Headline alternative rock acts from around the world are expected to join homegrown Chilean talent on stage as the 20-year-old event hits Santiago on April 2 and 3.
Mega music festival Lollapalooza will come to Chile in 2011 for the first international incarnation of the hugely popular event, which takes place annually in the United States.
On April 2 and 3 at Parque O’Higgins in Chilean capital Santiago, famous metal, alternative rock, punk rock and hip hop artists will perform for an expected 100,000 revelers.
Lollapalooza has been a mainstay in the United States since its creation in 1991 by Perry Farrell, singer with rock band Jane’s Addiction, and has taken place at Grant Park in Chicago since 2005.
Although the act lineup for Chile is still being finalized, past shows have featured big name stars – the August 2010 show in Chicago headlined Soundgarden, Green Day, MGMT, Arcade Fire and Lady Gaga, while the Strokes, Incubus and Red Hot Chili Peppers have performed in the past.
Farrell, who has seen the event grow from a farewell tour for his band into a top destination festival, said Chile was a natural choice for the birth of Lollapalooza International to mark the festival’s 20th anniversary.
Lollapalooza has a history of giving exposure to up-and-coming alternative rock groups, and could provide a launching pad for new Chilean acts. Homegrown Chilean talent will be joining the international acts on stage at the festival, and Farrell said he hopes to create a “musical exchange” between bands from Chile and from the US.
He will be aided in this by the company behind Santiago’s Maquinaria Festival 2010 in October, Chilean firm Lotus Producciones, who will be organizing the Lollapalooza event from Santiago.