Behind the Scenes of Ole Fest: What It’s Like to Plan USD’s Biggest Concert

If there’s one event I look forward to every year at USD, it’s the Ole Music Festival and not just because I love having a good time at a concert. For me, Ole Fest represents months of planning, collaboration, and creative problem-solving as part of the Torero Program Board (TPB).

Last year, I served as a Vice Chair of TPB and was given the opportunity to lead the planning and execution of this large-scale event alongside my committee. I’ve come to learn the ins and outs of what it takes to make this event come to life.

One of my biggest responsibilities was artist booking. This was the key to securing an opener and headliner. We worked with agencies like Wasserman, UTA, and WME to find artists who fit both our budget and availability. I learned that a radius clause is in effect which is a “contractual deal point that ensures an artist does not perform within a certain number of miles surrounding your venue, within a certain time frame before and after the event”. Due to this we had to account for when our concert would be in comparison to big festival schedules like Coachella and Stagecoach. There was a lot of back-and-forth with agents and negotiating prices, so effective communication played a huge role.  After weeks of what felt like never-ending email chains, finally getting the greenlight for an artist was such a huge relief.

Budgeting was another major part of the process. With an event costing around $200,000, we had to account for production expenses like staging, lighting, crew needs with our production company, Show Imaging. We also had to take into account the costs of the student opener, openers, and our headliner along with their greenroom items and any other needs. The challenge was creating an unforgettable experience while staying financially responsible. This taught me how to balance big creative ideas with real-world constraints.

As someone who loves marketing, this part was my favorite. Ole Fest is only as successful as the hype behind it. From Instagram teasers and countdowns to flyers around campus, we built excitement leading up to the headliner reveal by posting fun facts and interactive story content to keep people guessing. It’s always so fun to hear people on campus talking about it and making their guesses. 

After many months of planning, everything leads up to the big day. The day of the event is always such an exhilarating yet tiring process. Our team is on campus from 9am-11pm running around setting up the artists greenrooms, helping with last-minute requests from the artists team, and darting between stages or sound checks to put out tiny fires before the crowd ever notices.

The moment the lights hit the stage, the artists come on one by one and the crowd starts cheering and singing along, it truly made every moment worth it (no matter how stressful it got). It was extremely gratifying to help create an experience for the USD community to enjoy. It has shaped the way I approach leadership, problem solving, and communication. This opportunity reminds me of why I love planning events and why I’m drawn to a career that can create experiences for others to enjoy.