Lollapalooza is back at Grant Park.
This year’s festival showcases an impressive blend of breakthrough acts and established favorites, with headliners like Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter and Tyler, the Creator. It’s also an exciting year for artists who’ve found their creative stride, from Grammy-nominated R&B powerhouse Durand Bernarr to genre-defying sensation Amaarae to mega breakout rapper Doechii, a hip hop superstar in the making.
Here’s what to know — including a day-by-day look at the music festival.
Day 2: Olivia Rodrigo was Friday’s fest favorite
Friday was Olivia Rodrigo day at Lollapalooza as the festival opened for Day 2 in Chicago’s lakefront Grant Park.
Rodrigo is the T-Mobile mainstage headliner to close out the night, on the opposite end from metal band Korn on the Bud Light stage.
There was a sea of Rodrigo’s signature purple at the T-Mobile by noon on Friday. Some of her most dedicated fans, many wearing purple cowboy hats, made it a point to line up early to get the best view. Read more here.
Day 1: Tyler, the Creator — and the first country headliner
Lollapalooza opened Thursday in Grant Park for its annual four days of crowds and music, with a lineup through Sunday heavy on female artists — Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter are both end-of-day headliners, with Gracie Abrams and Clairo also among the early crowd favorites.
Official headliners for Day 1 were Tyler, the Creator and Luke Combs, who closed out the night on the T-Mobile and Bud Light stages, respectively. Combs made Lollapalooza history as the Chicago festival’s first-ever country music festival closer.
At the main gates at Michigan Avenue and Ida B. Wells Drive, concertgoers got up with the sun to be first in the entrance chutes before the festival opened at 11 a.m.
Siblings Jacob Fuentes and Sofia Pogue traveled from Texas; this was the first concert ever for Sofia, 13, they said. Tyler, the Creator is her favorite artist. “I like a lot of music but I feel like I like (Tyler’s) the most,” she said. Read more here.
Crowd safety has only become more topical. How do people at Lollapalooza feel?
Lollapalooza can be seen as a safe haven — a place where music lovers go to catch all their favorite artists in one place. But along with that excitement comes crowds that can swell to outsized numbers for more popular artists, at a time when crowd safety has taken on a new sense of importance.
Some of that awareness this summer is due to the documentary “Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy,” which was released on Netflix in June and quickly became popular. The documentary details the events leading up to the crowd crush that killed 10 people at rapper Travis Scott’s Astroworld music festival in Houston in November 2021. Read more here.
Hybrid battery system to power main stage as more festivals embrace clean energy
-
A worker in Grant Park on July 30, 2025, looks at the hybrid battery system that will power the T-Mobile stage during Lollapalooza. Hybrid battery systems like the one used at Lollapalooza can store energy from the electrical grid and release it to power performances. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
1 of 11
A worker in Grant Park on July 30, 2025, looks at the hybrid battery system that will power the T-Mobile stage during Lollapalooza. Hybrid battery systems like the one used at Lollapalooza can store energy from the electrical grid and release it to power performances. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
For the second year in a row, Lollapalooza will power its largest stage with a hybrid battery system, marking a growing trend of big-name music festivals transitioning away from diesel-based generators.
When the Chicago staple introduced its hybrid battery-powered stage in 2024, it became the first major U.S. festival to power its main stage with a battery system, which supplements the stage’s generators with energy stored from the electric grid. This system reduced the stage’s fuel consumption by 67%, and avoided 26 metric tons of carbon emissions, according to data from festival organizers.
This year’s system will provide 1.5 megawatt hours of storage, the same capacity as last year. The system will power the T-Mobile stage. Read more here.
Our picks for the best music by day — and what not to miss
What makes this year’s Lollapalooza especially compelling is its focus on artists who represent the future of their respective genres. Whether it’s Clairo’s sophisticated, downtempo evolution on “Charm,” Mk.gee’s innovative approach to indie rock, or The Marías’ emotionally resonant breakup anthems, the festival promises to be a showcase for music that feels both contemporary and timeless.
Here’s our picks for the best-of-the-best. Read more here.
Lollapalooza expected to deliver big weekend for hotels, even as international travel lags
The wave of visitors should keep most downtown hotel rooms and many restaurants filled, a much-needed boost at a time when overseas tourists seem increasingly reluctant to visit the U.S.
Chicago hotel operators say it’s become one of downtown’s most important events, and this year may be the biggest ever.
“The Lolla lineup determines overall success,” said Nabil Moubayed, general manager of the 792-room InterContinental at 505 N. Michigan Ave. “This year’s lineup is very strong, so we are seeing exceptional demand. It’s exciting for us and the market.” Read more here.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/Y4I4B6DZVZFR5DYKK6MN5NFXEQ.JPG)
