The mud people were alive and well again this year at Lollapalooza, but the cost to clean up after the three-day fest won't be as steep.
The total cost of improvements to Grant Park total about $150,000 this year, down from more than $1 million after 2011. A spokesperson representing C3 stated that several precautionary measures--like roping off some areas of grass and using steel paneling on areas leading to stages--kept the costs lower.
"Before the festival began, we took several preventative steps to protect sensitive areas of the park and limit the potential for damage. Now, we're determined to put the park in better shape than it was before Lollapalooza," Charlie Jones, a partner with C3, said in a press release Tuesday afternoon.
The release noted that in 2011, three inches of rain fell on the fest's last day and in the week after. C3 paid to have sod laid at the park multiple times last year, as downpours caused the grass to fail to take hold. This year, 60,000 people were evacuated on the fest's second day due to severe weather.
Improvements this year will be overseen by the Chicago Park District, and include aeration and seeding of the park, as well as new sod. It is expected the majority of the work will continue over the next seven to ten days.