CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- While it was seen by many measures as a success this summer, Lollapalooza is back in the spotlight following the release of hundreds of city emails focused on COVID-19 protocol at the festival.
This past summer, Lollapalooza 2021 was mostly seen as a success with city officials announcing that only 200 people who attended the massive music festival in Grant Park tested positive for COVID-19 in the following days.
However, about 200 pages of emails from Mayor Lightfoot's administration obtained by the Chicago Tribune are creating some new questions regarding COVID-19 protocols in the emails.
The Tribune reports that Lollapalooza organizers convinced city officials to change COVID-19 testing requirements to attend the event. Attendees were required to have a negative test 72 hours prior to the event instead of 24 hours.
Another concerning conversation in the emails- festival organizers, made it clear to the city that while vaccination cards or negative tests were required, documents were not being inspected closely by security guards, according to Emmit Beliveau, CEO of Austin, Texas-based concert promotion company C3 Presents.
“We are directing patrons to bring printed copies of their vaccination card or negative test, but will accept copies and electronic versions to keep the entry process moving,” he wrote in one of the emails obtained by the Tribune. “We will be checking that all patrons have a required document in their possession, but not inspecting each document closely.”
The festival drew nearly 400,000 people to Grant Park. While city officials initially said that the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 after attending Lollapalooza was only 200, that number grew to slightly over 300 in the days following.
Lollapalooza is scheduled to return to return to Chicago July 28-31 in 2022.
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