What is the Up & Up Festival?
The Up & Up Festival owned by Monster Energy is the biggest college festival tour in the country competing with over 50 universities to bring a famous DJ/headliner to their college town during a 48-hour pre-sale competition.
The Festival Series launched in 2016, with headliner Cash Cash, and expanded nationwide featuring other artists like Dom Dolla and Chris Lorenzo.
Cal Poly’s ‘Up & Up Festival’ team is back once again competing to bring famous DJ duo, SIDEPIECE, led by four female ambassadors who are pushing the San Luis Obispo community to their third win of the Up & Up presale competition.
On February 24th at 1p.m. PST, Ambassador leads of the Up & Up team, Kailey Dodson, Kate Lowpensky, Leah Woodyatt and Katie Pierce will lead the team of 15 Cal Poly students to secure a third win, after winning Disco Lines and Matroda in 2024.
After interviewing the leads, I found out that the Cal Poly chapter was formed in 2023 when Dodson started out as ‘Up & Up’s’ social media intern and then reached out to Lowpensky. As she said in our interview, she “saw the effect it was having on other student communities at other schools.”
After securing two first place wins as the newcomers, the student community came together to bring artists, Disco Lines and Matroda. Dodson revealed that “The mission of Up & Up is to bring not only ravers, but everyone from the student community together.” Now, with a third victory in sight, the team is more motivated than ever.
“It’s really expanded the EDM scene in SLO by making it accessible to people who weren’t as invested in the raving scene… I want people to find a community within Up & Up and be able to enjoy awesome live music as a result,” Dodson said, when asked about the growth of EDM in SLO.
Kate Lowpensky had already worked in the EDM scene in SLO and believes “Cal Poly already has a really good EDM scene,” and found it easy to get music lovers to purchase Disco Lines tickets in 2024. After forming a team of ambassadors from different Greek Life organizations and getting the word out by posting Instagram stories, Lowpensky and Dodson were able to score a successful Up & Up Festival season.
“I’ve been able to talk to people from all different parts of campus and meet so many incredible people with the same love for EDM that I have,” Lowpensky said. “It’s made me a lot of new friends, opportunities, and really cool connections.” Given the opportunity to become a Junior Producer for Up & Up Festival, Lowpensky now leads 13 different universities to help them secure a win during the presale competition. “I wake up everyday feeling so proud of myself and Up & Up and how it’s been able to grow because immediately when you join this organization, you’re part of the family,” Lowpensky said.
Breaking Barriers
With diverse backgrounds in marketing, event planning, and social media management, these women are a force to be reckoned with. From organizing boothing events and leveraging social platforms, such as Instagram, these women are ensuring that Cal Poly stays ahead of the competition.
Social media lead, Leah Woodyatt says, “this experience introduced me to an entirely new community in SLO and gave me the opportunity to gain insight into the music industry.” While posting content on the Instagram page weekly, like memes and presale information, Woodyatt collaborates with fellow ambassadors. She told me, “the shows we’ve put on are memories that I will cherish forever.”
Beyond social media, the team has created a strong presence on campus, organizing pop-up events for the student community and collaborating with local businesses to maximize support. The team’s effort extends beyond ticket sales, they encourage students to feel connected and eager to be part of something bigger.
Current Events Lead, Katie Pierce, was an ambassador in Spring of ‘24 then later became Events Lead where she gained the experience to plan different events and “build this program to what it is today, where we are about to secure a third win,” Pierce said. “It’s been fun to explore the EDM event-planning world.”
These female lead ambassadors are breaking barriers and proving that women belong at the forefront of festival production and promotion. Their leadership is setting an example for future generations of female students who aspire to make an impact in the entertainment industry.
Road to Victory
All eyes are on Cal Poly as they aim to secure yet another win. Thanks to the dedication of these inspiring women, the university is once again proving that the student community can come together to win yet another music festival.
Stay tuned as Cal Poly’s Up & Up team continues their journey, because with these female leaders, the San Luis Obispo community will almost definitely be seeing famous DJ duo SIDEPIECE.