“Free hugs” at Lollapalooza: two young people replicated a proposal that is already all the rage around the world

“Free hugs,” says the sign she carries. “Dinohugs for free”, says the paper wrapped in a sheet that he holds. They don't know each other but they went to do the same at the San Isidro Racecourse on Friday 18, Saturday 19 and Sunday 20: give hugs. Both make up a small dose of the color that was experienced in the three days of Lollapalooza, a combination of happiness, overflow, liberation and the desire to have fun.

This is Agustina, she is 19 years old and recognizes herself as an artist in training: she likes music and acting. He has been attending the festival since 2017 but it is the first time he has motorized an initiative. “'Free Hugs' is my big screw you to covid. I came here to be with the people and everyone I can. I don't know how it occurred to me... I came with the intention of making friends, of enjoying it to the fullest,” he said.

His proposal is anchored in the coronavirus pandemic and in the two years that could not be carried out in the country for health reasons. She says that the covid incentivized her to reach the countryside with a sign that announced that she was giving away hugs. I had the mask in my hand and in addition, I had to have the “Covid Free Pass”, which required a complete vaccination schedule - at least two doses applied, having received the last dose 14 days or more, prior to the start of the festival. “From the abstinence I felt from confinement, I had the need to be with people, I wanted to be more in touch with them,” she acknowledged, commenting that she got the three-day pass but that she was also motivated to accompany her friends to see Miley Cirus, Dillom, Doja Cat and Machine Gun Kelly.

Chico Dino, as he calls himself on social networks, is driven by other drives. His reason is not crossed by covid, it is more an exercise in personal liberation. “I do it because at some point I needed a hug because I was and I felt alone. I started going to anime events where cosplay and stuff were done and I was encouraged: I was a dinosaur. I attracted too much attention and started using it more often to all the events I went to,” he said.

“One day I saw people giving free hugs and I liked seeing that because people were approaching, they were interested. Even the shyest people joined. When we had the poster, we started talking and they got a free hug,” he said. You are right: your proposal is not new and it is international. “Free Hugs” is a social movement that consists of people willing to hug strangers in public places. This gesture is an act of kindness and hope, a concept of peace that is increasingly replicated on a larger scale everywhere in the world.

The boy who has been going to Lollapalooza since 2018 dressed as a dinosaur is currently studying gastronomy and suggests that he, at some point, wanted to be hugged. “Sometimes a person is bad and just needs a little sincere affection from someone unknown who doesn't want to judge him,” he explained. He doesn't know how many hugs he gave but he did feel good proposing it. Like Agustina, who had to interrupt the note with Infobae, because someone wanted to go and hug her.

They were together in the crowd at the San Isidro Racecourse, on the night of Friday the 18th, the first night of the festival, when Miley Cyrus closed with a fascinating show. But they didn't miss any of the three consecutive days, the five stages and the more than a hundred shows that made hundreds of thousands of people vibrate.

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