What is the name of the annual music festival founded by Vans in 1995?

What is the name of the annual music festival founded by Vans in 1995? The festival was the Warped Tour.

The Warped Tour began in 1995 as a traveling rock festival created by Kevin Lyman and Ray Woodbury, in association with Warp Magazine and Creative Artists Agency. Its early lineup blended alternative rock, punk, ska, and other energetic genres, while the event moved between venues across North America.

A useful correction to the wording is that Vans did not found the tour in 1995. Vans became its first sponsor in 1996, then became the title sponsor, producing the familiar name Vans Warped Tour. That partnership helped the festival survive financially and tied it closely to skateboarding and youth culture.

The tour became a major platform for emerging acts, including Blink-182, Fall Out Boy, Paramore, and My Chemical Romance. Its regular cross-country run ended after 2019, but the event returned in festival form in 2025 for its 30th anniversary.