August 4, 2014

Chicago Hosts Successful Lollapalooza 2014

City celebrates 10th anniversary of music festival

Mayor's Press Office    312.744.3334

The City of Chicago proudly celebrates the conclusion of another successful Lollapalooza Music Festival, which took place in Grant Park over the weekend. Now in its tenth year, the three-day festival showcased more than 130 bands on eight stages, including Eminem, Outkast, Kings of Leon, Arctic Monkeys, Skrillex and Calvin Harris.

“Ten years since the festival came to Chicago, Lollapalooza continues to thrive as one of the nation’s top music festivals, attracting Chicago residents and visitors alike,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “Chicago’s lakefront offers the perfect backdrop to hold this world-class festival, and Lollapalooza continues to grow by offering exciting new attractions for all ages, including the family-friendly Kidzapalooza area.”

The sold-out concert hosted 100,000 fans each day and attracted thousands more to other festival-related activities, including dozens of official after-shows.

According to festival organizers, Lollapalooza infused more than $139 million into the local economy in 2013 (2014 figures are not yet available).  As a premier music festival that is held exclusively in Chicago, the event also serves as tourist attraction. This year, 69 percent of event attendees reside outside Chicago, while 2.4 percent of all ticket holders reside outside the United States.

The City is now in its third year of a 10-year agreement with event organizers to host Lollapalooza through 2021. As outlined in the contract, the Chicago Park District receives a percentage of ticket sales each year, with a guaranteed minimum payment of $1.5 million. Over the past several years, proceeds from the festival have allowed the Park District to fund citywide park improvements and dozens of educational and cultural programs.

Festival attendees also did their part to save waste and support recycling. Fans filled the equivalent of 319,000 water bottles at the festival’s CamelBak filling stations – bringing the total water bottles saved since 2010 to 1.036 million. Through the festival’s Rock & Recycle program, 2,400 attendees picked up recycling to exchange for commemorative swag.

The City’s public safety agencies worked closely with event organizers to ensure a safe and secure event for attendees and residents. Attendees took advantage of several public transportation options to get to the festival, including the CTA, Metra and the Divvy bike sharing program. Traffic Control Aides have been on hand to facilitate traffic during the festival and will continue to do so until all of the streets impacted by the festival have re-opened. A majority of streets closed for the festival will be re-opened by Wednesday.

 


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