When We Were Young Festival Announces One-Year Hiatus for 2026
Fans of the premier Las Vegas emo and alternative celebration will have to wait a little longer for their next fix of nostalgia. Organizers of the When We Were Young festival have officially announced that the event will be taking a sabbatical in 2026.
On Friday, February 27, the production team behind the desert gathering revealed via social media that they are hitting the pause button for one year, though they were quick to reassure the community that the festival will return to its usual haunt in 2027.
“To our When We Were Young Family,” the statement on Instagram read. “The songs, the memories, the moments — none of it exists without you. After an unforgettable run in Las Vegas, we’ve decided to take 2026 off to give this festival the care it deserves and to make sure what comes next feels just as special as what came before.”
While the organizers did not specify a particular reason for the gap year, the tone of the message suggested a desire to maintain the high production standards and curation that have made the event a global destination. They confirmed that the “pause” is temporary, with the festival scheduled to reclaim the Las Vegas Festival Grounds in October 2027.
Since debuting, the Live Nation-produced spectacle has become a cornerstone of the alternative music calendar, previously hosting heavyweights like Green Day, Blink-182, My Chemical Romance, and The Killers. Every October since 2022, the festival has transformed the Las Vegas Strip into a pilgrimage site for fans of pop-punk and post-hardcore.
The 2025 iteration was particularly notable for featuring a rare reunion from Panic! at the Disco, who performed alongside co-headliners Blink-182. That lineup also boasted appearances by Avril Lavigne, Weezer, and The Offspring. This followed the 2024 edition, which centered on iconic full-album performances, most notably My Chemical Romance revisiting their magnum opus, The Black Parade.
Though the 2026 calendar will be missing its signature eyeliner-clad weekend, the organizers concluded their update with a promise of longevity: “This isn’t goodbye – it’s just a pause. We’ll see you in 2027.”
