Lollapalooza’s Coming Home

Last year’s Lollapalooza was ruined by logistics. They’d booked Trabrennbahn Hoppegarten—an old racetrack basically off the map—and public transport there was theoretical at best. People spent hours trying to arrive, got stranded trying to leave. It was a masterclass in how not to run an event.

This year they’ve learned. Back in Berlin, at the Olympiastadion in the Westend. Actually connected to the city. Actually reachable. No three-hour journey on the U-Bahn just to get there. The venue knows what it’s doing.

The artist bill is solid. The Weeknd and Dua Lipa carry the weight—the draw—but they’ve stacked it with real talent. The National, Liam Gallagher, Armin van Buuren, Kraftwerk 3D. Casper and RAF Camora on the German side. Years & Years, Wolf Alice, Lewis Capaldi. It’s a thoughtful lineup, not just names from a spreadsheet. There’s actual variety here, real texture.

I’ll probably skip it. Festivals in Berlin demand everything and you spend half the time commuting. But at least the infrastructure is sound now. At least they learned something from last year. That counts for something.