CORONA, Calif., Dec. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Monster Energy Up & Up Festival, the longest-running college music tour, has announced Ship Wrek, one of the most buzz-worthy producers and DJs in electronic music, as their official headliner for its Spring 2026 tour.
Now entering its tenth year, the festival's thousands of presale tickets routinely sell out within 48 hours, despite no announced date, location, or even a guarantee that the event will happen. More than 100 student ambassador teams from across the U.S. will rally their schools through guerrilla marketing, grassroots campus activations, hundreds of tablings featuring Monster Energy product and swag, dozens of rally events at the most popular bars, Greek Chapter presentations, and targeted influencer campaigns to secure a stop on the tour — and the chance to co-produce the ultimate college music experience and earn internship credits.
"Whenever we play college shows, the energy is always next level," says Ship Wrek. "It's a full-circle moment to see how much the genre has grown since we were DJing in school. We are stoked to be headlining the Monster Energy Up & Up Festival and see which schools win it all."
Monster Energy Up & Up empowers each campus team — operating from its own Instagram handle — to compete in a 48-hour presale campaign. The top five schools with the most ticket sales win a stop on the tour. Winning colleges then partner with Up & Up producers to host the festival at a local venue, featuring their own DJ openers, content team, and on-site activations, culminating in the most hyped event of the semester.
Credit cards are charged only to the winning campus's teams, so there's no risk. Students can also purchase via PayPal and Venmo. This forward-thinking ticketing model has resulted in multiple sold-out hard-ticket tours in premium college venues before the dates & locations are even announced.
"As a senior business student at Cal Poly, being part of Up & Up has been one of — if not the most — pivotal and rewarding experiences of my four years in college," says Kyle Flora. "The entertainment sphere can feel limited around my small college town, but Up & Up allowed me to tap into that community while gaining real hands-on experience in live music marketing. From applying to be a student ambassador the summer after my sophomore year to stepping into larger roles, including President and National Campaign Designer, the program has absolutely helped me find what my lane is in the music industry post-grad. And beyond the professional growth, being able to produce an EDM festival for your friends is so unusual, unreal, and something I will never take for granted."
Here's how the Monster Energy Up & Up model delivers:
Electronic dance music has grown rapidly over the past ten years, and the Monster Energy Up & Up Festival has been at the forefront of bringing elite artists such as Dom Dolla and Disco Lines to college towns across the US. This model enables students to curate major events featuring top-tier artists while developing real-world skills in sales, promotion, and event production.
Recent winners include Cal Poly, Miami-Ohio, San Diego State, University of Arizona, CSU Fullerton, San Jose State and the University of Oregon, who earned the Fall 2025 headliner, ODD MOB. Other previous winners include University of Alabama, ASU (2x), Bryant, Boulder (4x), University of Dayton (3x), University of Georgia, Lehigh, JMU, Indiana University, LSU, Penn State (3x), Oklahoma State, Oregon State University, UC Davis (2x), University of Virginia (2x), UT Austin, Washington State University (5x), UNCW (3x), Virginia Tech (2x), and Wake Forest.
Next Spring, the Up & Up will introduce the Newcomers Award to colleges that haven't won since Covid, more rally party events, along with its NATIONAL PEP RALLY. This virtual Zoom event attracts attendees from over 200 universities and features surprise artist performances, guest speakers from the music industry, educational workshops, and giveaways, all held days before the presale competition.
The Fall 2025 national competition kicks off on February 18th at 4 p.m. EST, with the winning festivals taking place throughout April and May.
College students seeking music industry experience or internship credit can apply at www.upandupfestival.com
ABOUT MONSTER ENERGY:
Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the hip hop lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes and artists represent. More than a drink, it's the way of life lived by athletes, artists, believers and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at www.monsterenergy.com.
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ABOUT THE MONSTER ENERGY UP & UP FESTIVAL:
Monster Energy Up & Up is the largest national college festival promoter in the US, powered by a community of campus ambassador teams across the country. Up & Up's innovative guerrilla ticketing system is simple: students crowdsource demand on their campuses leading up to a 48-hour competition period; colleges with the most pre-sales earn the chance to work with our team to craft a music experience of-a-lifetime, while also gaining valuable industry experience. Past live headliners include Cash Cash (2016), Alan Walker (2017), GRYFFIN (2018), Two Friends (2018), Slushii (2019), Lost Kings (2019) Elephante (2019), Troyboi (2020), Loud Luxury (2021), San Holo (2022) Dom Dolla (2022) , Chris Lorenzo (Spring 2023) Dr. Fresch (Fall 2023), Disco Lines (Spring 2024) Matroda (Fall 2024) Sidepiece (Spring 2025) & Odd Mob (Fall 2025)
FOLLOW MONSTER ENERGY UP & UP:
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ABOUT SHIP WREK
Ship Wrek, the duo comprised of Tripp Churchill and Collin Maguire, are one of the most buzz-worthy producers and DJs in electronic music. Famous for their signature sound and high energy DJ sets, the duo have caught the attention of fans, press, and industry heavyweights alike - touring regularly at festivals, headline shows, and clubs across North America. Ship Wrek have gained support from artists such as the Chainsmokers, Skrillex, Diplo, Dillon Francis, DJ Snake, Chris Lake, Zedd, and Tiesto.
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