Lollapalooza 2026 Video of a Urine Bag Passed Through the Crowd Reignites Festival Sanitation Debate
Lollapalooza returned to Chicago in 2026 with a lineup including Charli XCX, Lorde, The xx, The Smashing Pumpkins, Tate McRae and Olivia Dean. But a different clip from the festival ended up drawing far more attention online: video showing an attendee placing a bag believed to contain urine into a box and passing it hand-to-hand over the heads of the crowd, captioned "passing pee in a bag through the crowd is NOT okay." The footage spread quickly, racking up shares and comments.
The clip and the backlash
Once posted to Instagram, the video drew a wave of criticism in the comments. Some questioned how the situation happened at all — "do people not know how to use a porta potty, or is it just too crowded to get out?" — while others called it simply baffling, and one comment framed it as "the 847th reason" they avoid the festival.
Not an isolated incident
Some commenters suggested this kind of behavior appears to be becoming more common at concerts and festivals generally. According to NME, it wasn't the only recent live-music sanitation controversy: a fan at a Morgan Wallen show reportedly refused to leave their seat to use the bathroom and urinated near a family of four seated nearby, while a show by New Zealand metal band Devilskin drew online attention after significant waste was found in the mosh pit area.
Artists have already been speaking out
The issue isn't new to artists either. Olivia Rodrigo has previously said she could smell diaper-wearing superfans from the front rows at her shows. Noah Kahan posted on social media in late June 2026 about fans defecating on the venue floor during his performances, half-jokingly calling for Congress to mandate diapers for concertgoers.
Overshadowing the actual show
On stage, this year's Lollapalooza had plenty going for it: Lorde brought out Charli XCX as a guest, Smashing Pumpkins brought out Olivia Rodrigo, and Charli XCX's set reportedly saw underwear thrown on stage. But by most accounts, those moments were overshadowed by the urine bag video.