Each summer, Long Beach, a usually peaceful and relaxing beach city, becomes host to thousands of alternative music fans, ready for two days of rock and good times. This is possible through the Warped Tour, hosted by Vans. The Warped Tour is a rock festival that tours both domestically and internationally, having traveled to Canada, Australia (1998-2002; 2013) and the United Kingdom (2012 and 2015) in the past. The festival began in 1995 and faced big success among fans. The tour went on hiatus from 2019-2024 but made its grand return in 2025 to celebrate its 30th anniversary.
An anticipated concert experience for rock fans, Warped Tour was named the largest traveling music festival in the United States, and the longest-running touring music festival in North America in 2015. After the success of the first Warped Tour, it got a sponsor–Vans. The famous shoe brand was eager to partner with the festival, and, in 1996, it became the Vans Warped Tour. The tour is back for a second consecutive year following its break, and it’s coming back with a bang.
The lineup for this year’s Warped Tour in and of itself is something to be excited about. Many well-known and popular bands will be playing, such as 3OH!3, Bowling for Soup, Gym Class Heroes, Hawthorne Heights, Hoobastank, Jimmy Eat World, Motion City Soundtrack, Papa Roach, Plain White T’s, Simple Plan, Taking Back Sunday and Waterparks. Along with these big names will be newer artists, ready to debut their songs and gain some new followers.
Fans all across the United States (and beyond) will have a chance to visit the festival due to the variety of dates and locations the festival will be traveling to. The tour will begin at the nation’s capital, having shows in Washington D.C. on Jun. 13-14, 2026. Next, the tour will visit Long Beach, CA, a town near and dear to many Royals. The tour will spend July 25-26, 2026, at the beach, before going up to the Great White North once again. The Warped Tour will be in Montreal, Canada, from Aug. 21-22, 2026. The tour will then move south, all the way down to Mexico City, bringing joy to Mexican fans from Sept. 12-13, 2026. Lastly, the tour will be returning to the U.S. for two last dates in Orlando, FL, from Nov. 14-15, 2026.
The Long Beach sector of the tour will offer some unique and traditional experiences this summer. One of the most exciting experiences unique to the Warped Tour is Artist Alley, at which bands sell merchandise out of their own booths throughout the festival, offering special meet-and-greet time with their fans and to showcase their themed products. The next stop in the Warped neighborhood is Sponsor Village, at which the Warped Tour sponsors host acoustic sets, product giveaways and more. As the Warped Tour website reads, “Vans Warped tour isn’t just about the music–it’s a playground for extreme sports.” The tour will, in traditional fashion, install a ramp where tour-goers will have the opportunity to see high-flying skate demos, BMX tricks and other unique sports.
While Warped Tour attendees will have a chance to support their favorite artists and bands at Artist Alley, as they cross the road they will end up at Record Label Row, where they can do the same for record labels. Classic labels will be in attendance, as well as new faces to be welcomed. Record Label Row offers exclusive merch, signings and potential artist sightings. Lastly, Charity Circle will be in full swing this summer as well. The tour partners showcase charities and nonprofits that support the community, such as The Bully Sanctuary, The Consciousness Group, End Overdose, Feed Our Children Now, Headcount, Hearts of Maya, Humane World for Animals, Keep a Breast and Music Saves Lives.
The Warped Tour is great every single year thanks to all of the bands that come together to give back to the community, spread joy to their fans and celebrate the legacy of rock. Some of our Royals have their own opinions about what bands should be at the Vans Warped Tour 2027. Emma Celio ’28 knew that she would be happy and “would love to see Green Day because I always enjoy their music, and it always seems to get me in a good mood.” Another sophomore, Natalya Castellanos, said that she thought that “it would be really cool to see artists that have a lot of energy and connect with the crowd. I would probably like to see bands like Metallica or Iron Maiden because their music is really powerful, fun to listen to and brings out the vibe. I think artists like that would make the experience really exciting for everyone there.” All festivals need bands like Green Day, Metallica or Iron Maiden to connect with the audience, get them hyped and bring the beat.
Tickets can be hard to come by, but for all who may be attending the festival this summer, enjoy it, and prepare to get Warped!
