Lollapalooza is arguably Chicago’s largest music festival of the year. With the average four day tickets costing $367, you might be wondering if Lolla is really worth the cost. Well, I’d say only make the purchase if you live in Chicago. Considering the fact that most of these artists cost around $30-50 to see at a normal show, and the fact that you are seeing many artists over four days, for me the $367 is a fair price for Lolla. However, for those people living outside of Chicagoland, or for those who want to spend the weekend in Chicago, it may be a little more of a hole in your pocket. According to Time magazine’s Money section, the average cost of a trip to Lollapalooza can range from $867 to $2,107 depending on how frugal you are. In my opinion paying almost a thousand dollars in total to see only a few bands play that weekend seems overpriced.

The best advice for attending Lolla would be get your money’s worth by buying the four day pass, and to be sure to see as many bands as possible. Who knows, you might just find a new favorite. Let’s say you only want to see a few bands play and they aren’t playing a normal show in Chicagoland anytime soon. Go only for only the days that they are playing, don’t waste your money paying for bands you don’t want to see. What if you want to go to Lollapalooza for the experience, or for the atmosphere? Well, if you fall into that category I hope you have a big checkbook because dropping a couple hundred dollars on something just to say you were there, or to have the experience, isn’t the most sound financial decision. Overall, if you are frugal with your purchases and make sure you are getting your money’s worth from the festival, Lollapalooza is definitely worth the price.