Sept. 17--Farm Aid, which began in 1985 as a benefit concert to raise money for farmers, will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a slate of concerts Saturday by Willie Nelson, Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp and others at FirstMerit Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island.
Gates open at noon and the final set, by Nelson, is scheduled to begin at 10:45 p.m. Re-entry is not permitted. (The full schedule is here.)
From tickets to prohibited items, the Tribune breaks down the logistics of Saturday's festival.
Tickets: Tickets were still available through livenation.com, starting at $65, as of Thursday morning.
Transportation: The Chicago Transit Authority is offering extra night service on its No. 130-Museum Campus and No-146 Inner Drive/Michigan Express routes. A bike rack is available outside Gate 1.
Parking: The Soldier Field North Garage, which has parking for ticketholders with disabilities, is scheduled to open about an hour before gates open, according to the Farm Aid site.
Parking is included in the price of the ticket.
VIP parking at the Adler Planetarium lot can be purchased online with tickets or at the box office.
A limited number of RVs can be parked in the Soldier Field south lot for $120.
Tailgating, overnight parking and camping is not permitted at the venue.
Allowed items: Backpacks and purses; non-professional cameras; one factory-sealed bottle of water per person up to a gallon in size; small snack food in clear Ziploc bags (nothing that requires utensils or has bones); sunscreen and bug spray in non-aerosol cans; small blankets and tarps; stadium seat cushions; soft-sided coolers the size of a six-pack; registered service animals; and lawn chairs are permitted.
Prohibited items: Umbrellas; strollers; beverages other than water; weapons; wallet chains; pocket knives; fireworks; electronics other than cell phones including laptops, iPads, Kindles and video games; hard coolers; coolers on wheels; baseballs; footballs; tennis balls; laser pointers and large signs are not allowed.
