Another Kidzapalooza draws to a close ...

The Paul Green School of Rock All Stars rock out on Day 1 of Kidzapalooza (Photo by Danny Rothenberg)

... and, man!! What a Kidzaplooza it has turned out to be!

Record crowds turned out to attend our parent (deliberate pun) festival, Lollapalooza - which sold out for all three days, meaning an estimated 225,000 people inhabited the space at Grant Park this weekend - and Kidzapalooza also saw it's largest crowd to date today, due to the impromptu performance by Lollapalooza founder, Perry Farrell and the rock legend that is Slash (photos and a video clip below).

But they weren't the only highlights for Kidzapalooza Day 3. Other special guests included John Butler (of the John Butler Trio) who was joined by his daughter on stage, Peter DiStefano playing his guitar with a violin bow (!) and a return performance by the Paul Green School of Rock All Stars, who were described as playing "one of the loudest sets all weekend" (USA Today).

The Kidzapalooza stage rocked all day with additonal performances by Q Brothers, Homemade Jamz’ Blues Band, The Jimmies and G. Love & Special Sauce. And the activities were once again a huge hit - ""(My daughter) came back and said, 'I silkscreened, I dyed my hair, and I got a tattoo,' " said Mates of State singer Kori Gardner, a mother of two. "I was like, 'Well, you've been to Lollapalooza.'" (USA Today).

Check out some of the photos from Day 3:


John Butler performs on the Kidzaplaooza stage with his daughter on Day 3 (Photo by Danny Rothenberg)


Peter DiStefano and Tor (with friends) play Kidzapalooza Day 3 (Photo by Danny Rothenberg)


Perry Farrell and Slash play Kidzapalooza Day 3 (Photo by Danny Rothenberg)


Perry Farrell and Slash play Kidzapalooza Day 3 (Photo by Danny Rothenberg)

And if you missed Perry and Slash in action on the Kidzapalooza stage, you can catch a short clip at MetroMix on CLTV here.

We'd like to thank everyone who came and joined the fun with us. It's been an absolute blast and we look forward to seeing you all again in Chicago next year!

Kidzapalooza Day 2 round-up

Jeff Tweedy and Bill Belzer entertain the crowd at Kidzapalooza Day 1 (Photo by Bao Nguyen)

Day 2 of Kidzapalooza was a blast! Tiny Masters of Today, The Dream Jam Band, The Jimmies, Homemade Jamz' Blues Band and The Terrible Twos rocked out to a very appreciative audience and the ever-popular activities, including the School of Rock Jam Tent, Tattooz by Small Paul, Arts at Play and Make Your Own Tote with Julius and Small Paul were kept busy all day!

Special Guest today was Mason Jennings, who appeared on the Kidza stage after his main Lolla appearance earlier in the day. Needless to say he was a huge hit with the crowd.

Great reports continue to come in about Kidzapalooza. Here's a couple more:

"Hometown heroes Wilco co-headlined Saturday night. But earlier, Jeff Tweedy shifted gears with a delightful Kidz Stage show featuring folk versions of "Heavy Metal Drummer" and Uncle Tupelo's "New Madrid," complete with a cameo by Tupelo's drummer Bill Belzer. Between songs, Mr. Tweedy told the tots to steer their parents away from "awful bands" – good advice. But at Lollapalooza, the awful bands were few and far between." - The Dallas Morning News

""Going after Jeff Tweedy...big ego booster," Zach Rogue sarcastically said when taking the Kidz stage. I really, really enjoyed this show. They played earlier in the day on one of the main stages, but last minute signed on to do a short acoustic set. They played some of my favorites including "Eyes" and "Lake Michigan."" - National Music Examiner

"... I headed over to the Kidz stage, which is a great setup for parents and kids alike. Most of it is in the shade, there are coloring areas set up, and several kid related booths all around. I was not there for the coloring though, as Jeff Tweedy was playing a solo set and I knew if nothing else, that would energize me to get through the rest of the day. Jeff played some great Wilco stuff, and of course included the Uncle Tupelo gem, “New Madrid” as well." - Each Note Secure (Cincinnatti Music Blog)

"... Lolla packed itself up into Concision, and it never looked better (just ask the attendees of the beautifully secluded Kidz stage... or performers that day The Terrible Two's, Rogue Wave, or the legendary Jeff Tweedy)." - Tyler's Scatterbrained Lolla Round-Up (The Milk Carton)

To catch up on all the up-to-date press coverage for Kidzapalooza this year, check out our Press section here.

Tomorrow (Sunday) promises to be an action-packed day with appearances on the Kidza stage by The Q Brothers, John Butler Trio, Homemade Jamz’ Blues Band, The Jimmies, G. Love & Special Sauce, Peter DiStefano & Tor, Perry Farrell and Paul Green’s School of Rock All-Stars - definitely a day to be a part of the fun! Some tickets are still available, so get in quick!

To find out who's appearing when at Kidzapalooza Day 3, check out our performers' schedule here. We'll see you there!

Kidzapalooza Chicago 2008 has kicked off!

Photo by Danny Rothenberg - August, 2008

Day 1 of the Lollapalooza festival has come to a close and what an amazing day it has been!

With estimates that Lolla will hit the 200,000 attendance mark this year, highlights for the grown ups today inlcuded The Racontours, The Kills, UK group Bloc Party and Radiohead (playing to an estimated 75,000 fans!).

For those who were hanging out at the Kidzapalooza stage, highlights included an impressive line up of acts including Jeff Tweedy, Rogue Wave, Paul Green's School of Rock All Stars and Tiny Masters of Today - and all the activities on offer were an absolute hit!

As Alma writes today on Chicago Moms Blog:

"Here's what we loved (all free):

• Body painting "tattooz" and freshly silk-screened t-shirts and tote bags by artists from Small Paul.
• Playing with the real rock band instruments in the School of Rock Petting Zoo
• Designing a CD cover with the nice folks from Crazy Kids Chicago and Art & Soul
• The Paul Green School of Rock All-Stars ... the world-touring band of teens did some great covers of rock and roll classics." - Chicago Moms Blog (August 1, 2008)

Other activities included Hairdooz with Siren Salon and the BrickHeadz breakdancing workshops.

Here's a clip of the BrickHeadz in action today at the Kidzapalooza area (courtesy of Lolla Base Station):



Couldn't get there today? Check out the official Lollapalooza snaps here, including photos of Paul Green's School of Rock All Stars and other images from Kidzapalooza Day 1 (as well as all the Lolla action, of course!).

Days 2 & 3 are yet to come and this year promises to be the best Kidzapalooza yet!

To find out who's on when at the Kidzapalooza stage over the remaining two days, click here. And to find out what activities are on offer for your kidz, click here.

See you there!

Kidzapalooza LA new date announced

Kidzapalooza LA will premiere at the Hollywood Bowl on June 27, 2009! Stay tuned for more details soon. For inquiries, please contact info@ kidzapalooza.com. And don't forget to check out the official Kidzapalooza site here.

Kidzapalooza Chicago is not far away! Click here to find out all about the fun and games taking place in Chicago's Grant Park from August 1st (and click here to find out about our additional very special guests on the Kidz stage not previously announced! You heard it here first!)

Kidzapalooza Chicago line up announced!

Perry and Tor announced the 2008 Kidzapalooza Chicago line up in LA, before Perry got down and rocked with the School of Rock AllStars. Click on the image on your left to see a video of the event on YouTube.