For the third consecutive competition, Cal Poly claimed first place in the Up and Up presale competition—securing a festival headlined by the EDM duo, Sidepiece.
The 48-hour nationwide competition, which ran from February 24 to 26, challenged universities to sell the most tickets for a chance to host an exclusive music festival event. More than 80 schools participated in the presale, with the top winners including San Diego State University, Miami University in Ohio, the University of Oregon, and Cal State Fullerton.
The presale is simple: students buy a ticket for $34, but are only charged if their school wins. Cal Poly led the competition with roughly 1,300 tickets sold during the 48-hour period.
Cal Poly’s victory places them among the top five winning schools, all of which will host concerts.
This concert marks Cal Poly’s third consecutive first-place victory in the competition, following Matroda’s performance in fall 2024 and Disco Lines’ concert in spring 2024.
The upcoming concert is scheduled on May 22 at the Alex Madonna Expo Center, a venue with a capacity of 2,300 attendees. This spring, the concert will feature a 360-degree stage design, similar to the set-up for the Up and Up Matroda concert that took place in the fall.
“I definitely feel like the change to the 360-stage style for Matroda was beneficial in improving not only production but also crowd experience in general,” said Kailey Dodson, a communications senior and the lead student ambassador for Up and Up SLO.
Leading up to the presale, Up and Up SLO’s student ambassadors organized multiple promotional events to generate excitement about the competition and increase engagement.
In late January, Up and Up SLO hosted a DJ pop-up featuring Cal Poly student Dylan Riley at the Oceano Dunes.
“I feel like the trend right now in the EDM scene, especially with live events, is moving towards these renegade, lo-fi pop-up sets,” Dodson said.
Beyond event planning, Dodson believes Up and Up SLO’s social media strategy played a crucial role in engaging students and encouraging them to purchase during the presale.
“I think talking to college students like they’re college students is a huge factor in driving our ticket sales… that’s why people are able to resonate with us,” Dodson said.
For those new to the EDM scene, Dodson describes it as “a community of people who are truly there to enjoy the music and being there with each other and preserving that experience, not only for yourself, but also the people around you…that’s truly what EDM is built on.”
General admission tickets are on sale for those who did not secure tickets during the presale.