Earlier this month Vans Warped Tour founder, Kevin Lyman, announced that 2018, just one year shy of the festival’s 25th anniversary, will be Warped’s last cross-country run. The news came via post on the tour’s website, titled “Vans Warped Tour: All Things Must Come to an End.”
“Today, with many mixed feelings, I am here to announce that next year will be the final, full cross-country run of the Vans Warped Tour,” said Lyman.
Beginning in 1995 as a way to mix alternative music and extreme sports, Warped Tour quickly became a haven for those who belonged to the alternative scene. The festival’s debut year featured performances from bands like Sublime and No Doubt. Massive bands such as Green Day, Blink-182, The Offspring, Pennywise, Social Distortion and NOFX have hopped on tour over the last 23 years.
Warped Tour also served as a platform to launch up and coming bands who would eventually top the alt. charts like Fall Out Boy, Sum 41 and Simple Plan. Warped even featured some unexpected guests like Katy Perry, The Black Eyed Peas, and Eminem.
Along with introducing the world to diverse lineups of musicians, Warped Tour worked closely with charities including To Write Love on Her Arms, Keep a Breast, Music Saves Lives, and A Voice for the Innocent. Thanks to Warped Tour, these charities were able to grow into massive non-profits in parking lots across the country.