When We Were Young Festival – Dates Lineup Tickets and History

When We Were Young Festival has become a defining event for emo, pop-punk, and hardcore music fans since its launch in 2017. Held annually at Las Vegas Festival Grounds in Winchester, Nevada, the festival brings together generations of artists and attendees united by a shared love for early-2000s alternative music. The most recent edition took place October 18-19, 2025, marking another milestone in the festival’s ongoing revival and expansion.

What began as a single-day celebration of nostalgia-fueled rock has grown into one of the most anticipated events on the alternative music calendar. The festival’s format—featuring full album performances and stacked lineups of legacy acts—sets it apart from typical concert events and creates an immersive experience for fans who grew up with these bands.

When and Where Is When We Were Young Festival?

Key Details

• Doors open daily at 11:00 a.m. with music starting at 11:15 a.m.
• The 2025 edition featured 51 or more artists across four stages
• Full album performances marked several headlining sets, including Panic! At The Disco playing A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out in full for its 20th anniversary
• The festival operates a two-day format that began in 2023, having expanded beyond its original single-day structure
• Attendance figures for individual sets ranged from single digits to over 170 for headliners

What Is the When We Were Young Festival Lineup?

The 2025 lineup brought together an impressive mix of nostalgic headliners and established acts across the alternative music spectrum. Panic! At The Disco served as a centerpiece, delivering a full performance of their debut album A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out to mark its 20th anniversary. This marked a notable reunion, as the band had disbanded in 2023 before reconvening for the festival.

Blink-182 headlined with a triple-album celebration, playing Enema of the State (1999), Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001), and their self-titled 2003 release in their entirety across the weekend. Other major draws included Weezer, Avril Lavigne, The Offspring, and All Time Low, representing multiple eras of pop-punk and alternative rock.

Complete 2025 Lineup

• Alexisonfire
• Arm’s Length
• Asking Alexandria
• Bad Religion
• Beartooth
• Blink-182
• Boys Like Girls
• Breathe Carolina
• Chiodos (replacement)
• Crown The Empire
• Destroy Boys
• Don Broco
• Drain (replacement)
• Her Leather Jacket
• Holding Absence
• I Prevail
• Ice Nine Kills
• Jack’s Mannequin
• Knocked Loose
• Kublai Khan TX
• Letlive
• Loathe
• Mayday Parade
• Motionless In White
• Plain White T’s
• Pvris
• Set Your Goals
• Simple Plan
• Story of the Year
• Straylight Run
• Sunami
• Taking Back Sunday
• Taylor Acorn
• The Amity Affliction
• The Cab
• The Gaslight Anthem
• The Maine
• The Movielife
• The Offspring
• The Plot In You
• The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
• The Rocket Summer
• The Starting Line
• The Story So Far
• The Summer Set
• The Used
• We Came As Romans
• We the Kings
• Weezer
• Yellowcard

2024 Lineup Highlights

The 2024 edition featured Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance as headliners. Most bands performed full albums during their sets, maintaining the signature format that has become synonymous with the festival experience. This tradition of full-album performances creates unique setlists that differ from standard concert tours.

How to Buy Tickets for When We Were Young Festival

Tickets for When We Were Young Festival are available through the official festival website and authorized ticketing partners. The 2025 event has concluded, with tickets having sold out during the initial sale period after the lineup announcement on October 29, 2024.

For those seeking tickets to future editions, monitoring the official website remains the most reliable method for obtaining authentic passes. Secondary market options exist but carry risks regarding ticket authenticity and pricing.

Official Resources

• Official website: whenwewereyoungfestival.com
• Support and schedule information: support.whenwewereyoungfestival.com
• Updates via official social media channels on Instagram, Facebook, and X

When We Were Young Festival Schedule and Set Times

The festival operates with doors opening at 11:00 a.m. daily. Music begins at 11:15 a.m. on the Allianz Stage and continues through the evening, with headliners typically taking the stage around 9:00 to 10:00 p.m. The 2025 edition saw Panic! At The Disco perform at 10:00 p.m. on October 18, with closing acts like Sunami playing as late as 10:20 p.m.

