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Dates Announced For Vans Warped Tour 25th Anniversary
Josh Sisk/For The Washington Post via Getty Images – Vans Warped Tour
Attendees at the final incarnation of Vans Warped Tour get their circle dance on at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md., July 29.
Calling all punk kids: get out your calendars, planners and phones and save the date for Vans Warped Tour’s 25th anniversary! As promised, plans are in the works for a few special shindigs to celebrate the traveling festival’s quarter-century milestone.
For now, the only thing set in stone is the dates and one city – Cleveland. Fans will have to stay tuned for a lineup, venues and which specific cities are hosting the East Coast and West Coast versions.
“Plans are coming together for @VansWarpedTour 25th only thing I can say for now since many need to hold vacations dates are June 8 Cleveland, June 29-30 eastcoast, July 20-21 westcoast,” Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman tweeted Dec. 17.
When Lyman announced in November 2017 that 2018 would be the tour’s final full-fledged run, he noted that an anniversary shindig was to come, as “the enduring spirit of the Vans Warped Tour remains as bright as ever, continuing to inspire creativity and ambition in new and exciting ways as we prepare for a 25th anniversary celebration.”
Vans Warped Tour officially concluded Aug. 5 with a stop at Coral Sky Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach, Fla. The final trek played 38 shows and grossed more than $19.4 million, with 542,908 tickets sold. The tour placed at No. 64 on Pollstar’s 2018 Year End Top 200 North American Tours and No. 99 on Pollstar‘s Year End Top 100 Worldwide Tours.
For a slew of bands, agents, managers, venue owners, production crews and fans alike, Warped’s final tour was an emotional moment and marked the end of an era. Since the Warped Tour kicked off in 1995 with a 24-stop outing featuring Californian adrenaline-filled acts like Deftones, No Doubt, and Sublime, the festival became an important vehicle for legions of artists and their teams.
Lyman spoke to Pollstar the day after the West Palm Beach show to reflect on the festival’s beginnings, the impact the tour had on the industry, and what was to come next for the promoter / philanthropist.
Along with the 25th anniversary celebration, a June exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is in the works and Lyman said he’d love to revisit the Warped Rewind at Sea cruise, which debuted in 2017.
SEE ALSO:
Kevin Lyman Wraps Warped: ‘It Worked Because It Was Never Perfect’