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Lollapalooza 2025: Festival Reflection
- Kamari Crews
- Aug 11
- 5 min read
Hello everyone!! I've spent the last few days uploading day-by-day recaps, but now that the festival is over, I wanted to highlight and reflect on overall experience at the festival. Without further ado, here is my Lollapalooza 2025 reflection.
Festival Experience
Since this was my first time attending a music festival, I had no idea what to expect in terms of festival experience. To set the scene, the weather was in the high 70s with a nice, cool breeze flowing through air all day, every day. I even found myself getting a bit cold on Day 2, which I preferred over being extremely sweaty. There were thousands of people in attendance, but the crowds were much easier to navigate than I anticipated. Additionally, Lollapalooza staff was available all weekend, available to help anyone with anything they may need at the festival.
As I mentioned in my day-by-day recaps, there were dozens of brand activations, all hosting giveaways or offering freebies. There was also a number of private lounges, available to those who qualified for entry, enhancing the overall festival experience. As I also mentioned in previous blogs, Chow Town provided tons of food options, catering to any dietary needs and restrictions.
While at Lolla this year, I met quite a few people that were all very kind. I've always enjoyed meeting new people at concerts, because we have at least one thing in common to keep the conversation going. Something I discovered this year is "sprouting." Essentially, people bring small trinkets to give away to others throughout the weekend, and this year, a lot of people were handing out "sprouts." They are small flower or plant clip-ons that people simply attached to their hats or stuck in their hair. A reddit user describes them as "a symbol of friendship through music." While researching, I discovered that giving out small trinkets to others is incredibly popular in festival and rave culture -- especially at EDM sets.
The diverse food options, the beautiful weather, the mixture of different music genres, and the people in attendance created a beautiful atmosphere, which completely elevated my festival experience. In addition, having staff members, medical teams, and safety experts on site made me feel as if I could peacefully enjoy the festival because there was always someone who had my back. Looking back on other music festivals, it is clear Lollapalooza prioritizes safety, allowing festival goers to immerse themselves into the experience without extreme fear or caution.
Overall Festival Recap
To briefly recap, I saw the following artists for a total of 15 sets (including aftershows):
Tyler, The Creator
ROLE MODEL (x2)
2hollis
Cage The Elephant
Foster The People
Djo
Olivia Rodrigo (with special guest Weezer)
Wallows
Del Water Gap
Clairo
Wasia Project
The Marías
Sabrina Carpenter (with special guest Earth, Wind & Fire)
Amaarae
I also caught bits of T-Pain, ian, JOEY VALENCE & BRAE, and Kenny Mason, which were vaguely mentioned in previous blogs.
If I had to choose, I would say that my favorite set of the weekend was Olivia Rodrigo. As I mentioned in my Day 2 recap, I have been a fan of Olivia for years, and seeing her live was a dream come true. Her set was also my first time seeing a live show with my best friend of five years, so it was a meaningful night in many different ways.
Here is a brief overview of the rest of my weekend:
Food I tried: Harold's Chicken and Beat Kitchen + Chicken Shawarma from the press lounge.
Brand activations I visited: CocaCola, Airbnb Haven, Essence, T-Mobile Club Magenta.
Miles walked: 32.6 miles
Steps walked: 75,768 steps
Festival Highlights
As promised, I wanted to compile some of my favorite moments from the festival in one place. Here are some of my festival highlights:
Getting Weezered by Olivia Rodrigo.
Making friends in the press lounge!
Seeing some of my favorite artists live.
Trying new foods.
Attending my first Lollapalooza Aftershow.
Hearing some of my favorite songs live (I was most excited to see "My Lover Is Sleeping" by Wasia Project).
Seeing the "Stay Safe Lolla" sign as I was leaving the festival.
Finding the perfect place to sit to watch sets at the Bud Light stage.
Hearing "End Of Beginning" by Djo live.
Tips and Tricks
Before attending the festival, I did a ton of research, and while there were some things I couldn't prepare for, I was able to plan a little bit, which helped me in the long run. Here are some tips and tricks (and general advice) for people who have never attended the festival:
WEAR. SUNSCREEN. Please protect your skin!! I also suggest bringing sunscreen with you to reapply throughout the day.
Bring something to sit on! While you can't bring blankets into the festival, having something small like a bandana or even a dish towel to sit on can be helpful. You will be sitting much more than you think, so it's convenient to have something to place on the ground below you.
WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES!! I watched dozens of videos with advice for Lollapalooza and every single person insisted that I wear comfortable shoes. I did not listen, and I paid the price. The morning of Day 4, I almost considered skipping out because my feet hurt so bad. WEAR TENNIS SHOES!
Take advantage of public transportation! The CTA is an incredible resource all year round, but especially during festival season. It may be difficult to find the bus routs due to road closures, but you can find access to almost every CTA L line just a few blocks from Grant Park. The L gives you access to every part of the city and is only $2.50. Much cheaper compared to an Uber or Lyft.
Connect your wristband to your debit/credit card! When you get your Lollapalooza wristband, you can find a code on the bottom that you use to connect your card to your wristband, making it incredibly easy to make cashless payments at the festival.
Keep your belongings close to you at all times! It is pretty self-explanatory not to leave your items unattended, but it's also important that you pay close attention to your bag even while it's on your person. This year, I wore a crossbody fanny pack, which kept my personal items close and visible to me the entire time. I highly recommend.
Set specific meet-up spots with your friends! The park was much bigger than I thought, but it was much easier to find my friends when we set an exact meetup spot. This is also helpful since there are many areas at the festival where service is spotty.
This one is obvious but please prioritize your health! It's important to remember that food is fuel AND you need to stay hydrated. While it might suck to miss out on a set, it is never worth risking your health to see your favorite artist. I saw many people passing out from dehydration and exhaustion because they did not put themselves first. PUT YOUR HEALTH FIRST ALWAYS.
Final Thoughts
By the time I got home from Lollapalooza, my feet were blistered, my skin was sunburnt, my voice was hoarse, and my phone had no storage. Putting all of that aside, it was still one of the best weekends I've ever had. I feel so incredibly lucky that I was given the opportunity to attend Lollapalooza this year, and I hope I get the chance to attend again next year, and the years to come. Lollapalooza is a celebration of music, friendship, culture, and community, as well as the city of Chicago itself. It's a truly magical weekend that I hope everyone gets the chance to experience. See you soon, Lolla!
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