Stage Configuration

Four stages host performances throughout each day:

• Allianz Stage — Primary stage for headliners and major acts
• 7-Eleven Stage — Secondary stage featuring established names
• Pink Stage — Showcases emerging and mid-tier artists
• Ghost Stage — Features harder sounds and specialty acts

Performance Sample (October 18, 2025)

Sideshows and Supplementary Events

Beyond the main festival, additional performances take place during the event weekend. On October 17, 2025, sideshows featured Taking Back Sunday, Ice Nine Kills, Story of the Year, and The Story So Far at various Las Vegas venues. Emo Night Brooklyn hosted late-night shows at Brooklyn Bowl across both festival nights, providing extended programming for attendees seeking additional performances.

When We Were Young Festival 2025 Updates

The 2025 edition of When We Were Young Festival was officially announced on October 29, 2024. The announcement emphasized the reunion performances, particularly Panic! At The Disco’s return following their 2023 disbandment. The festival’s official website confirms the event will skip 2026 before returning in October 2027.

This planned hiatus marks the first extended break since the festival’s revival in 2022. Following its initial 2017 debut and subsequent cancellation, the event returned in 2022 as a one-day attraction. Popular demand led to expansion to three days that year before settling into the current two-day format beginning in 2023.

Festival Timeline

1. April 8-9, 2017 — Initial launch of When We Were Young Festival
2. 2022 — Revival event held October 22-23 and 29; My Chemical Romance and Paramore headlined; first day canceled due to weather
3. October 21-22, 2023 — Blink-182 and Green Day headlined; expanded to two-day format
4. October 19-20, 2024 — Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance headlined; full album performances
5. October 18-19, 2025 — Panic! At The Disco and Blink-182 headlined with anniversary performances
6. 2026 — Confirmed hiatus year
7. October 2027 — Next scheduled edition

Confirmed and Unconfirmed Information

Festival Background and Cultural Context

When We Were Young Festival emerged during a period of renewed interest in emo and pop-punk music, often referred to as the “emo revival.” The festival capitalized on nostalgia among millennials who grew up listening to these bands during their initial rise in the early 2000s. By offering full album performances and clustering multiple heritage acts together, the event provides an experience unavailable through traditional concert tours.

The festival’s choice of Las Vegas Festival Grounds as its permanent home offers several advantages. The venue’s capacity accommodates the substantial crowds these events attract, while Las Vegas itself provides infrastructure for attendees traveling from across the country. The setting transforms the musical pilgrimage into a complete destination experience. For readers planning travel logistics, our resource page on music event logistics offers additional guidance.

The festival’s format—featuring full album performances and stacked lineups of legacy acts—sets it apart from typical concert events and creates an immersive experience for fans who grew up with these bands.

Sources and Official Information

Information in this article draws from publicly available official sources, including the festival’s official website, published set time announcements, and crowd-sourced performance data from Setlist.fm. Wikipedia’s coverage of the festival provides additional historical context, though specific details should be verified against official channels for planning purposes.

The most reliable sources for current and future event information include the official festival website and verified social media accounts. Support resources and schedule information are available through the festival’s dedicated support portal.

Summary

When We Were Young Festival stands as a premier destination for fans of emo, pop-punk, and hardcore music. Held annually at Las Vegas Festival Grounds in Winchester, Nevada, the event brings together heritage acts for marathon performances centered on full album presentations. The most recent edition in October 2025 featured headliners including Panic! At The Disco and Blink-182, with the latter performing three landmark albums across the weekend.

The festival operates on a two-day format with consistent lineups across both days, utilizing four stages to accommodate its extensive roster of artists. Following its 2025 conclusion, the event enters a planned hiatus in 2026 before returning in October 2027. Those interested in future attendance should monitor official channels for announcements regarding lineup reveals and ticket sales.

Frequently Asked Questions