As the San Luis Obispo community and beyond fall asleep on the night of May 1 with a neatly folded and carefully curated outfit on the bedside table, attendees’ quest for the perfect Shabang 2025 outfit has finally come to a close. In what is described as a “Mini-Coachella,” the festival provides an opportunity for people to show up and show out, in a claim to self-expression like no other.
Long flowing skirts, loud patterned shirts, the quintessential boots that took years to find and the micro shorts that arrived in the mail the day before, each piece is chosen intentionally, whether for comfort or aesthetic.
But what is the perfect Shabang outfit? And where are crowds finding it?
“I’m looking for something kind of funky, almost like a kind of disco vibe, but maybe also a touch of some Western influences,” economics senior Erik Johnston said as he browsed the racks of Thrifty Beaches in San Luis Obispo. “And something that will be cool enough in the day, but warm enough in the night.”
The true challenge with festival outfits can be balance — finding just the right piece that feels on trend but authentic, the piece that can be worn in the mosh at Jungle’s DJ set or to an Empower Shabang Kickboxing workshop.
From Laguna Lake to Funk Safari, wearing something that is suitable for all stages and crowds is a task that brings locals into the various downtown thrift stores in search of versatility.
“These stores are really eclectic in and of themselves because they already have the people who filter through what they put on their shelves,” Johnston said, as he searched throughout the town’s stores for an outfit.
Thrifty Beaches is a staple in the downtown San Luis Obispo thrift scene, as many turn to browse the hundreds of eccentric pieces in the 26,350-square-foot shop prior to Shabang.
“No one’s going to be wearing the same thing as you if you thrift something, most likely. You are going to have a unique outfit and I think that’s the look that people are going for,” said business administration senior Ashley Ward.
As a student entrepreneur and Shabang attendee herself, the outfit curation process is no stranger to Ward. For the past five years, she has run her own jewelry company Artsy Yellow Room, handcrafting necklaces, earrings and beyond as part of her own creative process.
“They’re more likely to sell when there’s an event like this coming up because people are looking for unique things instead of everyday wear, more basic jewelry,” Ward said. “So I think it’s nice that like gives us vendors an opportunity to make more creative things and then just supports us in general.”
Ward emphasized the impact of Shabang inviting small vendors to booth at thefestival, as it encourages people to follow the example and shop local or small businesses beforehand, not only saving money for the college demographic but uplifting owners in the process.
A spiraled waist chain with turquoise beads and a tiger’s eye necklace are just two of the statement pieces she created to sell at club-sponsored markets leading up to Shabang 2025.
Among many of the other Shabang-centered clothing pop-ups, Cal Poly’s Sustainable Fashion Club held both a thrift event and a festival-focused sewing and mending workshop to discourage the overconsumption that frequently parallels the big events that call for out-of-this-world outfits.
“It’s really important to remind ourselves that we have so many clothes in our closets,” said SFC event planner and communications junior Liam O’Gorman, “I can make so many outfits I’ve never thought of before if I just challenge myself.”
Architecture senior Lauren Shirley is the design director for the FITS fashion club at Cal Poly, and has attended festivals in outfits that arose from thinking creatively about the clothes she already had.
“Events like this really promote the reuse and reselling of clothes and things instead of just buying new,” she said from the Sustainable Fashion Club booth on Dexter Lawn as passerbyers looked through the clothes for resale.
As Shabang continues to grow each year, the number of people searching for that perfect festival outfit grows with it and creates opportunities for local businesses, student-run clubs and beyond to help curate something for every unique sense of style.
Whether attendees grace the Dairy Creek Golf Course sporting their newest Depop gold, a quick online purchase or the shirt that has sat in the back of a dark closet for six years, the criteria for the perfect Shabang outfit is simple: that it makes you feel good.
