Lollapalooza continues as Chicago area records ‘high’ COVID-19 transmission

CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) — As Lollapalooza returns to Grant Park for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns over rising cases of the virus are factoring into the festival that saw 400,000 attendees in 2019.

Festival organizers announced attendees will need to wear masks at indoor areas beginning Saturday, though the event is largely outside.

Festival-goers who spoke with NewsNation affiliate WGN were mostly vaccinated, but they traveled from both coasts of the country to attend the iconic event.

Attendees who are not vaccinated need to provide proof of a negative test and wear a mask. Most of the people at Grant Park when WGN was there were not masked.

Vaccinated attendees only need to show a filled-out card, it is not being checked against picture identification.

Cook County, Illinois, which includes Chicago, is listed as a site of “high” COVID-19 transmission on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website. Only 13 of Illinois’ 102 counties fall outside the CDC’s new indoor masking recommendation.

Still, the mood on the second day was still excited.

“I’ve been a big fan of Tyler the Creator since I was six,” said Charlie King, 13, who came from Dallas with his dad. “This is my first time actually seeing him. We’re going to camp out. I’ve got a Red Bull, water, I’m ready to go. [My dad’s] trying to sleep. We’re just having a good time waiting.”

The festival runs through Sunday.

WGN’s Bronagh Tumulty contributed to this report.