Lollapalooza ends with 10 arrests

Chicago officials said Lollapalooza ended with 10 arrests and 67 ambulance transports during the festival’s July 30 to August 2 run in Grant Park. The figures were released after the four-day event, which the city said was expected to draw hundreds of thousands to the lakefront. The arrest total was down from 12 in 2025, while hospital transports rose from 42 last year, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, citing the Office of Emergency Management and Communications. EDM.com later reported details of several arrests, including cases involving an unauthorized drone and an alleged backstage fight. ### How many people were arrested and hospitalized? Ten people were arrested and 67 people were taken by ambulance to nearby hospitals over the four-day festival, city officials said. The Sun-Times reported those figures on August 3, citing OEMC data, and Fox 32 Chicago separately reported the same totals. The 2025 comparison moved in opposite directions. (chicago.suntimes.com) Twelve people were arrested at last year’s festival, while 42 were hospitalized, the Sun-Times reported. Block Club Chicago said the 67 ambulance transports were the highest total since 2022, when 68 people were taken to hospitals. ### When did the arrests happen? OEMC data showed the arrests were spread across Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with no arrests reported on Sunday, according to the Sun-Times. (chicago.suntimes.com) More than one-third of the hospital transports — 22 — happened on Friday, while Sunday had the fewest ambulance pickups at 11. Grant Park hosted the festival from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily from July 30 through August 2, the city said before the event. (chicago.suntimes.com) Chicago’s pre-festival notice said Lollapalooza was expected to draw hundreds of thousands of attendees and feature more than 170 performances across multiple stages. ### What were the most notable arrests? EDM.com reported that one of the more unusual arrests came on Thursday night, when a 30-year-old Chicago man was accused of flying an unauthorized drone over the festival from the Museum Campus. (chicago.suntimes.com) The outlet said he allegedly gave officers a false name, refused to cooperate and requested medical attention, and that he faces a misdemeanor charge tied to operating an unauthorized aircraft. (chicago.gov) A 23-year-old Wisconsin man was arrested on Saturday after allegedly trying to force his way into a backstage area and punching a security guard who stopped him, EDM.com reported. The outlet said police found cocaine in his wallet, leading to a felony possession charge as well as misdemeanor battery and trespassing counts. EDM.com also reported that a 21-year-old Michigan man was arrested Friday after allegedly slapping a woman and trying to hit another man. (edm.com) Another Saturday arrest involved a 26-year-old man accused of selling $5 rain ponchos without a peddler’s license; the outlet said officers later found an outstanding DuPage County warrant tied to a drug case. ### Why was the drone case significant? (edm.com) The Federal Aviation Administration had issued a temporary flight restriction covering the airspace within a one-nautical-mile radius of Lollapalooza from July 30 through August 2, the city said in a July 27 safety notice. The restriction was in effect daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the city said unauthorized drones were prohibited without an approved FAA waiver. (edm.com) Frank Velez, OEMC’s executive director, said before the festival that public safety remained the city’s top priority and urged people to report suspicious activity to 9-1-1 or onsite staff. The city also directed festivalgoers to the Lollapalooza health, safety and security page and the Chicago OEMC app for alerts and weather information. ### Where do the official numbers come from? (chicago.gov) Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications was cited by the Sun-Times as the source of the arrest and transport data. The city’s public guidance before the festival laid out street closures, emergency information and the FAA drone restriction, but the Sun-Times said details of the individual arrests had not yet been released by officials as of August 3. (chicago.gov) Chicago’s post-festival accounting is likely to continue through local coverage and city updates. The city’s OEMC and police webpages remain the main official sources for public-safety information tied to the July 30-August 2 event in Grant Park. (chicago.gov) (chicago.suntimes.com)