Overview Up and Up Festival is a college concert tour that campuses have to win: in a 48-hour presale across 100-plus schools, students put tickets on a card hold that is charged only if their school wins, and the schools with the most presales get the show. Winning schools usually clear 800 presales and some reach into the thousands. It started in 2016, and its fall 2026 winners list named Cal Poly, Cincinnati, Cal State Fullerton, Miami University in Ohio, Oregon and San Diego State. On site Shows run between October and early December, placed to miss midterms and finals. The venue is set with each winning school, from basketball arenas and ballrooms to the livestock arena on Clemson's campus and the basketball arena at San Jose State. In fall 2026 presale tickets cost $34 with no fees, and the first 100 at each school were free with a code. Audience The room is the student body that bought its way in: nobody is charged unless the school wins, and the leaderboard runs as a school-against-school race for two days before a set is played. Talent and Influencers The bills are dance and electronic. Cash Cash and Alan Walker played the early tours, Gryffin in 2018, NGHTMRE and 3LAU in 2019-20, Kaskade, Subtronics and Oliver Heldens in 2021, Dom Dolla, San Holo and Loud Luxury in 2022-23, Levity and Matroda in 2024, and Sidepiece, Odd Mob and Acraze in 2025. Brand presence Monster Energy is the tour's primary sponsor. Around the concerts the company runs the UP and UP Collective, which connects students with brands, plus a $10K Talent Showdown, a National Pep Rally, a DJ Remix Challenge, a Greek Charity Challenge and a Campus Crawl Tour. Brands can take a single market, integrate into the festival shows, or build a custom tour.