Who founded the Lollapalooza music festival?

Perry Farrell founded the Lollapalooza music festival.

Farrell created Lollapalooza in 1991 as a farewell tour for Jane’s Addiction, the alternative-rock band he fronted. Rather than functioning like a conventional single-stage concert tour, the event brought together several acts from alternative rock, punk, hip-hop, and other scenes.

The original concept was deliberately broad and theatrical. Lollapalooza toured North America before later becoming a resident annual festival in Chicago. Grant Park became its long-term home beginning in 2005, helping turn the event into one of the United States’ most prominent urban festivals.

Farrell is the founder, but later festival operations involved major promoters and changing ownership arrangements. That distinction explains why some accounts mention companies such as C3 Presents when discussing Lollapalooza’s modern organization. The festival’s name comes from an old expression meaning something extraordinary or impressive.