Fans of pop punk, alternative rock, emo and hardcore music will flock to Orlando this weekend for Vans Warped Tour’s special 30th anniversary comeback.
Once considered America’s largest traveling music festival, the tour made its long-awaited return earlier this year with sold-out shows in Washington, D.C. and Long Beach, California. This weekend’s Orlando Festival will be sold out, with 80,000 fans expected to gather at Tinker Field outside Camping World Stadium on both Saturday and Sunday.
Notable artists on Warped Tour Orlando include A Day to Remember, Black Veil Brides, Falling in Reverse, Bowling for Soup, Yellowcard, All Time Low, Killswitch Engage, I Prevail, Pennywise, Less Than Jake, The Wonder Years, and more.
Although the festival focuses on music, it will also feature skate and BMX riders, record labels, nonprofits, artists, merchandise, and the Vans Warped Tour Museum. Each day, different bands perform in three different main music areas with two alternating stages and one warped and unplugged stage.
After a final cross-country tour in 2018 and a three-city 25th anniversary tour in 2019, Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman was approached by EDC Orlando event producer Insomniac and decided to bring the event back.
“There were a lot of people working at Insomniac who had worked with me at some point in my career, and I thought they could help us bring Insomniac back culturally. That was what I was really concerned about,” Lyman said. “There’s so much anticipation surrounding Warped Tour that it had a shot at making it work. I think in a way people took it for granted, like, ‘Oh, it’s going to be here next year.'” But then it went away. People appreciated how hard the whole team and crew worked on it. ”
orlando sentinel file
Pro skater Chris Livingston puts on a show for the crowd at the Vans Warped Tour on August 6, 1998 in Orlando. (Orlando Sentinel Files)
Lyman said both previous Warped Tour events this year have been well received.
“The first day in D.C. was really nerve-wracking. When people came in, it felt like Warped Tour, just with a bigger stage, lights, and video. Everything around us felt atmospheric. The band was excited. It felt like a reunion,” he said. “Bands say to me, ‘There’s so many festivals we play. They know how to do festivals, but you can’t go home. Warped Tour was always home.'”
Although Warped Tour has been canceled in recent years, the event still holds its own as a cultural phenomenon. There’s also a bar on Wall Street called Warped Pour, which features the festival’s logo.
Nick Masuda/Orlando Sentinel, Orlando Sentinel
Streetlight Manifesto performed in front of thousands of bands, including over 40 bands, at the Florida State Fairgrounds during the 2010 Vans Warped Tour. The Street Lighting Manifesto is back this year. (Orlando Sentinel File)
“Does anyone have a bar named after their work? I think Jimmy Buffett has a Margaritaville,” Lyman said. “I think it would be an honor for someone to use that logo.”
There will be a pop-up show in downtown Orlando before and after the event, with Warped Band performing at Warped Pour starting Friday at 2 p.m.
Lyman said Florida has “always been a great market” for Warped Tour, but the community’s support made City Beautiful the ideal choice to host this year’s event.
Nick Masuda/Orlando Sentinel, Orlando Sentinel
Every Time I Die performed in front of thousands of people, including over 40 bands, at the Florida State Fairgrounds during the 2010 Vans Warped Tour. (Orlando Sentinel File)
“It’s like a magical musical kingdom,” he said. “It’s amazing to see so many bands on stage. The lineup is great, and the ticket prices are great. It’s $149 for a two-day festival.”
Resale tickets can be purchased through Warped Tour’s official ticket exchange, ticketexchangebyticketmaster.com.
Leading up to the event weekend, 250 staff members will be working “around the clock” to transform Tinker Field and the grounds surrounding Camping World Stadium from an EDC Orlando festival venue to a Warped Tour venue.
While there are undoubtedly die-hard Warped Tour fans who return for the nostalgia, Lyman said the event heralds the arrival of a new generation of bands and fans. The tour still also serves as a platform for good, encouraging fans to bring canned goods to donate to food banks in exchange for priority-admission wristbands.
“A lot of people come to the show who have never been to a festival or a concert,” he said. “It wasn’t just nostalgia. We’re excited that new people are interested in Warped Community. We had people in Long Beach ranging from 5 years old to 73 years old.”
For more information, visit vanswarpedtourorlando.com.
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