Chile celebrates the return of Lollapalooza: ‘It is a day to celebrate, to enjoy. We need music, joy, friend’

Thousands of young people, fans of music and the festival atmosphere, gathered this Friday in the centenary park of Cerrillos, in Santiago de Chile, to enjoy the lollapalooza 2022, one of the most important festivals in South America, which reopens its doors after two years closed by covid-19 as hope for one of the sectors hardest hit by the pandemic.

Under strong heat, provided with drinks, sun cream and all kinds of hats and caps to protect themselves from the powerful summer sun, many arrived carrying the tickets they bought last year and that the organization has allowed them to use.

“Today is a day to celebrate, to enjoy. We need music, joy, friends.” explained Camila, a young woman from the upper and affluent neighborhoods of the capital.

For this first day, the poster is led by the American rock band born in Seattle in 1994 Foo Fighters, which has a large group of followers, and who will take the stage at sunset.

Before, different groups and artists such as the Puerto Rican rapper will have passed Jay Cortez, her “reggae” colleagues from Cultura Profética, the Canadian singer-songwriter Alexia Cara and the Indie and sensual rhythm of Channel Tres.

This Saturday, the main stage will be for the American and former star of the factory Dineny Miley Cirus, who is accompanied at the head of the bill by the American rapper Asap Rocky, the well-known Swedish DJ Alesso, his Mexican colleague Deorro and also the Argentine rapper Tiago PZK, as well as the Chilean Javiera Mena.

The festival closes on Sunday The Strokes, with the rapper born in Los Angeles (California) Doja Cat, her colleague from Texas, Machine Gun Kelly, the Norwegian DJ Alan Walker, the producer and author of electronic music Chris Lake, and the Argentine Nicki Nicole, exponent of the rap developed in the city of Rosario.

A decade of concerts

Consecrated as one of the most important massive festivals on the continent, Lollapalooza arrived in the South American country for the first time in 2011 and this weekend it will celebrate its tenth edition in Santiago, although this time it will not be in the O’Higgins Park as was traditionally the case, but in the Bicentennial Park.

With a large number of local artists on the billboard and dozens of international guests who complete a show with more than 100 bands, the festival has seven simultaneous stages in this edition waiting for thousands of attendees.

As detailed from the organization, like previous editions, the festival will have a sustainability plan to reduce its environmental impact.

“Our platform, through which we bring music, art and culture in general to thousands of people, is also the vehicle where we set out, by example, actions that contribute to making the world a better place, where we encourage people to think that we are all part of the solution to reverse the climate crisis and that we have a responsibility to assume to stop its devastating consequences”said the executive producer of the Lotus culture and sustainability area, Paola Castelvecchio.

anticovid measures

Due to the covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 versions were suspended, and the organizers announced that various health measures instructed by the Ministry of Health (Minsal) will be implemented for this edition, such as the mandatory full vaccination scheme and the permanent use of masks.

To date, 3.3 million infections have been registered in Chile, of which 58,494 are in the active stage of the disease, that is, they have the capacity to spread the virus; on the other hand, the number of deceased since the start of the health emergency in March 2020 amounts to more than 44,000 people confirmed by the Minsal.

Lollapalooza is a festival founded in 1991 in the United States, it displayed its first international production in Chile and later opened the experience in Colombia, Argentina and Brazil.

The festival is also a test chamber for the release of future massive events, restricted for two years in Chile, one of the countries with the toughest policies in the world against covid-19.

The measures have hit the art, culture and entertainment industry, and their extension unleashed unrest in the sector, which for months has been asking the Government to relax the measures in order to resurrect and recover the thousands of jobs that have been destroyed during this pandemic time. (AND)