Festivals
Vans Warped Tour Kicks Off 2026 Line-up Announcements with 30-ish Days of Warped
Vans Warped Tour, one of the most iconic, successful, and longest-running music festivals in history returns in 2026 with a bold new era. Expanding its footprint and cultural impact after last year’s three sold-out U.S dates, Vans Warped Tour will deliver five two-day U.S. festivals returning to Washington, D.C., Long Beach, CA, and Orlando, FL, alongside the launch of two all-new international editions in Montreal, Canada and Mexico City, Mexico, marking a powerful global expansion.
In partnership with Insomniac, the world-class experience creators behind some of the largest music festivals on the planet, Vans Warped Tour is reimagined for today, honoring its legacy while evolving the format, energy, and community for a new generation of fans.
Each two-day festival will feature over 100 artists spanning rock, pop punk, alternative, emo, hip-hop, ska and beyond, alongside appearances from world-class skateboarders and elite action-sports athletes. This latest iteration builds on Vans Warped Tour’s legacy while embracing a broader, more global future for one of music and skate culture’s most enduring live platforms.
In anticipation of this year’s dates, Vans Warped Tour has launched the first look at the artists performing this year. With multiple artists being announced daily over the next 30-ish days exclusively on Vans Warped Tour social platforms, this furthers their mission of artist discovery and fan-first ideology. Upon launching the 30-ish days of Warped in 2025, these reveals resulted in over 3.8 billion impressions. Additionally, as noted from artists’ last year, the 30-ish days of Warped resulted in over a million monthly engagements, increased virality, and advanced career growth. When the full line-up is revealed in mid-March, artists will be listed alphabetically, a tradition that keeps the focus on the collective experience rather than headliners.
Vans Warped Tourwill feature a series of intimate pop-up events in every market, designed to celebrate and engage each local community as part of the 30ish days of Warped. These city-specific moments will bring the experience directly to fans through surprise guest performances, with the added potential for the announcement of performers. Each pop-up is intended to create a sense of connection and spontaneity, making every stop a memorable and locally rooted experience.
Vans WarpedTour remains true to their reputation as one of the best to attend to discover emerging acts, to meet like-minded friends, and explore meaningful nonprofits and companies who are making a positive impact on the world that surrounds them. As part of their Charity Circle last year, over 134,000 pounds of canned food items were collected, fans and guest donations surpassed $100,000, with $200,000 alone donated to nonprofit organizations.
Originally conceived by founder Kevin Lyman in 1995 as an eclectic alternative rock festival, with a focus on punk rock, over the years the tour grew to include a multitude of genres, including metal, hip hop, reggae, pop and more. The Vans Warped Tour gained notoriety as the largest traveling music festival in the United States, and the longest-running touring music festival in North America.
Ahead of this year’s dates, Lyman shares “Warped has always been about a sense of discovery, learning about brands, non-profits and bands. By releasing the line-up the way we do is the best way we have been able to figure out how to do this. Each band gets their moment to introduce or reacquaint themselves to you, and for those who get Warped they get this. Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you in the pit!”
Over its 30-year history,Vans Warped Tour built a singular legacy as the definitive summer festival for rock and alternative music fans, shaping generations of artists and audiences alike. Founded in 1995, Vans Warped Tour was never just a concert series; it was a proving ground, cultural crossroads, and community-driven platform where established acts shared stages with emerging talent, often at pivotal moments in their careers.
Throughout the years, Vans Warped Tour helped introduce and elevate artists who would go on to define modern music, with past performers including Blink-182, No Doubt, Sublime, Beck,Katy Perry, NOFX, Limp Bizkit, Black Eyed Peas, Green Day, Eminem, Yellowcard, Bad Religion, and countless others.
What set Vans Warped Tour apart was its accessibility and ethos. Affordable tickets, all-day festivals, genre-fluid lineups, and an environment where fans could discover new artists, connect directly with performers, and experience music alongside skate culture, activism, and community engagement. That spirit of openness and discovery became central to Vans Warped Tour’s identity, cementing its place as one of the most influential live music platforms in modern music history. Vans Warped Tour weekend tickets are currently available for purchase at https://www.vanswarpedtour.com/tickets, starting at $237.00 (taxes and fees included) for Montreal.
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Festivals
FIFA Fan Festival™ Vancouver – Walk Off The Earth, Fionn, Felix Cartal, and France Fans
The FIFA Fan Festival™ at the PNE kept the World Cup excitement rolling on Saturday, July 4, as fans gathered for another full day of football, live music, and celebrations. With two Round of 16 matches on the giant screens and a lineup of Canadian artists filling the Amphitheatre Stage, the atmosphere remained lively from morning through the evening.
