Lollapalooza, as a brand, is doing something right. Lollapalooza Berlin was no exception. The event hosted at the Berlin Olympiastadion catered a fun and friendly environment for people of all ages to come to have a good time. As a result, the variety of music and activities for festival-goers to enjoy was staggering. There was no specific niche that appeared to be dominant amongst the crowds.
Because of the great variety, however, the selection of electronic dance music acts was not too deep. There were many great artists, but overall the festival had so much going on that the lineup suffered a bit. Huge names like Billie Eilish, Twenty One Pilots, and Kings of Leon played big sets over the course of the weekend to please the pop-audiences. As a result the EDM aspect of Lollapalooza Berlin was mainly limited to Perry’s Stage, and despite its secondary nature here, it was solid.
Experience
Lollapalooza Berlin was certainly a wholesome experience. Despite the normal festival issues, nothing stood out as negative. The crowd consisted of all sorts of people from teenagers to baby-boomers and everywhere in between. With plenty of kid-friendly attractions there was an entire population of little ones with their families running around.
Food
There was an incredible selection of food at Lollapalooza Berlin. The official Food Court was vast and held dozens of food trucks and stands. There was a nice selection of vegan and vegetarian options throughout, and just about every region of the world was covered.
Throughout the fest, of course, there were many döner/kepap stands that Germany is so famous for. These delicacies are found all over Berlin and sell top-notch shawarma and falafel sandwiches.
Fun Fair
The Fun Fair was a great escape from the music to see some weird and fantastic things. This section included a variety of bizarre acts, including trampoline performances, and as pictured below live makeup applications to a brave festival-goers.
Fashionpalooza
Fashion. Berlin is a fashion hub, and Lollapalooza captured that well. There were art installations, speakers from the fashion world, and interactive sets. There was even a fully functional vintage thrift shop right near the entrance. Surely the vast majority of Instagram and Snapchat captures during the festival occurred right here.
Fashionpalooza Fashionpalooza Guest Shopper At Lolla Berlin Thrift Shop
Cashless
When it comes to sustainability, Lollapalooza Berlin really did a great job. Like many festivals are doing nowadays, they were completely cashless! The only way to use cash during the festival was to top-up the bracelet, which they discourage by implementing a cash-fee. This is a great idea, and as the world moves cashless this just makes all the more sense.
Also, there were recycling bins all over the place, and an entire section of groups and organizations with various goals. Many of these groups were environmental, and there was even a whole block sponsored by Oatly. Oatly is an oat-milk brand that preaches sustainable living.
Music
As mentioned earlier, the performances at Lollapalooza Berlin were spread out between all categories of music and art. The EDM performances were few and far between in relation to the festival as a whole, but they still made their mark. Perry’s Stage, which resided inside the actual stadium, was dedicated to electronic music artists. Acts like Alan Walker, Martin Garrix, Don Diablo, and more showcased their music here.
Loopers TV Noise Martin Garrix
Stages
Six official stages scattered throughout the festival grounds gave the attendees plenty to choose from. The Weingarten and Kidza stages were the smallest of the lot which provided more relaxed and conversational spaces. The following four stages carried the majority of the larger acts. These included the Alternative Stage, Perry’s Stage, Main Stage North, and Main Stage South.
STMPD Stage Takeover
STMPD RCRDS, the label created by Martin Garrix, took over Perry’s Stage on Sunday with a huge lineup of some of their best. Early on in the day, some performances that really shined were those of Loopers, TV Noise, Bart B More, and EAUXMAR. Each with their own unique sound, from club bangers to more experimental tracks, they brought it for a good portion of the day.
Of course later that evening thousands of guests swarmed the stage to witness their fearless STMPD leader Martin Garrix put on a huge spectacle for his loyal fans. Many of such fans were spotted camping at this stage all day long to see all of the label-artists and secure a front-row spot for the main event.
Swedish House Mafia
They are back and absolutely killing their reunion tour. The massively successful trio put on an amazing show to close out Saturday night on Main Stage South. To recap for anyone who does not know, Swedish House Mafia broke up in 2013 and has been touring once again in 2019. They recently had an awesome stage takeover set at Creamfields in the UK, and now they continue making magic through Europe.
Scooter
Mastermind H.P. Baxxter has led this group of German artists to the stars and beyond through their career. The project has now been active for over 25 years, having put out numerous chart-topping hits like “How Much Is The Fish?”. Many refer to this group as iconic with some of the greatest techno and hardcore performances ever. Despite a fading presence in the US, most EDM fans will recognize their biggest tracks.
Lollapalooza Berlin Final Thoughts
On the whole, this was a great festival. It made impossible having bad vibes and it welcomed all crowds to come together. The activities it offered were fun and exciting, and sponsorships and support throughout were spot on and helpful.
The only downside was the lacking of electronic music artists. It was nice to see a stage dedicated to the genre, but Germany has a huge techno-rave scene and it would have been nice to see some of that. But the pros definitely outweigh the cons for the famously branded Lollapalooza festival, and anyone who is in Europe for Summer 2020 should hit up Berlin for their next edition.
