Images of crowds have become a weird pastime in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. As the masses gathered for anti-lockdown protests, football celebrations and – more recently – concerts and festivals, it’s become a case of spotting a mask-wearing needle in a Delta variant haystack.
The latest example has been a snap from the American music festival Lollapalooza in Chicago, Illinois, running from Thursday to Sunday this week.
According to the event’s website, ticketholders must comply with their “fan health pledge” and “bring a printed copy of your vaccine card, vaccine record, or negative COVID-19 test” each day as part of their entry procedures.
For those who are unvaccinated, Lollapalooza states that they must “wear a mask throughout” their time at the festival.
However, when Colin Hinkle, from the drone and helicopter company Soaring Badger Productions, shared a photo of the crowd to Twitter on Saturday, finding a masked individual in a crowd of people prompted comparisons to popular puzzle book, Where’s Wally? (or Where’s Waldo?, for our American readers):
@hinklecolin @lollapalooza Let’s make a little challenge for you all Try to find at least 3 people using mask in this crowd— Jô panpan ||‼️Encanto Spoilers‼️ (@Jô panpan ||‼️Encanto Spoilers‼️) 1627766119
@JooGirardi8 @hinklecolin @lollapalooza Bless your heart https://t.co/vbon9GJz0P— Jared Godar (@Jared Godar) 1627769871
@hinklecolin @lollapalooza Atleast he’s trying https://t.co/52tHbkOEwL— Kuzco (@Kuzco) 1627782966
@Vizzy_Baby @hinklecolin @lollapalooza most fucked up game of where’s waldo ever— Leilah!!! (@Leilah!!!) 1627788629
@hinklecolin @lollapalooza Finding someone in a mask was the hardest game of Where’s Waldo I’ve ever played https://t.co/sToKN0oOLP— J. Jonah Jameson stan acc (@J. Jonah Jameson stan acc) 1627793435
@hinklecolin @lollapalooza is this another version of where’s waldo https://t.co/L1G8kLMEVS— em (@em) 1627786090
@hinklecolin @nna_onu @lollapalooza This looks like a “Where’s Waldo Picture” https://t.co/zDhITIE894— Mistress of Evil (@Mistress of Evil) 1627788179
@hinklecolin @lollapalooza https://t.co/HZ358niYiC— Tori Bedford (@Tori Bedford) 1627767508
This wasn’t the only joke offered up in response to the snap, either:
@hinklecolin @lollapalooza https://t.co/oB0wyYArKU— Empiric Antibiotic Card Game (@Empiric Antibiotic Card Game) 1627756091
@hinklecolin @lollapalooza The reapers like https://t.co/swN2w3RkBv— Kai 📷 (@Kai 📷) 1627768938
@ModestTeacher @hinklecolin @lollapalooza excuse me, excuse me, sorry, excuse me, hey buddy i need to get through,… https://t.co/JomlQvw8p5— Pengo Wray (@Pengo Wray) 1627773429
While some may be putting the ‘lol’ in Lollapalooza, we can’t help but feel this could end up being more of a palaver than a palooza.