From Friday through Sunday, music lovers in wristbands—and more often than not, wraparound headbands—headed toward Grant Park in droves. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Lollapalooza drew more guests than ever this year, with a daily attendance of about 90,000 as opposed to last year's 80,000-a-day average. Brands sought to gain guests' attention with everything from flavored snow cones to roving Playboy Playmates, and set up shop on festival grounds and at affiliated events all over town.
At Lollapalooza, companies created branded experiences for guests to check out between sets from artists such as Coldplay, Eminem, and Damian Marley and Nas. In Adidas's walk-in shoe box, for example, attendees could learn about the brand's new mobile app and check out its latest sneakers. Near festival grounds, the Hard Rock Hotel pampered artists and media in a Miami-themed lounge area replete with spa treatments and chilled buckets of beer, and Gilt City invited guests to a rooftop pool party with an intimate concert from festival act Cults on Saturday.
Here's a look at how these and other companies captured the interest of the Lollapalooza crowds, keeping attendees interacting with, talking about, and ingesting their products throughout the weekend.