CHICAGO (WLS) – Preparations for Lollapalooza are underway at Grant Park.
It starts at full capacity on Thursday after a year of failure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2019, 400,000 people took part in four days.
WATCH: Our Chicago Part 1
The popular music festival’s return comes at a time of rising COVID-19 cases in Illinois and across the country.
“Of course, I wish COVID didn’t spike anywhere in the US, but we’re largely in control at this point, and as long as people are responsible, vaccinated and / or tested, we continue to trust science that outdoor events in general happen.” pose no major risk of transmission, “said Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner for the Chicago Department of Public Health.
However, precautions are taken to protect participants from infection.
“I’m really glad that the organizers at Lollapalooza took the best approach here to limit the risk in every possible way,” said Arwady. “To make sure that all participants must either be fully vaccinated or have a negative test before entry, and they did all the things we think about regarding air treatment, in all of the enclosed spaces at Lolla that they have a have good testing program for their employees that all of their backstage people are vaccinated. They really went out of their way to make this as safe as possible. “
WATCH: Our Chicago Part 2
Some of the festival visitors will be from out of town and will stay in Chicago hotels. Their return after the COVID-19 pandemic could provide a boost after a year of largely vacant hotels. Currently, occupancy rates are hovering between 50 and 55 percent, said Michael Jacobson, president and CEO of the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association. He said that was better than earlier in the year and definitely better than last year. However, he said hotels are typically 85-90% at this time of year.
“We are definitely confident,” said Jacobson. “Reservations for Lolla are looking pretty strong, but the question is where are we going to Lolla and the demand for recreational travel is definitely high. You see a lot of tourists cruising up and down the Mag Mile and the Loop, ‘I see the recovery not quite yet in the business trip and then of course in the conventions. ”
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