Grant Park Needs Fewer Post-Lollapalooza Repairs, Still Will Take Two Months

By Chuck Sudo in News on Aug 14, 2013 8:40PM

Photo credit: Chuck Sudo/Chicagoist

The sheer expanse of Lollapalooza across Grant Park guarantees the park requires repairs once the final notes from the stages fade into the ether and the kids stop twerking. The festival’s promoters announced damage related to this year’s festival isn’t as widespread as in years past.

The cool and mostly dry weather during Lollapalooza 2013 is a major reason why damage was minimized and repair will be “minimal and swift.” Mulch removal and soil replacement at Hutchinson Field, which suffered most of the damage we surveyed after Friday’s afternoon storms, has already started while smaller areas of the park will take a couple months and will be sectioned off from the rest of Grant Park.

Promoters C3 Presents is contractually obligated to repair any damage to Grant Park after Lollapalooza ends. Two years ago the rains that made Foo Fighters’ performance one of the festival’s iconic moments left Grant Park a muddy wasteland. Damage to the park from last year’s festival was as extensive as in the previous year but was still large enough to warrant some closures, including the softball diamonds at Hutchinson Field.