Lollapalooza 2025 lit up Grant Park from July 31st to August 3rd, bringing together some of the most popular artists in the music business as well as bringing record breaking crowds for an unforgettable weekend.This year Lolla stood out not only for their amazing headliners including Olivia Rodrigo, Twice, Tyler The Creator and sabrina carpenter. The festival also achieved a historic milestone as it achieved the largest audience ever gathered for a Lollapalooza performance ever. This year’s festival also brought surprising guest appearances, and powerful performances by rising stars. Lolla 2025 proved once again why it remains one of the most popular and influential music festivals.
Luke Combs was the first country singer to ever headline Lollapalooza. He sang a full 90 minute set and during that set he brought out Alex Warren to perform their hit song “Ordinary”. He also covered Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car”. He headlined on the first day of the festival and his collaboration with Alex was one of the most talked about of the festival.
Tyler The creator returned to Lolla after deciding to cancel his headlining set in 2024. His set included many songs from his most recent released album “Don’t Tap The Glass” as well as some songs from “Chromakopia” and even some of his older songs like “She”, “New Magic Wand” and “ IFHY”. The Chicago Sun Times reported that Tyler said “You have always treated me so good since day 1. I appreciate y’all”. Tyler did not bring out any guests but his set was still one of the people’s favorites from the festival.
Olivia Rodrigo was one of the most anticipated and favored artists at the festival. She drew “record breaking crowds” for her set reported by North By Northwestern, they said there were approximately 115,000 people in attendance for her set! During her set she brought out Weezer and performed their hits “Buddy Holly” and “Say It Ain’t So” which helped her attract that huge crowd.
TWICE was also a superstar of the festival. They were the first all female K-Pop group to perform at the festival (Chicago Sun Times). Their dazzling set included their hits from This Is For their studio album and amazing visuals that really helped them become icons.
Finally Sabrina Carpenter closed the festival with loads of energy in her set. Her set featured songs from her album Man’s Best Friend as well as some fan favorites like “Feather” and “Nonsense”. She did bring out Earth, Wind & Fire and performed their hit songs “September” and “Lets Groove”.
Lollapalooza 2025 will be remembered as a festival that not only broke records but also reshaped expectations of what a global music gathering can truly be. From Olivia Rodrigo breaking crowd records to Twice being the first female K-Pop group this year, Lollapalooza helped celebrate the new generations of music and showed recognition to the timeless connections we all have to music.With attendance soaring back to pre-covid highs, Lollapalooza wasn’t just a music festival but a part of music history.
