Nostalgia is a powerful thing — it follows you throughout your day, memories popping into your head after hearing a few seconds of a song by a band that reminds you of simpler times. These are bands, especially for millennials and some Gen Zs, that completely influenced the fabric of who they are, with songs that were so relatable to their situation that they should have been written by them and for them.
This is the foundation that North America’s largest touring rock festival, Vans Warped Tour, has been based on since it ran from 1995 to 2019 and came back in 2025. Now, in 2026, Vans Warped Tour is back for the first time since 2014. This year’s lineup boasts some of the prime emo, pop-punk, and alt-rock acts of yesteryear, like 3Oh!3, Joyce Manor, Sublime, The Ataris, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Bowling for Soup, Alkaline Trio, Jimmy Eat World, Simple Plan, The Devil Wears Prada, Yellowcard, and Ice Nine Kills (who have played eight Warped Tours).
There are also some newcomers to the Warped Tour, like Montreal locals Mulch, Vancouver’s Concrete Vehicles (formerly Computer), and local punk heroes, Béton Armé. Either way, there is something to revel in at this year’s Warped Tour, especially with some extreme sports in the background while nostalgic punk echoes off the half pipes. These bands also hang out in the Artists Alley and sign their own merch, in typical Warped Tour fashion.
It’s also interesting to think that while many of these seasoned bands have been playing the nostalgic hits live, many have still been making new music for 20-some years. Personally, I haven’t caught up with what Yellowcard has been doing for the last 20 years, but if they play “Ocean Avenue,” I’ll be stoked. Simple Plan, who has performed at almost every Vans Warped Tour, has been on their going-away tour for like three years.
Bowling for Soup, who absolutely decimated the radio and MTV music video charts with “1985” back in 2004, is working on their 12th album. Alkaline Trio is on their 10th with Blood, Hair and Eyeballs. The Devil Wears Prada dropped their ninth album last year, and Jimmy Eat World has been playing the Bleed American (2001) setlist for the past four or five years. It must be weird to be in these nostalgia punk bands—being such an important chapter in a 30-year-old’s life, and then being somewhat forgotten as you grow out of the angsty phase. This is why this festival continues to exist. Much like nostalgia, Vans Warped Tour never dies.
