Lollapalooza returned to Chicago's Grant Park August 2 to 5. As usual, the enormous music festival, which drew some 100,000 guests each day and featured performances from around 180 bands, had plenty of activities to keep guests entertained between sets. Shaded areas filled with games offered ping-pong tables or bean-bag tosses; there were also on-site markets, a beer garden, and the "Chow Town" area that served up portable snacks such as lobster corn dogs.
Major brands also created diversions for festivalgoers. Toyota, for example, brought in stylists to give guests free, festival-ready hairdos; American Eagle let visitors customize their own denim pouches, and Tito's hosted a game of Plinko that offered festival swag as prizes. But one thing that sponsors did that drew in guests the most this year was to offer them something cool—and not just figuratively so.
For many years, Lollapalooza faced rainy Chicago weather that was sometimes so severe it led to canceled sets or even full-park evacuations. (Such was the case in 2017.) This year, the festival was spared a downpour, but it was affected by soaring temperatures that reached well into the 90s. As such, festivalgoers seemed particularly interested in perks such as shade, popsicles, and even a photo booth that released a blast of cool air.
Take a look inside the event.
Headline acts this year included The Weeknd (pictured), along with Bruno Mars, Jack White, and Arctic Monkeys.
The festival featured colorful backdrops for photo ops throughout the grounds.
Keen to showcase its ability to personalize denim, American Eagle set up a two-story structure on festival grounds. The top floor offered Wi-Fi, phone chargers, and a hot festival commodity: shade. It also displayed customized jean styles.
On the first floor, staffers customized denim pouches with Chicago-centric sayings that changed every day. Festivalgoers formed a line outside the activation to get screen-printed bags.
Behind the BMI stage, festivalgoers could add their mark to a mural with a little help from Art of Everyone. The organization used an "artist conductor" to verbally guide guests through painting or drawing using a laser pointer.
The beverage brand also offered fruity popsicles and samples of its Antioxidant Infusion Drinks.
At the N.B.A.'s on-site shop, guests could pick up customized Bulls jerseys.
The Austin-based vodka brand hosted the Love, Tito's experience to showcase the efforts of its charitable initiative. Highlighting Chicago-based charity Bunker Labs, the activation taught guests about the local nonprofit; it also served as a digital time capsule that invited guests to make a video pledge to initiate positive change in the world. The videos will be emailed to festivalgoers a year later.
Guests could also play Plinko for the chance to win festival swag. Above the game board, information about Bunker Labs was displayed.
The brand also had a V.I.P. lounge replete with a lush, leafy bar serving up specialty Bloody Marys. As another part of its Lollapalooza presence, Tito's hosted a contest in which participants could tweet at the brand for a chance to have Bloody Mary ingredients delivered to their doorsteps.
Toyota offered V.I.P.-style perks such as complimentary hairstyling.
At the "Corolla Scoop of Love" station, guests could pick up a welcome cold treat.
Guests could top their ice cream with sprinkles and other fixings found at stations surrounding display vehicles.
