Taking Your RV to Lollapalooza

RVing provides a comfortable and cost-effective way to travel to destinations like Lollapalooza:

• Dry camping near the festival is possible at McCormick Place, offering security but no hookups.
• RV parks outside Chicago, such as Emerald Trails Campground and Martin's Camping Ground, provide hookups.
• Harvest Hosts locations like Lost Marsh Golf Course and Rabid Brewing offer unique overnight stays.

RVing to destinations all throughout the United States is such a fun and unique experience. Not only is it more comfortable to travel in your own space, but it’s often more cost-effective as well. Depending on the size and type of your RV, it could offer either a more spacious experience, or the perfect size for driving around to skip bringing a separate vehicle. Between national parks, theme parks, and events, RVs are certainly a top choice for domestic travel accommodations. Have you ever thought about bringing your RV to a concert or festival? Lollapalooza, a popular music festival, would be an incredible event to bring your RV along to.

Lollapalooza is a four-day-long annual music festival featuring different artists every year, and it is located in Chicago. For 2022, some of the big-name artists include Metallica, Big Sean, Green Day, Charli XCX, Machine Gun Kelly, King Princess, J. Cole, and so many more. Concert-goers can choose from a variety of pass options, including a one-day pass, a two-day pass, or a four-day pass. The event features over one hundred performances running all day long and well into the night, as well as food vendors, band merch, and even a Kidzapalooza area for children.

The only lodging options are typically nearby hotels and Airbnb’s, which is why bringing your RV along could offer a much more convenient and affordable experience. RVing could definitely be a fun and convenient way to travel to the festival while maintaining a comfortable place to crash at the end of each fun-filled day. Get ready as Harvest Hosts discusses all the details involved in taking your RV along to Lollapalooza.

Dry Camping near Lollapalooza

Since the entire Lollapalooza music festival event is held in the city of Chicago, there are no nearby campgrounds or RV parks within the city limits. However, what many folks do not know is that there is an overnight RV parking area less than two miles from Grant Park, and transportation from this area to the festival takes just a few minutes by taxi, Uber or Lyft, or bus ride. This coveted parking location is at McCormick Place, and it costs just under thirty dollars per day for usage.

The lot has security so that visitors do not need to worry about leaving their RV there during the day to go and enjoy the festival. Please note that this area is for dry camping only, meaning that there are no hookups available. Plan to come prepared with a full water tank, full propane tank, a generator or some other way to generate electricity, and empty black and gray tanks. If you are newer to RVing or dry camping and boondocking, be sure to check out our tips for dry camping.

RV Parks near Lollapalooza

If you’d prefer to stay at a campground with hookups or if are traveling with pets, then you may want to consider staying outside of the city and commuting to the festival daily. There are several RV parks just outside of Chicago that would make for a comfortable stay while also allowing festival-goers to beat the dreaded Chicago summer heat.

Emerald Trails Campground - Crete, IL

This campground offers both full and partial hookups sites to fit your needs, whatever they may be. It’s located about forty-five minutes from the Lollapalooza festival, and they offer bathrooms, showers, laundry, a playground, hiking, fishing, paddle boats, and so much more. Be sure to schedule well in advance, as this campground tends to fill up weeks before the festival begins.

Martin’s Camping Ground - Joliet, IL

Located just over forty-five minutes from Lollapalooza, Martin’s Camping Ground offers full hookups with plenty of pull-through sites. They also fill propane on-site and are a pet-friendly location. Visitors can also expect reasonable amenities and accommodations.

Jellystone Park - Millbrook, IL

This pet-friendly chain is located over an hour away from Lollapalooza, but it could be a good option for some festival attendees if all the other options are already booked. In addition to their regular amenities such as full hookups, laundry facilities, shower facilities, and more, they offer different theme weekends, movie nights, a camp store, and other convenient options.

Chicago KOA - Union, IL

If you prefer KOAs for their reputations, or if other campgrounds are full, then the Chicago KOA may be the best option for your camping needs. Keep in mind, however, that this location is located one-and-a-half hours from Chicago, so commuting to and from the festival each day would be quite lengthy. They offer typical KOA amenities, along with plenty of activities for kids, mini golf, a dog park, crafts, and more.

Harvest Hosts Locations

In addition to the parking area within the city and additional local campgrounds, there are many Harvest Hosts locations located all around the city. Each of these may be fairly far (an hour or so) from the festival location, but they could be a great basecamp if you don't mind making the drive to the festival location. Likewise, any of these locations could make a great stopping point when coming from or heading to the festival.

Lost Marsh Golf Course - Hammond, IN

Just over the border from Illinois into Indiana lies the Lost Marsh Golf Course. Here, visitors can choose between eighteen holes, nine holes, and time spent at the driving range. This Harvest Hosts location offers two pet-friendly sites for RVs under thirty feet in length and is located just under thirty minutes from Lollapalooza.

Rabid Brewing - Homewood, IL

Rabid Brewing is a very cool spot featuring design inspirations from the supernatural, mythology, and the occult. Each beer has a funky name and matching design, and their many different beer varieties leave something for everyone at this brewery. They currently offer two spaces for RVs under forty feet in length and can be found just over thirty minutes from Lollapalooza.

DuPage Memorial VFW #2164 - Wheaton, IL

Located just about an hour away from Lollapalooza is the DuPage VFW. Here, there are electrical hookups available for a fee, or you can support the business by visiting the bar or making a donation. They do not serve food, but there are many nearby restaurants that will deliver right to your RV. This Harvest Hosts location offers two pet-friendly sites for RVs of any size.

Not seeing enough camping options? Consider adding on Boondockers Welcome to your Harvest Hosts membership. There are five Boondockers Welcome locations within thirty miles of the Lollapalooza festival, with many allowing more than one night’s stay.

Experiencing any festival in your RV would make for an unforgettable experience. We hope these tips can help you feel confident about taking your RV to Lollapalooza or any other music festival event. Don’t forget to check for Harvest Hosts locations along your route so you can have safe and unique overnight stays on the way to and from your destination as well!