SouthFlorida.com | Teen Link South Florida

With their mohawks, gauged lobes, crazy outfits and hair of every color imaginable, the kids who stand out at school blended right in at the 15th Annual Vans' Warped Tour.

If you’re unfamiliar with Warped, it's primarily a music festival, among other things, that tours the country every summer, drawing fans from heavily pierced punks to their parents.

A lover of both loud music and crazy style, I've been a Warped Tour attendee since middle school. And even though I no longer don a wardrobe inspired by Avril Lavigne, the festival still makes it to the top of my summer to-do list.

July 25 was a hot and stormy day in West Palm Beach, but that didn't stop the crowd from enjoying all this years Warped Tour had to offer.

It was a day of nonstop entertainment, from the countless talented bands to the flea-market-style shopping. For first-timer Alex Rauchwerger, a senior at Stoneman Douglas High, the concert was a success.

"It's fun," he said, "but more rowdy than I expected."

He couldn't be more right. This year, like the rest, had a lot going on. And to find out when my favorite bands play, I had to buy a schedule for $2.

Warped Tour expert Alexandra Kalymeras, a junior at Deerfield Beach, has been attending since she was 12. "This is my fourth Warped Tour," she said.

When asked about her feelings on this year's lineup, she looked disappointed. "There are a lot of smaller bands, which is good, but it's missing a lot of great bands, like Jack's Mannequin."

Katherine Dove, a junior at John Caroll Catholic High in Fort Pierce, whom I met while waiting an impossibly long time to get a T-shirt signed by I Set My Friends on Fire, agrees. "I don’t know half the bands here," she said.

Last year boasted favorites like Anberlin, The All-American Rejects and Say Anything. So this year's lineup did appear to have a few holes.

But each band brought something to the table.

Streetlight Manifesto, which I was stoked to see, rocked out at the Hurley.com stage. The pit was transformed into a mass of kids skanking the day away, tumbling and jumping to the band's sweet ska sound.

Once in the pit, you risked getting smacked in the face by inflatable pool toys because there were a lot of those floating around. Lucky for me, I watched safely from the other side of the barricade.

Aside from the music, Warped Tour was a feast for the eyes. With bright colors and prints everywhere, I felt humdrum in my solid black Teenlink shirt.

Boys and girls alike looked like they had been dipped in rainbow sherbet. And if you forgot to wear something eye-catching, there were vendors everywhere selling bold clothing and accessories.

Warped Tour's South Florida visit was another success. Next year, remember these tips: It almost always rains, the bottled water is a rip off, and don’t mess with anyone in the mosh pits - you just might lose a limb.