The Monterey Jazz Festival is one of the Golden State's premier music events. For more than 50 years, jazz musicians and fans have come together to enjoy some amazing music along the Central Coast. The annual event, which is as much a tradition as the California State Fair, features more than 500 artists who perform on a number of different stages over the course of two days and three nights. As has become commonplace in more recent years, the Monterey Jazz Festival doesn’t only feature jazz artists. More and more, there are also performers who specialize in such other musical genres as rock and pop. This only serves to make the festival more appealing to a wider array of musical tastes.

Monterey Jazz Festival Music Venue

The Monterey Jazz Festival California will take place in September. As is also customary, the festival will be held at the Monterey County Fairgrounds, for which the address is 2000 Fairground Road in Monterey. Many of the concerts are held at the fairground’s Arena – an outdoor amphitheater that is also known as the Jimmy Lyons Stage. Outside of the arena, there are additional outdoor and indoor venues and stages, as well as 20 acres of grounds to enjoy events under magnificent oak trees.

The list of Monterey Jazz Festival events and things to do includes a film festival and plenty of shopping opportunities. Vendors will also stage exhibits and sell food and drinks. The gates open on Friday evening at 6 PM, on Saturday morning at 11:30 AM, and on Sunday morning at 11:00 AM, giving patrons plenty of time to explore and experience all the festivities along with the great music. A variety of ticket options are available for the Monterey Jazz Festival California. Everything from a single-day ticket to a full weekend VIP package. Tickets for the arena shows, available for the day or the entire weekend, include a reserved seat for all the concerts as well as general admission to the outdoor concert and activities. If you upgrade to the Premier Access Pass with any of the available ticket packages, you can expect to enjoy a variety of additional perks, including a gift bag, special entrance to the fairgrounds, and access to private bathrooms.

California Map

Food Stalls

As is typical of renowned festivals like the Monterey Jazz Festival, patrons can select from numerous food and beverage stalls when hunger and thirst set in. Being that this is California, the food stalls provide a vast array of tempting delights. Food is a serious business in the Golden State, after all. Whatever you crave, be it ice cream or even some Jamaican food, chances are good that the Monterey Jazz Festival food vendors can satisfy your wants. If you just want a drink, you can try some craft beers or maybe a margarita. Of course, some fine California wine can also be enjoyed. As a side note, it is possible to rent a hospitality chalet at the Monterey Jazz Festival. These private, tented structures cater to groups of friends and colleagues and feature some great perks. Book a Deluxe Chalet, for example, and you will be provided with 25 drink and 25 food tickets that can be used for any festival food vendor. Book a Premium Chalet instead, and you can choose to receive either 50 food and beverage tickets or a catered lunch or dinner and a no-host bar.

Nearby Hotels

A number of Monterey hotels offer close proximity to the Monterey Fairgrounds and the Monterey Jazz Festival. Especially near are a number of chain brand hotels and motels. Examples include the Comfort Inn Monterey Bay, the Monterey Bay Travelodge, and the Ramada Limited Monterey. Other choices for lodging in the more immediate area include the Bayside Inn, the Casa Verde Inn, the El Castell Motel, the Best Western Plus De Anza Inn, the Super 8 Monterey, and the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa. If these hotels don’t suit your fancy for whatever reason, there are plenty of other Monterey hotels and inns to consider. You could always stay at one of the downtown hotels and make the short commute without much issue. Also available are other area lodgings, including the hotels in such other Monterey Peninsula communities as Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, and Carmel.

While a limited number of RV parking spots are available on-site, RV parking and camping are generally not possible at the Monterey County Fairgrounds. If you wish to go the RV or camping route anyways, there are regional RV and campground sites that can accommodate. The regional parks are a good place to begin a search for such sites. Either way, since the long-running Monterey Jazz Festival draws a big crowd every year, you'll want to make your lodging reservations well in advance in order to assure that you will secure a room or campsite. Of course, you could also look to go the vacation rental route. There are some pretty inviting rental properties in the Monterey area, including some wonderful beach houses.