The fest was started by the students of the college, the then Karnataka Regional Engineering College led by Umar Teekay during the 1980s, with a budget of Rs. 10000, and has been continued and amplified every year since. By 1985, Incident events were split between the Student Activity Center and the Silver Jubilee Auditorium. By the beginning of the 1990s, the fest had gained ample popularity among Mangaloreans. In 1992, one of the then biggest industries of Mangalore – PVS Beedies Pvt. Ltd. sponsored Incident when it created history by holding Fashion show contests for the first time.