Fans quickly noticed that the initial Instagram post<\/a> made no mention of any performing artists. Though moderators of the Warped Tour Instagram wryly responded to the few skeptic comments with, \u201cmusic is kinda what we do so I wouldn\u2019t get worried,\u201d it may be safe to assume that long-time supporters of the tour would have shown up for the cause regardless.<\/p>\n However, about fifteen minutes before the event was set to start, those subscribed to the tour\u2019s promotional messages received a text message announcing a surprise set.<\/p>\n On a small stage between First Street and Third Street in the Promenade, performances by Big Ass Truck I.E., Girlfriends and Holy Wars set the scene and gave attendees a taste of all the fun to come this summer. The three bands, all of whom are native to Southern California, were announced as part of the Long Beach lineup that morning.<\/p>\n During his band\u2019s performance, Girlfriends vocalist Travis Mills recalled his time growing up on the Warped Tour. A Riverside native now living in Long Beach, Mills made his debut on the tour in 2009 as a solo artist. Before going into the song \u201cWest Coast,\u201d Mills highlighted how the Warped Tour has consistently been \u201cthe place that made him feel like he wasn\u2019t alone.\u201d<\/p>\n Throughout the five hour event, attendees crowded the stage, vendor booths and the Promenade businesses. Even with short notice and little information provided, the large turnout was a testament to the faith that the Warped Tour community has in the brand and in each other. That groundwork has been laid by the countless number of people that make the tour and its affiliated events possible each year, all of which is at the helm of Kevin Lyman.<\/p>\n Lyman, the founder of the Vans Warped Tour, also works as a full-time professor at the University of Southern California, teaching the Music Industry program in the Thornton School of Music. Lyman expressed his gratitude for the community that made the pop-up event a success.<\/p>\n \u201cTo know that we could just invite people out and they trust our judgement of giving them some good entertainment: that\u2019s what the<\/p>\n Warped Tour is all about,\u201d Lyman said. \u201cIt\u2019s the big bands that you know and then those ones you learn about, and hearing how much people are talking about these bands and supporting them, it\u2019s a great feeling, seeing so many people that still back us.\u201d<\/p>\n The \u201cBlock Party\u201d served as a sort of \u201cthank you\u201d to Long Beach, which will serve as the West Coast stop of the Warped Tour in July. Being labeled as an \u201cEZ Sip Event\u201d made it part of the year-long Downtown Long Beach Entertainment Zone pilot program.<\/p>\n The program, which was approved last year<\/a> by the Long Beach City Council, allows for sanctioned areas of Long Beach to host patrons of legal drinking age to enjoy alcoholic beverages in city-permitted outdoor settings on specified days. Designed by the Downtown Long Beach Alliance<\/a>, the program aims to boost the local economy by putting the focus on local businesses.<\/p>\n The Warped Tour, which hit its 30-year milestone last year, has sold millions of tickets in that time, and thus built a solid foundation of fans that know the punk rock festival is not only rooted in the love of music, but the importance of giving back.<\/p>\n Historically, the list of nonprofit organizations along for the ride of the tour has been almost as long as the bill of bands itself. This event\u2019s focus was on Feed Our Children Now, a nonprofit whose mission is to provide food to children in need. The organization partnered with the Volunteer Center<\/a> of South Bay, Harbor and Long Beach to get the donations to local food banks.<\/p>\n According to Pam Rima, programs coordinator for the Volunteer Center, the donation of canned goods for the day weighed in at 147 pounds. Rima noted that though the short notice did not allow people much time to coordinate larger donations, the presence of the nonprofit still served as a reminder to Warped Tour Long Beach ticketholders of their opportunity to donate this summer.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/aly4-325x600.jpg\")
Kat Leon, vocalist of the band Holy Wars, performs an unreleased song called \u201cCeremony\u201d at the EZ-Sip Downtown Long Beach Block Party on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026 in Long Beach, Calif. (Aly Hawkins)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/aly5-600x400.jpg\")
Attendees of the EZ-Sip Downtown Long Beach Block Party pose with their beverages on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026 in Long Beach, Calif. Long Beach City Council approved the sanctioned open-container event program last year. (Aly Hawkins)<\/p>\n