The Vans Warped Tour is the oldest touring music festival in the United States. Each event is held in a venue that can hold between 10,000 and 30,000 fans, and features as many as 100 bands on up to ten stages. Each band plays for half an hour, with one band a day selected by fan vote to play an extra ten minutes. The major bands play on two main stages, with smaller and local bands playing on the other stages.
The Warped Tour began by featuring skate punk and third wave ska bands, but has evolved to include alternative rock, punk, metalcore and post hardcore bands.
Founded in 1994 by Kevin Lyman, the Vans Warped Tour began with an effort to combine extreme sports with alternative and punk music. Over the years, the focus on skateboarding and other sports has declined, while the number of bands featured has quickly inclined.