Culture & Artsvoicesmusic festivalLollapalooza

Stunning Photos Show Chicago's Lollapalooza Festival Through The Years

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the iconic music festival.
By 

Senior Reporter, HuffPost

A view of the Samsung Stage at Lollapalooza 2016 on Day 3 of the festival.
A view of the Samsung Stage at Lollapalooza 2016 on Day 3 of the festival.
Gabriel Grams via Getty Images

Chicago’s iconic Lollapalooza festival was created in 1991 ― and after 25 years the eclectic four-day concert has only gotten better.

Created by Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell, Lollapalooza is set in the heart of Chicago’s Grant Park. Over the years, the festival has brought in some of the biggest names in music, including Radiohead, A Tribe Called Quest, Smashing Pumpkins, Florence and the Machine and many, many more. The festival is a nonstop dance party where everyone and anyone can find their favorite genre.

Between 1991–1997 the festival ran annually and toured around the U.S. and Canada. Due to low ticket sales, the festival was canceled. In 2005, Lolla was revived and now boasts over 160,000 attendees each year. The festival also has annual international destinations including Berlin, Santiago, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires.

To celebrate Lolla’s 25th anniversary, we’ve rounded up 36 photos of artists performing at the festival over the years. Scroll below to see how the music festival has transformed from 1991 to 2016.

