollapalooza will feature acts like Bassnectar and Avicii this year.
The day-by-day schedule of performances has not yet been released.
Food
The hot Chicago sun can make for exhausting days out in the open fields of Grant Park, but Lollapalooza has you covered. Food vendors are visible throughout the park. Many feature classic Chicago choices and newer, innovative meals. In the past, Lou Malnati's deep dish pizza was available for an affordable price, as were Wow Bao's Asian buns. Rainbow Cone offered their legendary five-flavor ice cream cones as a sweet treat; and for the more adventurous, Grahamwich specialized in lobster corndogs. Vendors for Lollapalooza 2012 are not yet listed online, but if past vendors are an indicator of this year's offerings, Lollapalooza fans should remain well-fed.
Three-day passes for Lollapalooza are available for $230 at lollapalooza.com. Single-day passes are also expected to be available later this summer. This year's music festival will take place Aug. 3 through Aug. 5.
