What could be more fun than a weekend of portable toilets and $10 bottled water?
Did I mention that you might also get to sleep outside, rain or shine? The season for summer festivals is here, and there’s only one reason we go—to have a blast! Concert-goers wouldn’t put up any of the potential headaches that come with summer festivals if they weren’t so much dang fun. Here is a quick list of upcoming fests as well as tips and tricks to make sure you get through them all with a smile from ear to ear.
Lollapalooza (Chicago, IL; July 28–31, 2016)
For music lovers of a certain age, Lollapalooza was their first concert. In the 90’s, Lollapalooza (founded by Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction) was a tour comprising a who’s who of the worlds of alternative rock, punk, pop, hip hop, and even heavy metal. Since settling down as a Chicago festival in 2005, Lollapalooza has continued to feature seemingly every artist under the sun—including The Smashing Pumpkins, Rage Against the Machine, Eminem, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Nine Inch Nails, and Björk just to name a microscopic cross section. Best of all, without the grueling maelstrom of coordinating dozens of touring acts, the festival now brings even more impressive lineups to the annual 3-day event at Chicago’s Grant Park.
If you go:
Chicago’s Grant Park is pressed up against Lake Michigan, in the dead center of Chicago. This is a serious metropolitan city with two major airports and an abundance of cabs and Ubers, not to mention great public transit. In other words, you can stay practically anywhere in the city and get to the festival without much fuss.
With over half a dozen stages going on at any given time, Lollapalooza is one of the largest summer festivals around. Check the schedule to make sure you don’t miss your favorite bands. But don’t freak out if you end up hearing music you hate. The super short festival sets mean lots of variety. You might even find a new favorite band. Also, be sure to check the list of what is and is not allowed. Because this is such a massive festival in a major city, the rules can be somewhat restrictive.
2016 Acts You Don’t Want to Miss:
Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, J. Cole, Lana Del Ray, Future, LCD Soundsystem, The 1975, and literally countless other acts.