Photo credit: Taylor Regulski for Lollapalooza; Courtesy of Airbnb
Lollapalooza annually takes place during peak music festival season, with this year’s four-day passes selling out in under an hour back in March, once again proving the event to be a huge draw for music lovers. About 115,000 people attended each day of the festival from July 31 to Aug. 3, organizers confirmed, saying that attendance numbers were about the same as in 2024.
Festivalgoers flocked to see headliners like Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, RÜFÜS DU SOL, Luke Combs, A$AP Rocky and Tyler, the Creator, as well as more than 170 acts across multiple stages in Chicago’s Grant Park. The celebration extended to the local food scene and brand activations that took inspiration from festival culture and its colorful, high-energy aesthetic.
As summer winds down, explore nine Lollapalooza experiences that captured our attention and surprised us with their unique takes on Gen Z glam, retro vibes and sensory immersion.
AIRBNB
As a part of its first global live music partnership, Airbnb offered four curated Airbnb Experiences tailored to music fans’ interests during Lollapalooza: a backstage tour with veteran festival director Tim Sweetwood, a hands-on makeup masterclass with celebrity makeup artist Jill Powell, a fashion session with celebrity stylist Ann-Marie Hoang, a festival fashion photography class with Paul Octavious, and an intimate mixing session with DJ Lady D.
Each booking came with a complimentary general admission pass for the same day, even after GA tickets had sold out, and access to Airbnb Haven, the brand’s exclusive on-site lounge with relaxation areas, makeup touch-ups, private bathrooms and a cash bar. Airbnb and Lollapalooza’s partnership will continue its global rollout into the fall, with new Airbnb Experiences hitting The Town 2025 in São Paulo, Lollapalooza India and Lollapalooza Brasil.
Photo: Courtesy of Airbnb
CROWN ROYAL
Crown Royal popped up in Chicago during the festival with the Pancake Palace on Aug. 3. The 21-plus, late-night destination blended country and Y2K aesthetics to tie into the whisky brand’s summer campaign led by country-pop singer Tanner Adell and reality TV personality Miguel Harichi. The event featured appearances from the two stars—Adell performed live and Harichi served up syrup-soaked pancake stacks paired with Crown Royal-flavored cocktails. Attendees also enjoyed interacting with a branded photo booth and claw machine.
“With the Crown Royal Pancake Palace, we’re keeping the momentum going—this time leaning more into culture through talent like Harichi and Adell. Both bring their own loyal followings and unique POVs, helping us create a vibe that embodies the brand,” says Hadley Schafer, vp of Crown Royal. “For us, it’s not just about putting on a big event; it’s about finding the right partners and creating moments that feel personal, relevant in culture and shareable.”
Inside the retro breakfast diner experience, Crown Royal also launched its collab with Juicy Couture, unveiling a limited-edition, co-branded, rhinestone-studded tank top, which was available for purchase at the event. (Agencies: Brand New, experiential; Travel Agency, creative; Taylor, p.r.; Vayner, social; Starpower, talent)
Photos: Courtesy of Crown Royal
GOOGLE SHOPPING
Google Shopping gave festivalgoers a head start on nailing down their back-to-school style with an interactive experience that allowed them to virtually try on fashion and beauty products through its new AI tools. Brand ambassadors helped attendees take a photo and upload it to the platform, which instantly showed them fashion looks. Using their front-facing camera, participants could also see what mascara and lip products would look like on their faces.
Over the four-day festival, Google Shopping welcomed more than 5,000 attendees and gifted each a prize for participating, such as branded handheld fans, $5 or $10 festival credits, and VIP ticket upgrades.
The Lollapalooza activation was the first stop on the brand’s back-to-campus tour, hitting four universities during welcome week, including the University of Miami, University of Texas at Austin, Howard University and Arizona State University. (Agency: SHADOW)
Photo credit: Jonah Schwartz
JACK DANIEL’S
Seeing so many performances around the festival grounds has got to inspire a few singers to get on stage themselves. In fact, Jack Daniel’s banked on it by inviting attendees to have their own rock-star moment at its interactive karaoke experience, where they could sing their heart out with a live dj and capture the moment with a fun photo op.
