Lollapalooza Kicks Off In Grant Park
CHICAGO (CBS)-- Lollapalooza kicked off at Grant Park on Thursday, with Miley Cyrus headlining the first day of the festival.
Organizers are expecting 110,000 people a day for the four-day music festival, the biggest event since the city reopened.
Signs are up offering health screenings at the four-day fest, and city officials and festival organizers have said safety is a priority.
Everyone needs a negative COVID test from the last 72 hours or proof of vaccination to enter.
Meantime, the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications will be keeping an eye on 240 miles of Chicago; that translates to more than 700 cameras just in the footprint of the festival area.
There will also be concrete barriers and a command post on-site, but the focus isn't just on Grant Park, where the festival is taking place. The CTA will be affected too, and the agency said they plan to have additional resources posted around their system, including 900 private officers assigned daily.
The city also is working with hotels in the area to make sure they are part of the safety process.
"We just attended a meeting yesterday, on the 28th, with the hotel industry; and just going over suspicious activity reporting, what to look out for. They've really been good partners, and certainly the ones that are in the footprint of Michigan Avenue, in the Lollapalooza footprint, we've been well involved and we've kept them informed in a variety of different ways," said OEMC executive director Rich Guidice.
Limited tickets are still available at lollapalooza.com, or through re-sale.