This isn’t goodbye, it’s just a pause

When We Were Young Festival will not be happening in 2026, its organisers have confirmed.

• READ MORE: How When We Were Young went from “emo fyre-fest” to a euphoric pop-punk party

The popular emo festival began in 2022 and has taken place every October for the past four years at Las Vegas’ Festival Grounds. It runs as a one-day event but has historically added a second date due to demand.

However, the festival will be taking a break this year and is set to return in October 2027.

In a statement posted to Instagram, When We Were Young said: “To our When We Were Young Family, 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.

“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. We’ll see you in 2027.”

Last year, Panic! At The Disco reunited to perform ‘A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out’ in its entirety for its 20th anniversary. It also saw reunions from letlive., Never Shout Never, Jack’s Mannequin, The Cab and The Gaslight Anthem.

The line-up also featured  All Time Low, Yellowcard, The Used, Simple Plan, Taking Back Sunday, Mayday Parade and The Story So Far. On the heavier side of things, there was  Alexisonfire, Ice Nine Kills, Motionless In White, Kublai Khan TX, Bad Religion, Beartooth, and Loathe.

Meanwhile, 2024’s When We Were Young saw a unique approach to its curation – most of its line-up performed an album from their respective discographies in full over two days.

Among the classic albums performed live were My Chemical Romance‘s classic 2006 album ‘The Black Parade’, Jimmy Eat World’s ‘Bleed American’, A Day To Remember‘s ‘Homesick’ and Dashboard Confessional‘s ‘Dusk And Summer’.

In addition, Sick New World – which started the year after When We Were Young – cancelled its 2025 edition just weeks after its line-up was announced.

It will return in 2026 with two events at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds and the Texas Motor Speedway on April 25 and October 24 respectively.

System Of A Down will headline both legs of Sick New World 2026. Other artists on the bill for Las Vegas include KoRn, Bring Me The Horizon, Evanescence, Marilyn Manson, Ministry, AFI, Knocked Loose, Danny Elfman, Acid Bath, Cypress Hill, Melvins, Mastodon and Underoath.

The line-up for the inaugural Texas edition boasts the likes of Deftones, Slayer (celebrating the 40th anniversary of ‘Reign In Blood’), The Prodigy, Evanescence, Power Trip, Ministry, AFI, Mastodon, Knocked Loose, Underoath, Clutch, Down, and Melvins.

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