Crowd Safety at Lollapalooza: How Fans Are Navigating the Festival in 2025

CHICAGO — As tens of thousands of music fans flood into Grant Park for Lollapalooza 2025, the question of crowd safety remains front and center. With headliners like Tyler, the Creator, Luke Combs, and Olivia Rodrigo, the energy is high — but so is public awareness around festival risks.

In the shadow of the 2021 Astroworld tragedy, where 10 people died due to a crowd crush, fans are approaching large-scale festivals with new caution. A recently released Netflix documentary, Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy, has reignited conversations about concert safety nationwide — especially at events like Lollapalooza, which is organized by C3 Presents, a division of Live Nation, the same promoter involved in Astroworld.

First-Time Attendees Doing Their Homework

For 18-year-old Andie Butler, attending her first Lollapalooza meant doing some serious research beforehand.

“From what I’ve heard, [Lollapalooza] has never really had anything close to that,” Butler said, referring to Astroworld. “There’s security, lots of medics, and water refill stations.”

She prefers standing near the barricade — not to be closer to the artists, but for safety.

“There’s space in between you and the stage. If you need to get out, you can,” she added.

Festival Response and Safety Measures

While Lollapalooza’s website includes tips on hearing protection and sun breaks, it lacks detailed guidance on crowd crush prevention. Festival organizers did not respond to questions from the Chicago Tribune about specific safety procedures.

Steve Allen, CEO of U.K.-based Crowd Safety, warned against complacency.

“It’s dangerous to say ‘it won’t happen here.’ Planning and staffing are critical. Complacency is what causes real problems,” he said.

Allen, who works with music foundations and the families of victims, said qualified and empowered staff can make the difference between a safe festival and a disaster.

The Experience from the Ground

Festivalgoers have varying strategies. Some choose the front-row energy; others hang back for comfort. Selena Alvarado and Alejandro White traveled from Michigan but skipped the pit altogether, setting up a blanket between stages.

“My anxiety can’t handle it,” Alvarado said. “But seeing medics and water distribution, it makes me feel safer.”

Meanwhile, Kailey Pallares, 19, who came from St. Louis for her first festival, reconsidered after entering the crowd for Role Model’s set. She eventually left before the show started.

“At first I thought people were being dramatic,” she admitted. “But once it filled up, I started to feel unsafe.”

Role Model paused his performance briefly after noticing someone in distress. Staff handed out water and helped those needing assistance, but the sheer volume of people — often exceeding stage capacity — posed challenges.

What About the Artists?

Chappell Roan drew an estimated 100,000 fans to her set in 2024 — a record for a daytime Lollapalooza performance. Some attendees like Butler said they’d attend earlier sets and skip larger ones to reduce risk.

“I wouldn’t stay for Tyler [the Creator],” she said. “It’s probably going to get more intense than I’d like.”

Other artists and crews have taken active roles in safety — pausing sets or displaying visual reminders to “take a step back.” These techniques, according to Allen, are key mitigation tools to keep large crowds calm and responsive.

Not Everyone Is Worried

For some, like 21-year-old Kat Welborn from South Carolina, the energy outweighs the risks.

“I’m not really a nervous person,” she said from the Tito’s Handmade Vodka stage barricade. “You can only do so much. Just be aware and enjoy.”

Still, safety incidents — including people being stretchered out for dehydration or panic — are visible each year, raising ongoing concerns.

Festival Planning Meets Real-World Anxiety

Lollapalooza is one of the largest urban music festivals in the country, and while no tragedy like Astroworld has occurred, the tension between excitement and vigilance is palpable in 2025. With the number of large-scale festivals growing, artists, organizers, and attendees alike are being forced to confront how crowd behavior, staffing, and layout design shape the live music experience.

As Allen put it:

“Artists don’t want incidents. Cities don’t want the PR damage. And fans just want to feel safe and have a good time.”

How do you feel about crowd safety at big music festivals like Lollapalooza? Share your story or tips with us at ChicagoMusicGuide.com.