Lollapalooza 2025: Day 1 Recap

Hello everyone!! This past weekend, I was granted the wonderful opportunity of doing media for Lollapalooza.

Since this was my first time attending Lollapalooza, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. However, I can say I was pleasantly surprised. Now that it's been a week since the first day of Lolla, I have had time to gather my thoughts about the festival, and over the next few days, I will be sharing my Lollapalooza experience day-by-day, starting with Day 1.

First Impressions

I got off the bus downtown a little before 12 PM, when the first performance begins. When I got closer to Grant Park, I caught sight of the first staff member of many. They were in green T-shirts and holding large signs that stated they were Lollapalooza Festival Experts, there to answer any questions anyone may have. As I continued my trek to the 11th Street Bridge entrance, I ran into many staff members holding the same signs. The willingness of the staff members to assist others immediately calmed any fears I may have had going into the festival.

When I got to the 11th Street Bridge entrance, I was easily able to get inside while still going through a thorough security check. From the minute I set foot inside, I could tell that both the Lollapalooza organizers and staff made safety a priority. In fact, Lollapalooza has a team dedicated to keeping festival goers safe. They were available all weekend, and very easy to identify due to the bright yellow vests they wear and the large yellow pillars they carry. Helpful resources, such as the SafeFest team, help to keep music festivals both enjoyable and safe.

Image from lollapalooza.com/safety

Merchandise, Private Lounge Access, Food & More

Because I attended Lollapalooza with a 4-Day Media pass, I was granted access to the Press Lounge, a private backstage area where media personnel could conduct interviews, store items, and work during the day. Some of the amenities included free WiFi, an air-conditioned work tent, private bathrooms, complimentary combination locks, free snacks and beverages, and a daily happy hour with food and drinks (while supplies lasted). While in the press lounge, I was able to meet some incredibly talented and passionate people, making me feel very lucky to be chosen to work among them.

Another private lounge area I visited on Day 1 was the T-Mobile Club Magenta, available only to T-Mobile members. Club Magenta offered exclusive perks such as artist meet and greets, premium stage views, exclusive merch, a custom bandana and necklace bar, and a daily happy hour. T-Mobile customers also got access to free portable chargers all weekend, which is great for when you are on the go with a dying cell phone.

For food, Heinz presents Chow Town 1, 2, 3, and 4. The street was lined with dozens of food vendors, offering festival goers whatever cuisine they may be craving. Lollapalooza even hosts a small number of vendors that offer plant-based food items, catering to everybody in attendance. This day, I opted to try Harold's Chicken. I ordered chicken tenders and fries for a total of $16. For a large fry and about 2 and a half tenders, in my opinion, it was money well spent.

**Tip: Connecting your card to your wristband makes for a seamless and simple transaction.

Another thing I did on Day 1 was purchase merch. The festival has small merch tents all over the park, but there are two large merch stations right behind Buckingham Fountain: Official Lollapalooza Merch and Official Artist Merch. I appreciate that you are able to buy merch from so many different artists in one place. While the line for official band merch was over 2 and a half hours long, I met some lovely people in line, making it worth the wait.

Performances

On the first day of Lollapalooza, I saw a total of four performances: ROLE MODEL, Cage The Elephant, 2hollis, and Tyler, The Creator.

First, I saw ROLE MODEL (5:45 - 6:45, at the Tito's Handmade Vodka stage), and while the crowd was much bigger than anyone anticipated, it was still an incredibly fun time.

Photo Credits: Chad Wadsworth, Lollapalooza

Immediately after ROLE MODEL ended, I simply turned around to watch Cage The Elephant (6:45 - 7:45, Bud Light stage). For this set, I actually sat to the side on a small, grassy hill, and still had a perfect view of the stage. This quickly became one of my favorite spots over the weekend. One of the most memorable moments of this set was actually a cover the band did of "Changes" by Black Sabbath, in memory of Ozzy Osbourne.

Photo Credits: Ashley Osborn, Lollapalooza

Next, I made my way south to catch 2hollis (7:45 - 8:30, The Grove stage). I had very briefly heard of 2hollis before this person, but I can confidently say that I walked away as a fan. One of my favorite things about Lollapalooza is the constant exposure to new music. On Day 1, I already became a fan of an artist I had barely heard of, and that trend continued over the weekend. While I had zero intentions to see 2hollis, I think I had the most fun this day attending his set.

Photo Credits: Natasha Moustache, Getty Images

Finally, I made my way to the other end of the park to see Tyler, The Creator (9 - 10, T-Mobile stage), one of two headliners. I was incredibly taken aback by the number of people I saw as I got closer to the stage; truly, I don't believe I have ever seen so many people in my life. Once Tyler's set began though, it was very clear that he deserved to have such a large audience. Even with a tree blocking my view, I was able to enjoy the show.

Photo Credits: Dusana Risovic, Lollapalooza

Final Thoughts

I was very exhausted once Day 1 ended, but I had an incredibly fun time. Getting home was surprisingly a breeze, and I was able to rest up before the next day. Stay tuned for my Day 2 recap!