If you have never heard of the event before, it is a music festival in Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois. The festival is four days long, jam packed with amazing music artists. They perform on eight different stages around the park from 10 in the morning to 10 at night. If you go to the event all day all four days, I commend you. That is a lot, but it is an incredible experience that you will remember for a life time.

This being my first year attending Lolla, I decided to ease into the event by opting for a one day pass. In the future, I would definitely love to invest in the four-day pass and take advantage of all of the talent that comes to this one location.

It’s difficult to justly describe the environment associated with the event, but I can certainly give you an idea. Everyone walks around the park with big, eager eyes and smiles. The outfits that you will see vary greatly, but all have a similar street-style vibe. Most people also top off their look with fun accessories, fanny packs, or a camelback backpack to keep themselves and their friends hydrated throughout the day.

In addition to the performances in the park, there is an art market, gift shop, and food places with insane treats like lobster corndogs. So if you’re waiting for your next favorite band or starving when you realize lunch was three hours ago, they have your back.

People are happily racing around from set to set so that they don’t miss their favorite performers. During the performances, the singers really engage with the audience and get the crowds going crazy. The audience sings on the top of their lungs and dances around with their friends. The screens and displays on stage complement the performances perfectly, and the night shows have crazy lights.

After the main event ends around 10 p.m., there are a lot of after-shows at venues around the city with artists from Lolla. I, unfortunately, did not get to experience one of those, but I have heard nothing but fun stories about them.

I am an out-of-towner, so I stayed in a hotel with friends close to the venue. I stayed Thursday to Sunday despite the fact that my ticket was only for Friday. This was actually very nice for us, because it gave us an opportunity to see the city. We also got to see fellow Lolla-goers everywhere that we ventured to around the city. If you have never been to the festival before, this may be a good way to ease into it, and give you a chance to get to know the city. However, other than being exhausted by the end of the weekend, I do not think you will regret partaking in all four days of Lollapolooza. It is a crazy fun experience that I would definitely recommend.