CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Lollapalooza has come and gone but as images of huge crowds gathered at the music festival and around Chicago circulate, many wonder whether hosting the fest was worth it.
For starters, the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t over and the latest variant, delta, is surging across the country. And while Chicago's COVID-19 infection numbers aren't as high as they were during the worst of the pandemic, they're slowly climbing, according to city health officials.
Lolla ran Thursday through Sunday and days before its start, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended people wear masks indoors regardless of their vaccination status. So did the Illinois Department of Public Health. On Saturday, the third day of the festival, the organizers mandated all attendees wear masks at any indoor space.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot has received criticism for holding the festival. Despite this, she continues to defend the city's decision to permit Lolla, which was canceled last year because of COVID-19. This year, concertgoers were required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test 72 hours before attending.
City officials estimate at least 385,000 people attended Lolla over its four days. Many labeled it a superspreader event and believe the city's COVID-19 infection numbers could rise significantly because of it.
The serious nature of this didn't stop people from sharing photos, videos and other images on social media that poked fun at the large crowds that descended on the city this past weekend.
Here are some of those tweets.