The 2010 Vans Warped Tour, featuring Sum 41, The All American Rejects, Dropkick Murphys, and over 130 other bands, will be making six stops in California this summer. The history of the Vans Warped Tour dates back to 1994 when Kevin Lyman, a partner of SideOneDummy Records, conceived the idea. In 1995, Vans, a shoe manufacture with its’ key demographic being skateboarders, offered to sponsor the tour. Soon enough the Vans Warped Tour became one of the most anticipated annual concert tours in the ska/skater punk genre.

This year’s Vans Warped Tour will kick off on Friday, June 25th at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. The next two days the tour will stop in Mountain View and Ventura, CA. The Vans Warped Tour returns to California for a three day stretch, from Tuesday, August 10th to Thursday, August 12th, with respective stops in San Diego, Pomona, and Marysville.          

Presale tickets for the Vans Warped Tour go on sale Friday, March 26th at 10:00am. You can register to be eligible for presale tickets by visiting www.vanswarpedtour.com. The presale package includes commemorative tickets, complete with a 3D hologram, as well as a “jump the line” pass which will give you entrance into the venue sooner than everyone else, and a free copy of the 2010 Warped Tour Compilation CD, featuring music from various Warped Tour artists.

California will also play host to the “Warped Tour Kickoff Party” on Friday, April 9th at the Key Club, located in West Hollywood. Acts schedule to play at the kickoff party include Andrew WK, Pierce of the Veil, The Pretty Reckless, The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, and Death Punch.  

The 2010 Vans Warped Tour will feature eight stages, with bands on the main stage performing 40 minute sets, while artists on the other stages play 30 minute sets. Up until 2009 the Vans Warped Tour featured two main stages, with bands on both stages playing 30 minute sets, like all of the other artists. In 2009 the decision was made to condense the two main stages into one, and allow acts on the main stage to add an additional 10 minutes to their sets.

The festivities typically begin at 11:00am each day and go to 9:00pm. Check below for the venues of each California stop, and come back in the coming days to take a  closer look into some of the bands playing this year’s Vans Warped Tour.

Friday, June 25th; Carson: Home Depot Centor
Saturday, June 26th; Mountain View: Shoreline Amphitheatre
Sunday, June 27th; Venutra: Seaside Park
Tuesday, August 10th; San Diego: Cricket Amphitheatre
Wednesday, August 11th; Pomona: Pomona Fairplex
Thursday, August 12th; Marysville: Sleep Train Amphitheatre