Lollapalooza announced on Monday, July 29th, that all audio, lighting, video, and stage production on the main stage will be powered entirely by a hybrid battery system, making it the first major U.S. music festival to achieve this. Typically, diesel generators are used at large-scale events.

The hybrid-powered stage will utilize over 1.5 MWh of battery storage capacity. These reusable batteries, charged by biodiesel generators, will be deployed by CES Power and manufactured by Atlas Copco. This initiative is part of a partnership between Live Nation’s Green Nation, T-Mobile, and CES Power.

Jake Perry of C3 Presents stated:

We have set a goal to build a more sustainable future for music festivals, which requires taking bold steps to find solutions that can reinvent how we operate and in turn, build industry trust in new technology so that major live events can see a path towards becoming more energy efficient. Lollapalooza is a leader in sustainable solutions, and we are proud to have aligned ourselves with partners that have the same passion and experience to execute this mission.

Lucy August-Perna of Live Nation added:

Solutions like the ones Lollapalooza are pioneering not only contribute toward our global Green Nation goal of cutting our emissions in half by 2030, but they provide local benefits as well through reduced noise and air pollution which creates a better experience overall for the artists, fans and crew. We look forward to sharing the results and learnings from Lollapalooza with our network of over 200+ festivals around the world who are committed to raising the bar for more sustainable live events.

While major events have been hesitant to adopt hybrid battery power due to reliability concerns, the technology's advancement is increasing its popularity. For example, the Mill Valley Music Festival in California used 100% renewable energy this past May.

Last August, Billie Eilish’s headlining set at Lollapalooza was partially powered by a solar battery system, demonstrating the festival’s ongoing commitment to green energy.

Lollapalooza 2024 will also include an activation from Re:wild, a conservation organization co-founded by Leonardo DiCaprio and a group of conservation scientists. As an official global partner of Lollapalooza, Re:wild aims to educate music fans on rewilding their daily lives and communities, emphasizing plant-based diets to combat biodiversity loss and ecosystem destruction caused by animal agriculture.

In alignment with Re:wild’s mission, Lollapalooza's food hub Chow Town, which has always offered plant-based options, will expand with a new stand-alone food court called Plant Base. This dedicated area will feature multiple vendors exclusively serving plant-based food options.

Lollapalooza 2024 kicks off this Thursday at Grant Park in downtown Chicago. The festival features an impressive lineup including SZA, Tyler, The Creator, Blink-182, The Killers, Future x Metro Boomin, Hozier, Stray Kids, Melanie Martinez, Skrillex, and many more.