Marlie Langer | Head Editor
March 27, 2026
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has released all of their decisions, and for those deciding to accept, I have great news for you! On the first weekend of May, right in San Luis Obispo, is Shabang, a festival that has music for everyone! From indie to house, headlining this year is The Backseat Lovers on Saturday May 2nd and Chris Lake on Sunday May 3rd. Not only is this a road trip worthy music festival, it is also an amazing opportunity to meet students that already attend Cal Poly SLO or possibly new friends who are committed to SLO for the upcoming fall semester of 2026.
Shabang is a student run festival that originally started off as an illegal DIY concert on Cuesta Ridge, and it has come a long way since then. It is now a legally run festival located at the Dairy Creek Golf Course. The students from Cal Poly, Cuesta College, and Santa Barbara City College are often the most participating students in running this music festival. Senior at SCHS Mikaela Benumof recalled how her sister who attended Cal Poly “volunteered at Shabang” in order to be able to see the show.
Day one of Shabang features bands made up of SLO students like Sol Arc all the way up to the headliners of the night, Polo & Pan and The Backseat Lovers. B & The Hive will kick off day two, setting the stage for Sunday’s headliners Magdalena Bay and Chris Lake. Senior at San Clemente High School Joyful Miller is planning on attending Shabang this upcoming May and is “so excited to see what college life is” like for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo students. Tier one and Tier two tickets have sold out but there is still time to grab Tier three tickets for Saturday or Sunday or even the whole weekend!
Since Shabang is a student run festival and is local to Cal Poly SLO, it is the perfect opportunity for new and incoming fall 2026 students to see a sneak peak at their social life for the next four years to come and even make some new friends! Get your tickets now while they last!
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