Monster Energy Up & Up Festival Taps OMNOM for Fall 2026 Tour

Monster Energy Up & Up Festival is turning up the volume for its tenth anniversary.

The long-running college music tour has announced house music standout OMNOM as the headliner for its Fall 2026 edition, bringing one of dance music’s most in-demand producers into a competition-driven tour model where students decide which campuses get the show.

The Fall 2026 national competition kicks off Sept. 15 at 4 p.m. EST, with the winning festivals set to take place throughout October and November. Only four schools will earn the chance to host an Up & Up Festival stop with OMNOM headlining.

“I never DJ’d any of the big parties back when I was in college. Thanks to Monster Energy Up & Up, I’m coming back to headline them instead,” OMNOM said. “College crowds bring some of the best energy there is, and there’s something special about seeing your music connect with the next generation of dance fans.”

Up & Up’s model flips the usual tour rollout on its head. More than 100 student ambassador teams across the country compete during a presale window, rallying their campuses through grassroots marketing, social media pushes, bar takeovers, Greek life presentations, campus activations and influencer campaigns. The top four schools by ticket sales win a tour stop.

Dates and venues are not guaranteed when students buy in. Instead, credit cards are charged only if a campus wins, giving fans a low-risk way to back their school while giving student teams a hands-on crash course in live event marketing, promotion and production.

Winning campuses then work with Up & Up producers to stage the festival at a local venue, complete with student DJ openers, content teams and on-site activations.

The format has helped Up & Up sell out hard-ticket college events before dates and locations are even announced, while turning campus demand into a direct path for students looking to break into the music industry. Past headliners have included Dom Dolla, Disco Lines and Ship Wrek, who headlined the Spring 2026 edition won by the University of Oregon.

“Applying to Up & Up has been one of the best decisions I’ve made in college,” said Lefty Howland, a fifth-year advertising major at the University of Oregon. “In a small town like Eugene, opportunities in the music industry felt limited, especially as an EDM lover, and Up & Up opened doors I didn’t think I’d find out here.”

Recent winning schools include Cal Poly, Miami-Ohio, San Diego State, CSU Fullerton, the University of Tennessee, the University of Georgia, the University of South Carolina and the University of Oregon.

For Fall 2026, Up & Up will also continue its Newcomers Award for schools that have not won since COVID, expand “Road to Up & Up” club events near college campuses and host its National Pep Rally, a virtual event featuring surprise artist performances, music industry guests, workshops and giveaways.

College students seeking music industry experience or internship credit can apply at upandupfestival.com.