Fans hoping that the nostalgia-heavy When We Were Young Festival would return this year will have to wait a bit longer, as organizers for the event have announced that they’re taking a year off before picking back up in 2027.
Organizers announced on Friday that the next iteration of When We Were Young will take place in Las Vegas in October 2027. A specific reason for the delay was not given. “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,” read the statement. “When We Were Young Festival will return to Las Vegas in October 2027. Thank you for showing up with your whole hearts every year. This isn’t goodbye — it’s just a pause.”
When We Were Young has become a nostalgia haven for concertgoers — specifically millennials — since its inaugural year in 2017 at Santa Ana, CA’s Observatory. The festival moved to Las Vegas for its second iteration in 2022, where it has returned every year through 2025.
The festival featured bands and artists often performing their classic albums in full, and leaned on nostalgia much like fellow festivals Vans Warped Tour (which will once again take place this year) and the ill-fated Lovers & Friends Festival, which also took place in Las Vegas and was canceled the night before it was supposed to begin in 2024 due to extreme weather.
Last year, When We Were Young was headlined by Blink-182 and Panic! at the Disco, the latter of which performed their seminal album “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out” in its entirety.