The Shabang Music and Arts Festival was established over a decade ago, bringing together artists of various media and tunes of all kinds.
“Myself and three other Cal Poly students in 2014 started Shabang with about 20 friends, and this year in 2026, we’ll have about 17,000 attendees,” said Greg Golf, Shabang co-founder.
The festival first started as a small get-together on Cuesta Ridge, then moved to Laguna Lake until some event ordinance changes prompted them to find a new site — the Dairy Creek Golf Course.
“I’d reach out to them and said, ‘Hey if you guys are looking for a bigger spot or something along those lines give us a call,' because we were originally talking about doing it on our grass driving range, it’s our traditional driving range, before Swing Time was built and before the golf course closed down," said Josh Heptig, San Luis Obispo County Golf Superintendent.
Heptig said that contracts for the festival are done on a yearly basis, with this year’s event bringing in about $39,000 to County Parks.
Some local businesses also benefit.
“Since 2024, we have doubled our attendee size and this year we expect to bring in over $600,000 in direct business sales for the county," Golf said.
And a heads up to anyone driving past the festival on Highway 1:
“Locals should expect increased traffic near Dairy Creek and Cuesta College. We do have traffic control," Golf said.
The festival is taking place this Saturday and Sunday.
