Lollapalooza 2026: Day 1 Recap

The most anticipated weekend in Chicago is finally  here. After days of preparation and hours of travel, thousands of people flooded through the gates of Grant Park on Thursday (July 30th) at 11AM sharp to kick off the festival.

Performances

My first set of the weekend was 5 Seconds of Summer (4:30PM – 5:30PM) at the T-Mobile stage. 5SOS has been around for over a decade and has had incredible hits over different eras of their career. They recently released a new album, and while they incorporated their new songs into their performance, they still played their fan-favorite tracks, causing the crowds to explode throughout their performance. The stage set-up was incredibly unique, and the band uses small video skits to transition between different parts of the sets, which I really enjoyed. Luke Hemmings, my personal favorite member, produced incredible vocals, per usual, and the entire band has a stage presence that makes it impossible to look away from them. Overall, incredible set!

Credits: Frankie Vergara, Lollapalooza

Immediately following 5SOS, Audrey Hobert began her debut Lollapalooza performance at the neighboring Allianz stage. Audrey was one of my most anticipated performances of the weekend and she truly exceeded my expectations in every way. I am a MASSIVE Audrey Hobert fan, and I was ecstatic to find out she was playing Lollapalooza. When she first began performing early in her career, her performance style was described as “awkward”, but I thought her stage presence was amazing. She embraces her awkwardness and doesn’t dismiss it as a bad thing, which is almost inspiring. Her live vocals were also very impressive. Additionally, her crowd (which was huge) was full of so many loyal fans, which was such a beautiful thing to see. My favorite part of the Lollapalooza is watching people connect over music, and Audrey's set was a major hub for this. She ended the set playing Sue Me (for the second time) and requested the crowd put their phones away to live in the moment, which made the experience so much  enjoyable. I'm so excited to see where she will go in her career.

Credits: Pooneh Ghana, Lollapalooza

After Audrey ended, I made my way to AirBnB to see CMAT, an up-and-coming singer from Ireland. I very recently discovered CMAT, but since then, I have been obsessed with her music. I absolutely love her sound, and you could tell instantly that she was truly excited to be a part of the festival lineup, and she displayed that throughout the entirety of the performance. She spent a lot of time interacting with the crowd and even running all the way to the back of the crowd at one point, which I have never seen an artist do without a barricade. She was doing the most insane vocal runs on stage and her excitement and energy was infectious. I hope I am lucky enough to see her perform again.

Credits: @bassealec on Instagram

The final performance of the night was Lorde (8:30PM) and by the time it was over I genuinely felt like I had ascended to the heavens. I have been a fan of Lorde since I was a child, so getting to see her perform live was a dream come true. Yet, nothing could’ve prepared me for the incredible, life altering performance she would put on. My favorite part of the set was "Girl, so confusing" live with Charli XCX, which changed my life, followed by "Green Light" immediately after, which is genuinely one of my favorite songs ever made. Lorde is a generational talent, and I am so lucky to have been able to attend her headlining set.

Credits: Dusana Karam, Lollapalooza

Food & Beverages

As soon as I arrived on Thursday, I could confidently say that Chow Town was at its best this year. With over 80 diverse food vendors, there was truly something for everyone. This year, I opted to try something familiar for the first day and went with Shake Shack, a favorite of mine. I got the traditional Shack Burger, and I’m not sure if the atmosphere influenced the taste, but the burger was incredible. It was exactly the fuel I needed to carry me through my day, and I would HIGHLY recommend it. I also would like to express appreciation for the Heinz Sauce Stop, which provides a number of different sauces to accompany your food. Typically, you are lucky to find BBQ sauce, let alone ranch, pickle ketchup, and relish. 

My beverages this day mainly consisted of Nutrl Seltzers and Cutwater from the Press Lounge's open bar, and LOTS of Water. STAY HYDRATED!!!

Brand Activations

This year, Lolla had an array of new brand activations, with the most notable being the Motorola Razr Ferris Wheel. Sat in front of the main entrance, south of the AirBnB stage, the Razr Ferris Wheel was a great addition to the festival, in my opinion. I personally have a situational fear of heights but chose to conquer that just to see the views from the ferris wheel, and I am thankful I did. There were two lines, and every time the ferris wheel stopped, they let two groups in from either side, making for a seamless and quick boarding and exiting process. When at the top of the ferris wheel, you have a close view of the AirBnB and Bud Light Stages, a view of the lake in front of you, and a view of Chicago’s beautiful skyline behind you (depending on which side of the cart you choose to sit on). The ride was probably a little over five minutes, which is honestly more than I would’ve expected, and was completely free, so definitely worth it.

Included in the Lolla Midway (the name of Lolla’s new carnival area) was a collection of carnival games, and while I didn’t get a chance to check them out, it was very busy throughout the weekend and was seemingly a great addition to the festival! 

On Thursday I also stopped by Welch’s Fusions Ultimate Remix, where Welch’s was promoting their Welch’s Fusions, which add a juicy twist to their traditional fruit snacks. While waiting in line, employees prompted festivalgoers to take a “Find Your Fusions Vibe” quiz, which produced a result of one of their three Fusions flavors: Original Fruits, Citrus Surge, and Tropical Tornado. When you reach the front of the line, you are presented with your awarded flavor, as well as one of each of the others. The fruit snacks themselves were very tasty and perfect to have as a quick snack throughout the festival, the staff was very kind and welcoming, and the line was quick moving. Additionally, they offered live voting for potential future flavors, allowing for an interactive and immersive experience.

My last activation of the day was the Toyota Music Den. The Toyota Music Den itself is an amazing part of Lolla. The area is shaded and throughout the day, there are different DJ sets and performances for people to enjoy, whether they are waiting in lines or not. The Music Den itself was giving away free Lollapalooza bandana's as long as festivalgoers took a quiz about Toyota vehicles. For future reference, I highly recommend getting or bringing a bandana to the festival, as it is perfect to use as a makeshift blanket whenever you will inevitably want to sit down.

Credits: Ismael Quintanilla III, Lollapalooza

Closing Thoughts

Thursday was by far the hottest day of the festival and by the end of the day, my feet were killing me (don't wear platform converse), but I had an incredible time. This day was full of amazing sets, and I am excited for what's to come over the next few days.