This year’s Lollapalooza is offering a distinctive first that may prove fleeting. Festival crowds in Grant Park are currently encountering a new option among the usual bars and stalls, one that could vanish as quickly as it arrived.
Hemp-derived THC drinks have appeared at the ongoing event for the first time. RYTHM, the Chicago hemp brand affiliated with Green Thumb Industries Inc (CNSX: GTII) (OTCMKTS: GTBIF) (FRA: R9U2), is an official partner supplying the Señorita range. Guests choose between Mango Margarita and Lime Jalapeño Margarita in 12-ounce cans, each containing five milligrams of hemp THC.
The non-alcoholic drinks use blue agave, fruit juice and Himalayan pink salt. Early reactions to this addition mix enthusiasm with practical notes. Some festival-goers are enthusiastic about what they view as a milder alternative to beer or spirits while others on forums like Reddit are making critical remarks about the cost and the light dose.
“Consumers are shifting away from alcohol,” said Green Thumb CEO Ben Kovler, adding that laughter is far superior side effect than praying to the porcelain gods in the morning. He is also sure that no fights will break out as a result of the beverages, unlike liquor.
His statements come as alcohol consumption continues to retreat across the United States. Total beverage alcohol volumes fell five per cent in 2025, with wine and beer recording steeper losses and spirits showing only modest resilience.
Charli XCX, Lorde, The Smashing Pumpkins, Tate McRae and Jennie are the top names on the lineup this weekend. The four-day festival, launched in 1991 and based permanently in Chicago’s Grant Park since 2005, draws around 100,000 people each day across eight stages and ranks among America’s largest urban music events.
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A limited window
This may stand as the only chance for attendees to buy Señorita or similar hemp drinks at Lollapalooza.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation in June that brings most intoxicating hemp products under the state’s regulated cannabis system. These rules take effect in November. While the law does not ban the drinks outright, it leaves their precise treatment unclear and is widely expected to restrict sales outside licensed dispensaries.
Venues, grocery stores and liquor outlets that currently stock the cans will likely face the loss of that permission. Parallel federal restrictions on intoxicating hemp products add further pressure in the same period, making this year’s availability a brief exception rather than a lasting feature unless amendments are made.
Lollapalooza will offer THC drinks for the first time in 2026, giving festivalgoers 21+ a nonalcoholic cannabis option at select bars.
It’s another sign that cannabis beverages are moving into mainstream spaces traditionally dominated by alcohol, and makes clear dosing,…
— Bunk Police (@BunkPolice) July 31, 2026
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