Lollapalooza was one of the first events to adjust their approach to COVID and all of the latest happenings with the pandemic. Chicago‘s most recognizable festival, which wrapped up 2 weeks ago, adopted a new policy for 2021 which required patrons to show proof of vaccine or a negative COVID test 72 hours or less before entering the gates. And since the wrap of the festival, many other upcoming summer and fall events have adopted the same policy. Just yesterday, popular event promoter AEG also announced that they are taking the same approach. And, so far, it looks like it’s the correct way to go about things.
According to Chicago’s Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady, there is “no evidence” that Lolla was a “super-spreader” event. It was reported that 385,000 people attended the festival throughout the four days of performances. Until today, only 203 attendees have tested positive for the virus. That equates to just .05% of the total attendees. Also, 90% of those who did attend were vaccinated.
It’s a good sign to see some good things come from these festivals and events, despite the ever-changing headlines. It bodes well for the rest of our schedules that we can proceed with our plans without worry. While this does mean the same thing for indoor events, we’ll take what we can get for now!