How To Attend Lollapalooza with A Family

July 31, 2023

In 2019, we took our first family trip to Lollapalooza and to our surprise, absolutely loved it. Kids under 10 years are free and at the time, Mila was 6 months and Noah was 3 year old. There is a big Kidzapalooza area, which is family friendly with lots to do.

There’s a big kids area with a kids stage, performers, instruments, etc. Tattoos, face painting, photo booths and more. All included in an adult ticket. Even air conditioned bathrooms! Last year, the kids even decorated and personalized their own backpacks.

Here are some things that made the entire experience at Lollapalooza really easy for our family. Hopefully these are helpful if you are thinking about going this summer!

Going as a family to Lollapalooza

Supplies:

  • We took this stroller. It’s the best travel stroller there is. It’s super lightweight (around 11 pounds) and Mila took her naps in it all day. There’s a little storage below too. I travelled a lot with it.
  • Everyone wear comfy, close toed shoes. Darker clothing or close you aren’t worried about staining and sweating through. You can see what I will be wearing here.
  • We used this Baby Bjorn to carry Mila which was SUPER helpful! We loved this one because it’s the most back supportive.
  • Empty water bottle! Hydration stations are everywhere.
  • Some other supplies we brought were baby wipes, diapers, and bottle + formula. We didn’t bring snacks because we just bought food there.
  • You are also allowed to bring in a blanket or large beach towel. Very helpful if you are planning on staying for awhile. We’ve brought this one before, it folds up and waterproof.

Security is pretty tough, so I would double check the allowed and prohibited section on Lolla’s website before buying tickets.

Lollapalooza in Chicago as a family

Transportation:

Take the train! Or any type of public transportation. You won’t find parking or will have to pay a million dollars for it. We took the brown line and there was a super short walk to the main entrance.

If you need to drive, I would definitely do Spot Hero, but prices will most likely be pretty expensive. We have parked in the Millennium Park garage before, it takes you right there. Pretty convenient.

Kidzapoolza

The Kidzapalooza area is awesome. There’s so much to do. They have young adult bands, sing alongs with instruments, face painting, balloons, etc. The family friendly area is close to main stages so it’s easy to listen to performers there. Manny and I just turns going closer to the stage when we wanted to hear certain performers.

There’s also a lot of cool food and beverage vendors to check out like this wine selfie slushy from Cupcake wine, Dunkin’, Shake Shack, Maybelline (they had a skate rink one year), etc. The food has gotten better over the year and more local vendors are popping up. Lines get long, I recommend eating early.

Going as a family to Lollapalooza in Chicago
Register the kids right when you get there!

Tips

  • Go right when the doors open. The park is very empty. I think we went from doors open to around 6pm
  • Kidzapalooza has the best bathrooms! It’s an air conditioned trailer and really clean.
  • Bringing less stuff is better, pack light
  • It’s hot! At one point, both kids were in just diapers/shorts. It does get cooler at night
  • When you get there, you can go to the help tent and register your children.
  • We also put our cell phone number on Noah’s upper arm just in case

I hope some of this is helpful! Let me know if you are thinking about going or have any questions, DM at @thechicagogoodlife. If you want some other Chicago things, check them out here!

Christine

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