If you only go to one festival in 2019, it should be… Lollapalooza

Editor’s Note: As part of our ongoing Music Journalism Course, our music team was asked to choose from 10 U.S. music festivals and make a case for the best of 2019. 

Music festival season will soon be upon us. The question is, which festival should you attend if you could pick only one? There are a few to choose from including Coachella, Bonnaroo, Pitchfork, Governors Ball, and ACL Fest.

But the one to pick is Lollapalooza, held every year in Grant Park near Chicago. 

Let’s take a practical look at its location, convenience, and overall depth of live music.

Other larger festivals offer similar lineups, but most of them are not located in or near the downtown of a large city. Bonnaroo is held on a farm one hour away from Nashville. Coachella is held in a California desert. Governors Ball is held on an island that is not exactly close to Manhattan. ACL Fest is held in the city of Austin, Texas, but it is not held until the month of October.

Lollapalooza, on the other hand, is held in August across the street from Michigan Avenue. Several hotels are a five minute walk from Grant Park, some of which you can even see from the park itself. The other great thing about Lollapalooza is that the festival allows guests to leave and come back a total of eight times throughout the day with the 4-day pass.

You can leave for dinner, go shopping, take a nap, and come back for the rest of the night. You are not restricted to stay in the park for ten hours. This would not be a surprise because Lollapalooza always has amazing artists throughout the day.

The other amazing part about Lollapalooza is the fact that each night after the festival many of the major venues throughout the city offer after shows lasting until the early hours of the morning. Many of the artists are some of the most popular acts playing the festival.

If you choose to attend only one festival, then Lollapalooza should be your choice without a doubt. Any city that is good enough for Frank Sinatra has to be a fun place to spend a weekend listening to live music.

The full lineup will be announced here: https://www.lollapalooza.com/lineup/