The day had already delivered plenty of drama before the concerts began. Morocco had stunned host nation Canada earlier in the day to book a place in the quarter-finals, ending Canada’s historic World Cup run after its first-ever appearance in the Round of 16. A few hours later, France defeated Paraguay to secure the final quarter-final spot, setting up a meeting with Morocco in one of the tournament’s most intriguing matchups. As the final whistle blew, fans quickly shifted their attention from the football to the music just a few steps away.
Vancouver-based band Fionn, consisting of twins Alanna and Brianne Finn-Morris, was first on stage, offering an engaging performance that fit the late afternoon perfectly. Their warm vocals and heartfelt indie-pop songs gave the crowd a chance to catch their breath after another emotional day of World Cup action. Many fans who had spent hours watching the matches stayed put, creating an attentive audience that truly enjoyed the show.
Right after, Walk Off The Earth took over and instantly changed the pace. The Ontario group has built its reputation on creative arrangements and infectious energy, and they delivered exactly that. Their performance blended pop, rock, folk, and plenty of crowd interaction, turning the Amphitheatre into a giant singalong. The band’s playful chemistry and multi-instrumental approach kept fans engaged from start to finish, with many dancing along and singing every word.
At the Park Stage, Vancouver-born DJ and producer Felix Cartal took over. A familiar face on festival lineups across the country, Cartal delivered a polished electronic set that kept fans dancing until the festival closed. His mix of melodic house, upbeat remixes, and crowd-pleasing drops provided the perfect soundtrack to cap off a day that had already been packed with football drama and live music.
The FIFA Fan Festival has consistently shown that it offers far more than football. Saturday’s schedule paired knockout-stage drama with live performances that gave supporters another reason to stay long after the matches had ended. Even with Canada’s elimination still fresh in many minds, the festival remained a welcoming place to celebrate the global game, discover Canadian talent, and enjoy a summer evening surrounded by thousands of fellow fans. With the quarter-finals now set, anticipation continued to build for another unforgettable week at Vancouver’s Fan Festival.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
WALK OFF THE EARTH
FIONN
FELIX CARTAL
FRANCE FANS
All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer
Festivals
Montréal Jazz Festival 2026 – Patrick Watson
July 3, 2026
If you thought the outdoor main stage at Jazz Fest was packed earlier in the week, it had absolutely nothing on the sea of people that squeezed into the Place des Festivals for Patrick Watson. The site was packed right to the limit. The last time he played the festival back in 2021, it was to a strictly limited, socially distanced crowd, and he actually took a moment to contrast that eerie, quiet landscape with the overwhelming wall of faces looking back at him this time around. The massive turnout made it feel like the city had just been waiting for the perfect moment to properly welcome him back.
The whole night felt like a massive, curated homecoming celebration with his favourite people on earth. By the third song, he already had the crowd cheering when he brought out Montreal’s own Martha Wainwright, who has been heavily involved in the local scene and festival circuit this year, to share the stage. Right after that, he raised the bar even higher by bringing up a string quartet for a stunning performance of “Ode to Vivian.” He took a second to tell the story behind the track, explaining how it was inspired by the street photographer Vivian Maier, who secretly kept her incredible work to herself until she passed, only to posthumously become an inspiration to thousands of photographers worldwide.
The emotional peak of the set came during “To Build a Home.” Watson talked about how deeply the experience of growing up in Montreal shaped him both as a person and a musician, noting that his music could only ever be written in a city with this exact type of creative spirit. As the song played, vintage 1960s video footage of Montreal rolled across the massive backdrops, which gave the whole performance an incredibly nostalgic, cinematic weight. He kept the collaborations rolling through the night, too, pulling the brilliant November Ultra onto the stage for “Silencio,” and later bringing out the rising indie-folk artist Solann.
The years might be passing, but Patrick Watson proves every time he steps on a stage that he remains an absolute force of nature. He doesn’t care about shifting trends; he just cares about his craft. A few people floating around the crowd might have been a little disappointed not to hear some of the older classics like “Lighthouse” or “The Great Escape,” but honestly, what better setting is there to test out your newest material than the Montreal Jazz Festival in front of your home crowd? Besides, when the performance is that stunning from start to finish, you really can’t be mad about it.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
PATRICK WATSON
All Photo Credit: Andres Amaya