ORLANDO, Fla. — Fans of pop-punk, alternative rock, emo and hardcore music will congregate in Orlando this weekend as Vans Warped Tour makes a special 30th-anniversary comeback.

Once considered the largest traveling music festival in the United States, the tour made a highly anticipated return earlier this year with sold-out dates in Washington, D.C., and Long Beach, California. This weekend’s Orlando festival is sold out and expected to welcome 80,000 fans both Saturday and Sunday to Tinker Field outside Camping World Stadium.

Some of the biggest names at 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 and the Wonder Years.

While the focus is on music, the festival also features skating and BMX riders, record labels, nonprofit organizations, artists, merchandise and a Vans Warped Tour Museum. Different bands will play each day in three different main music areas with two alternating stages each, plus one Warped Unplugged Stage.

After its final cross-country tour in 2018 and a three-city 25th anniversary tour in 2019, Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman decided to bring back the event after being approached by Insomniac, the event producer behind EDC Orlando.

“There were enough people that work for Insomniac that worked with me at one point in my career. I thought they could help me bring it back culturally, and that was what I was really worried about,” Lyman said. “I had one shot to get it right because there’s expectations with Warped Tour. I think people took it for granted in a way, like, ‘Oh, it’ll be here next year.’ But then it was gone. People kind of appreciated how hard the whole team and crew worked on that thing.”

Lyman said that both of the previous Warped Tour events this year were well-received.

“I was really nervous the first day in D.C. People came in, and it felt like Warped Tour with only bigger stages, lights and video. Everything around it kind of felt the vibe. The bands were excited. It felt like a reunion,” he said. “Bands tell me, ‘There’s tons of festivals that we play. They know how to put on a festival, but they don’t make it home. Warped Tour was always home.'”

Even though Warped Tour has been off for the last several years, the event has remained a cultural phenomenon that has taken on a life of its own. There’s even a bar on Wall Street named “Warped Pour” that incorporates the festival’s logo.

“Who has a bar named after their work? I guess Jimmy Buffett has Margaritaville,” Lyman said. “I think it’s an honor when someone uses that logo.”

Downtown Orlando will host pop-up shows before and after the event, including a set from the Warped Band playing at Warped Pour at 2 p.m. Friday.

Florida was “always a great market” for Warped Tour, Lyman said, but the community support has made the City Beautiful an ideal choice to host one of this year’s events.

“It’s like the magical music kingdom,” he said. “It’s amazing to put all these bands on a stage, and it’s a great lineup, plus a great ticket price. It’s $149 to go to a two-day festival.”

Resale tickets are available through Warped Tour’s official ticket exchange, ticketexchangebyticketmaster.com.

Leading up to the event weekend, a crew of 250 people will work “around the clock” to transform Tinker Field and the grounds surrounding Camping World Stadium from the EDC Orlando festival footprint into Warped Tour.

While there will undoubtedly be die-hard Warped Tour fans returning for the nostalgia factor, Lyman said the event is ushering in a new generation of bands and fans. The tour is also still serving as a platform for good, encouraging fans to bring canned goods to donate to food banks in exchange for a skip-the-line wristband.

“So many people are coming to the show that have never been to a festival or concert,” he said. “It wasn’t just nostalgia. I’m excited that it’s new people getting turned onto the Warped community. We had from 5-year-olds to 73-year-olds at Long Beach.”

For more information, visit vanswarpedtourorlando.com.

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