The Lollapalooza Lowdown!

Lollapalooza starts tomorrow and we have the lowdown!

2012 tickets sold out in records time, 71 days prior to the event, but those who didn’t score the coveted tickets can stream the show at http://youtube.com/lollapalooza. Live streams and interviews will be available for Jack White, AVICII, The Black Keys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Frank Ocean, The Shins, Florence + The Machine, and more.

Something cool this year is the stand-alone LollaShop.  The Shop is open to the public through August 6th and has Lollapalooza merchandise and merch from Sony, Goorlin Bros. Hats, Baggu plus many more.  The LollaShop is located Thompson Hotel and the Lounge will host events and artist appearances, and yoga.  Make sure to reserve a spot by RSVPing at http://do312.com/lollashop.

When there is just too much to carry, State Farm is providing a bag check. This is free and located west of Buckingham Fountain.

Lolla + Instagram + Free WIFI

This year Lollapalooza is having bands and fans Instagram photos showing up on the jumbotron around the stages.  Remember to tag all Lollapalooza photos this weekend in Instagram with #lolla.  Don’t use Instagram? iPhone and Android photos also show up in the Lollapalooza mobile app that is available for free on Google Play and iTunes.

To assist in uploading all those Instagram photos, Lolla is providing FREE WIFI around the park.  There will be hotspots near Buckingham Fountain, Lederhosen’s Biergarten, Uncorked Win Lounge, all Lolla Lounges, and more.  The network to select is “2012 Lolla.”

What’s Allowed and Not Allowed in the Park

Since it’s been hot around Chicago and the Midwest, festivals such and Summerfest and now Lollapalooza are allowing patrons to bring in 2 SEALED bottles into the festival.  Also allowed is an empty, refillable bottle.  There will be commemorative CamelBak water bottles and packs at merch booths.  The goal is to reduce the amount of plastic containers in the park with partners Boxed Water and Vita Coco Coconut Water.

Along with the sealed bottles the following items are ALLOWED at Lollapalooza:

Blankets, Sheets, Towels

Umbrellas (ONLY Hand-Held)

Soft-Sided Coolers

Baby Strollers

Binoculars

Non-Professional Recording Equipment (Point & Shoot Cameras, Flip Video Cameras, etc.)

The following items are NOT ALLOWED at Lollapalooza:

Weapons of Any Kind, including Fireworks or Explosives of Any Kind

Illegal or Illicit Substances of Any Kind

Large Backpacks (Framed, Hiking Backpacks, etc.)

Glass Containers and Metal Aerosol Cans, including Sunscreen in Aerosol Cans.

Outside Food or Drinks (including Alcohol), except Two Factory-Sealed Water Bottles (up to 1 Liter each)

Skateboards, Scooters or Personal Motorized Vehicles

Bicycles Inside Festival Grounds (Plenty Bike Racks are available near The Box Office).

Carts, Tents & Chairs of Any Kind

Hard-Sided Coolers

Pets (except Service Dogs)

Professional Recording (Photo, Video, Audio) Equipment (NO Detachable Zoom Lense, Tripods or Other Commerical Equipment

No Unauthorized/Unlicensed Vendors Allowed. No Unauthorized Solicitations, Handbills, Sampling, Give-Aways, etc.

The FOOD

For the newcomers to Lolla the food is plentiful and diverse.  Chef Graham Elliot returned as the Culinary Ambassador to oversee the food is top notch.

Not everyone eats meat and besides having some great choices from food vendors, there is also the return of the Farmers Market. The Farmers Market will provide fresh fruits and vegetables to those vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free patrons.

Activities

Lollapalooza started with showcasing music, but today Lollapalooza has much more to experience than just music.

Green Workshops

In conjunction with the Farmers Market, there will be brief urban gardening workshops provided by Compass Green. These workshops support education in low-income schools.  These workshops are at the south end of Green Street each day of Lolla at 1p.m.

Kidzapalooza

For those who are bringing the kids along there is Kidzapalooza.  Kids 10 and under enter the festival within Lolla for free.  It has its own stage and interactive games from Rock Star Video Karaoke to hip-hop workshops with the Q Brothers. Face painting is also taken to a whole other level as kids are transformed into rock stars and get a photo shoot all glammed up.

Do312 Celebrity Kickball

For the 3rd year running, DO312 put together a stellar line-up for the game that takes place Saturday morning at 11:15a.m.  at the north end of the festival by the Red Bull Soundstage.  This year’s celebrities include Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul, Chef Guy Fieri, Ryan Cabrera, Alderman Proco Joe Moreno, Chris Holmes, Greg Corner, Har Mar Superstar, Ryan Paradise, Dave Ziebarth, Kaylee DeFer from Gossip Girl.

For the full Lollapalooza 2012 schedule head over to http://lineup.lollapalooza.com/events/2012/08/03/.