CHICAGO — Following Lollapalooza’s long and lucrative run in Chicago, the future of the flagship music festival is still to be determined, with its decade-old contract ending this year.
But as producers negotiate with city officials on a pact to keep Lollapalooza in town, some residents, aldermen and parks advocates wonder if they’ll have any say in the decision — especially after the Chicago Park District quietly executed a one-year contract extension for this year’s festival without any public discussion or vote.
Grant Park will welcome more than 170 acts and hundreds of thousands of music lovers for Lollapalooza starting Thursday. The two aldermen whose wards include the downtown park recognize that Chicago’s largest music festival is a major economic driver for the city, even as they field complaints each year about noise, trash, street closures and attendees whose partying got out of hand.
