City prepares for thousands of music fans ahead of Lollapalooza opening

CHICAGO (Fox 32 News) - The streets are closed and the stages are set. Lollapalooza officially beings Thursday at 11 a.m. -- 170 artists are performing and Grant Park will be packed with 100,000 people each day of the four-day festival.

Rich Guidice, the director of the Office of Emergency Management and Communications, said 900 private security guards will be walking the festival grounds, not to mention hundreds of police officers.

They will be in uniform and in plainclothes. Some officers will be embedded in buildings along Michigan Avenue.

Guests will have to go through security and have all bags checked and walk through metal detectors.

If a guest suffers a medical emergency, there are six medical tents throughout the festival grounds. Guidice said there are two doctors on site and about 70 medical staff.

“They also have those safety ambassadors, people who are not in uniform but are walking up to people and checking on them,” said Guidice. “I think that's been a big help as well.”

All of these proactive measures are in place to keep from happening what took place last year. Evan Kitzmiller, a 16-year-old from Mundelein, died attending the festival after he suffered a drug overdose.

The number of medical transports has dropped dramatically from 238 in 2015 to 160 last year, most alcohol or drug related.

Tickets are still available through the festival and third-party vendors.