Your momma always warned you about stranger danger, but those rules get thrown out the window for Lollapalooza.
The annual music festival that draws thousands of visitors each year attracts out-of-towners who make the trip to Chicago and dish out hundreds of dollars if they choose to stay in a hotel near Grant Park.
It's a boom time for room-sharing websites that offer an alternative. When Lollapalooza rolls around, websites such as couchsurfing.com are busy as members help travelers find a place to stay during their visit. Members on the site offer up their couches or other free space in their home, usually for no compensation.
Matt Kocek, who has been using couchsurfing.org since Lollapalooza 2007, says that when it comes closer to festival time, it becomes a big community, so any initial hesitation of staying in a stranger's home usually fades away.
"People come in from out of town and they know they're going to be standing in the mud or in the rain or the heat all day long, with a big field of people," Kocek said. "It's nice to know they have an actual residence to go back to, or a friend, or a contact afterward. They don't feel as alienated by this massive sea of people."
On Craigslist, users offer up space for a price that's a steal compared to the high prices of hotels near Grant Park.
Mario Meza has rented out the empty rooms in his home for the past five Lollapaloozas and charges visitors $60 per person per night. He says that despite not having the luxury of staying in a hotel, the price of Lollapalooza tickets combined with hotel prices are what makes people search for alternatives.
"You have kids that come in [for Lollapalooza] and most of them are college kids and not only have they just coughed up 250 plus for tickets, and come to Chicago, they pay close to six to 800 for the weekend or probably more, depends on the hotel."
Lollapalooza brings together music lovers from all over. For those willing to take a step out of the ordinary and take advantage of a stranger's hospitality, the results could mean long-term friendships, but usually, the fun is only lived out during the weekend.
"For the most part once they say good-bye, it's over," Kocek said. "I think it's OK, I don't want anyone to feel like they have to be my friend. There aren't supposed to be any obligations."
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