The Vans Warped Tour is officially making its return in 2025, and we’re just weeks away from finding out the first lineup. The announcement is set to drop on January 27, and Warped’s website is already counting down the days.
Fans, naturally, are counting down too—because if this doesn’t deliver the goods, there’s going to be a lot of side-eyes and shredded hopes.
Warped 2025 is sticking to a stripped-down, three-city format:
- Washington, DC – June 14-15 @ Festival Grounds at RFK Campus
- Long Beach, CA – July 26-27 @ Shoreline Waterfront
- Orlando, FL – November 15-16 @ Camping World Stadium Campus
It’s not the coast-to-coast insanity Warped was known for in its heyday, but after years of silence, this feels like a step in the right direction. If you’re keeping score, the last time we saw Warped Tour was in 2019, with a limited run of shows in Cleveland, Atlantic City, and Mountain View. The 2025 setup follows a similar model: fewer cities, bigger events.
Kevin Lyman, the tour’s founder, made it clear that Warped’s return isn’t just about nostalgia. In 2024, he explained, “People are craving connection, live music, and the raw, unfiltered experience that Warped has always offered.” He’s certainly not wrong. While music festivals have evolved, the alternative community is still looking for that one place where it all feels like home—a sweaty, chaotic, riff-heavy home.
This time, Lyman has teamed up with Insomniac Events, known for their flashy electronic music festivals. What does that mean for Warped? Bigger production? Neon lights? I guess we’ll see. What really matters is the lineup, and whether Warped can find that balance between its punk and hardcore roots and the newer, heavier acts keeping the scene alive.
The January 27 announcement will set the tone for Warped’s future. Will it be a love letter to its roots, a launchpad for rising stars, or something unexpected? One thing’s certain—Warped Tour is back, and it’s got a lot to prove. Fingers crossed for a lineup that brings the noise and lives up to its legacy.
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