A reward for their courage, the Jack Daniel’s Frozen Slushee Trailer offered a cool-down moment after the performance. There, participants could mix and match their favorite Jack Daniel’s flavors with Coke or lemonade, or try the new Tennessee Blackberry product with frozen lemonade.
Photo credit: Taylor Regulski for Lollapalooza
LIQUID DEATH
Liquid Death returned as Lollapalooza’s still-water sponsor with the Liquid Death Country Club, an immersive activation that twisted the traditionally buttoned-up concept into a spooky experience. Once past the gold Grim Reaper statues and agreement to “sell your soul to join,” fans could breathe a sigh of relief inside the dark activation space and enjoy a free can of Liquid Death, get a “Horrorscope” reading, hear a live string quartet and snag a collectible pin. New for 2025, the Liquid Death Country Club featured the Spa of Eternal Rest, offering three creepy-calm experiences: the Iron Spraydon cooling chamber, the Spine Aligner massage rack and a decked-out festival glam station.
Photo credit: Taylor Regulski for Lollapalooza
SO DELICIOUS DAIRY FREE
A little mystery and the promise of a sweet treat drew festivalgoers into a nondescript, oversized frozen dessert pint. A minimalist design on the exterior of “The Pint of No Return” black box didn’t give a hint of the colorful, multisensory adventure that awaited inside. And it all played into So Delicious Dairy Free’s new campaign, “Dairy Free Your Mind,” about transforming expectations.
By stepping into an elevator lined with scratch-and-sniff wallpaper, attendees entered an air-conditioned, neon-decorated sensorial world that included the Scoopiverse kaleidoscope video booth and a Scoop Shop serving up samples of four So Delicious frozen dessert flavors. Almost 14,000 visitors tasted So Delicious products by the end of the run.
Stocked with pints, the Chill Out walk-in freezer, set at about 0 degrees Fahrenheit, drew the most attendees looking for a respite from the Chicago heat. On the way out of the activation, branded merch items, such as patches and pens, were available at the Delicious Drip station. (Agency: Inspira Marketing)
Photos: Courtesy of So Delicious
TAKIS
We love a good floating activation, and Takis set sail near the festival site with the Takis Intense Nacho Tour. More than 300 fans hopped aboard for a two-hour pre-festival cruise on Lake Michigan for cheesy photo moments, live entertainment, an open bar and, naturally, larger-than-life cheese fondue fountains.
The fully branded boat was packed with engagements, including a performance by viral dj BUNT., a merch customization station where fans personalized Takis gear, photo ops, views of the Chicago shoreline, swag and a Takis To-Go Bar that dished out tacos to-go packaged in an “Intense Nacho” bag. (Agency: Medium Rare) –K.S.
Photos: Courtesy of Takis
ULTA BEAUTY
The music festival experience isn’t complete without going full glam, and The Beat Suite by Ulta Beauty helped festivalgoers get complimentary makeup touch-ups by Ulta Beauty Design Team members, as well as “eye-conic gem looks” or hair tinseling from brand partner Divi. Every fan who received a beauty service came away with an exclusive gift and an Ulta Beauty gift card. Over at the Ulta Beauty flagship store on Michigan Ave, breakout girl group KATSEYE, which drew packed crowds for its festival slot, stopped by to meet and greet fans—a hit among the beauty community.
Photo credits: Yuya Ohashi for Ulta Beauty; Rahul Bhatt for KATSEYE
VENMO
One of Lollapalooza’s most eye-catching activations, Venmo House fully leaned into Gen Z maximalism, covering its walls with blue ombré color schemes and popular emoji icons in 2D and 3D-plush styles. Festivalgoers popped in to dance to live dj sets, snap pics in a photo booth, create custom beaded charm bracelets, get airbrush tattoos, score branded fans and order beverages at the House Blend Café by Drip Collective, purchased with Venmo, of course.
Photo credit: Shea Flynn for Lollapalooza
Featured image: Courtesy of Crown Royal