1
1994 -- The Smashing Pumpkins
Steve Eichner via Getty Images
Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins
2
1994 -- A Tribe Called Quest
Steve Eichner via Getty Images
A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip at performs at Lollapalooza, Chicago, Illinois, July 15, 1994.
3
2003 -- Jane's Addiction
Scott Harrison via Getty Images
Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro from Jane's Addiction perform on July 12, 2003, at Lollapalooza in Chicago, Illinois.
4
2005 -- Arcarde Fire
Matt Carmichael via Getty Images
The Arcade Fire perform live in concert at Lollapalooza 2005 in Chicago, Illinois.
5
2005 -- Weezer
Justin Renney via Getty Images
Bassist Scott Shriner of Weezer performs at Lollapalooza, July 23, 2005, in Chicago, Illinois.
6
2006 -- Kanye West
KMazur via Getty Images
Kanye West during Lollapalooza 2006 - Day 2 at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
7
2006 -- Red Hot Chili Peppers
Lyle A. Waisman via Getty Images
Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers during 2006 Lollapalooza - Day 3 at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
8
2006 -- 30 Seconds to Mars
KMazur via Getty Images
Jared Leto of 30 Seconds to Mars.
9
2006 -- The Flaming Lips
KMazur via Getty Images
Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips during Lollapalooza 2006 - Day 2 at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
10
2007 -- Iggy Pop
Jared Milgrim via Getty Images
Iggy Pop of Iggy and the Stooges performs at Lollapalooza 2007 in Grant Park in Chicago.
11
2007 -- Ben Harper
Jeff Gentner via Getty Images
Ben Harper of Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals performs during the first day of Lollapalooza 2007 at Grant Park on August 3, 2007, in Chicago, Illinois.
12
2008 -- Lupe Fiasco
Jared Milgrim via Getty Images
Lupe Fiasco performs at the 2008 Lollapalooza Music Festival in Grant Park in Chicago.
13
2009 -- Ra Ra Riot
Roger Kisby via Getty Images
Alexandra Lawn of Ra Ra Riot performs onstage during the 2009 Lollapalooza music festival at Grant Park on August 9, 2009, in Chicago.
14
2009 -- Santigold
Tim Mosenfelder via Getty Images
Santigold aka Santi White performs as part of Lollapalooza 2009 at Grant Park on August 8, 2009, in Chicago, Illinois.
15
2009 -- The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Barry Brecheisen via Getty Images
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs perform during the 2009 Lollapalooza music festival at Grant Park on August 8, 2009, in Chicago, Illinois.
16
2010 -- Erykah Badu
Tim Mosenfelder via Getty Images
Erykah Badu performs as part of Day 3 of the Lollapalooza Music Festival at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois.
17
2010 -- Lady Gaga
Roger Kisby via Getty Images
Lady Gaga jumps into the crowd during the performance of Semi Precious Weapons at Lollapalooza at Grant Park on Aug. 6, 2010, in Chicago, Illinois.
18
2010 -- Mumford & Sons
Tim Mosenfelder via Getty Images
Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons performs as part of Lollapalooza 2010 at Grant Park on Aug. 8, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois.
19
2011 -- Lykke Li
Roger Kisby via Getty Images
Lykke Li performs onstage during 2011 Lollapalooza at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois.
20
2011 -- Kid Cudi
Daniel Boczarski via Getty Images
Kid Cudi performs on stage during Lollapalooza Festival 2011 at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois.
21
2011 -- Ellie Goulding
Timothy Hiatt via Getty Images
Ellie Goulding performs during 2011 Lollapalooza at Grant Park in Chicago.
22
2011 -- My Morning Jacket
Tim Mosenfelder via Getty Images
Jim James (R) of My Morning Jacket performs as part of Lollapalooza 2011 - Day 2 at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois.
23
2012 -- Childish Gambino
Scott Legato via Getty Images
Childish Gambino performs during 2012 Lollapalooza at Grant Park on Aug. 5, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois.
24
2012 -- Florence and the Machine
Daniel Boczarski via Getty Images
Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine performs on stage during day three of Lollapalooza at Grant Park on August 5, 2012 in Chicago, United States.
25
2013 -- Cat Power
Taylor Hill via Getty Images
Cat Power performs during Lollapalooza 2013 at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois.
26
2013 -- Angel Haze
Tim Mosenfelder via Getty Images
Angel Haze performs as part of Lollapalooza 2013 at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois.
27
2014 -- Chance the Rapper
Josh Brasted via Getty Images
Chance the Rapper performs during the 2014 Lollapalooza at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois.
28
2014 -- The Avett Brothers
Theo Wargo via Getty Images
Joe Kwon and Tania Elizabeth of The Avett Brothers perform at Samsung Galaxy stage during 2014 Lollapalooza - Day 3 at Grant Park on Aug. 3, 2014, in Chicago, Illinois.
29
2014 -- Krewella
Timothy Hiatt via Getty Images
Yasmine Yousaf of Krewella performs at Lollapalooza 2014 at Grant Park on Aug. 2, 2014, in Chicago, Illinois.
30
2015 -- Gary Clark Jr.
C Flanigan via Getty Images
Gary Clark Jr. performs during the 2015 Lollapalooza Music Festival at Grant Park on July 31, 2015, in Chicago, Illinois.
31
2015 -- Alison Wonderland
Daniel Boczarski via Getty Images
Alison Wonderland performs onstage during Lollapalooza 2015 at Grant Park on Aug. 2, 2015, in Chicago, United States.
32
2015 -- FKA Twigs
Daniel Boczarski via Getty Images
FKA twigs performs during Lollapalooza 2015 at Grant Park on Aug. 2, 2015, in Chicago, United States.
33
2015 -- The Weeknd
Daniel Boczarski via Getty Images
The Weeknd performs during Lollapalooza 2015 at Grant Park on July 31, 2015, in Chicago, Illinois.
34
2016 -- Red Hot Chili Peppers
Tasos Katopodis via Getty Images
Recording artists Flea, Chad Smith, Anthony Kiedis, and Josh Klinghoffer of Red Hot Chili Peppers perform on the Samsung Stage at Lollapalooza 2016 - Day 3 at Grant Park on July 30, 2016, in Chicago, Illinois.
35
2016 -- Haim
Gary Miller via Getty Images
Alana Haim, Danielle Haim and Este Haim of the band Haim perform in concert on Day 4 of the 25th anniversary Lollapalooza at Grant Park on July 31, 2016, in Chicago, Illinois.
36
2016 -- Halsey
Tasos Katopodis via Getty Images
Recording artist Halsey performs on the Samsung Stage at Lollapalooza 2016 - Day 4 at Grant Park on July 31, 2016, in Chicago, Illinois.

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