Coachella, Lollapalooza music festivals ban selfie sticks

 

 

LOS ANGELES --

You can bring your beach towels and floral headbands, but forget that selfie stick if you're planning to go to the Coachella or Lollapalooza music festivals.

The devices, which grasp cellphones to allow people to take pictures of themselves farther away from their faces, are banned at this summer's multiday festivals in Indio, California, and Chicago. Coachella dismissed them as "narsisstics" on a list of prohibited items.

Selfie sticks have become a popular but polemical photo-taking tool: Avid picture takers like snapping their own shots in front of monuments and sunsets, but critics dismiss them as obnoxious and potentially dangerous to others around them.

A spokeswoman for Coachella would not comment on the restriction. Lollapalooza representatives did not immediately return a request for comment.

Coachella and Lollapalooza are among dozens of popular events and landmarks taking a stand against the sticks.

In Europe, the Palace of Versailles outside Paris, Britain's National Gallery in London and the Colosseum in Rome have all banned selfie sticks, saying they need to protect exhibits on display and ensure the safety of visitors.

In the U.S., Ultra Music Festival in Miami, one of the world's largest electronic music festivals, also prohibited selfie sticks at last weekend's event.

"They will be turned away and we'll probably make fun of you," Ultra said on its Twitter account early this month.

Some concertgoers welcomed the decision, saying the sticks get in the way of seeing the stage and enjoying the concert.